Category: Gender Matrix

Silencing the Abused: Mbire Villagers Sweep Girls Sexual Abuse Cases Under the Rug

Michael Gwarisa

…16 Grade 7 Pupils from One School in Mbire Fail to sit For Exams after Falling Pregnant By Michael Gwarisa in Mbire It’s an early Friday morning, and villagers from communities surrounding Mushumbi Pools growth point in Mbire, troop to Mushumbi High School, where several partners are offering Gender Based Violence (GBV) services under a Mobile One Stop Centre setup. Over 100 women and girls arrived at the venue by 9:00 am. However, one can’t help but notice the visibly young children with babies strapped on their backs. At first…

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Mobile One-Stop Centre Eases Referral Pathway Hurdles for Mbire GBV Survivors

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa in Mbire At the height of COVID-19 in 2021, when she was only 17 and about to sit for her ordinary-level examinations, Tracy Mushonga (not her real name) from Nyakatsa B1 Village in Mbire, Mashonaland Central was impregnated. She dropped out of school and went to live with her husband. A few months into her marriage, Tracey realised all was not rosy as her husband would physically abuse her daily. Between the period 2020 and 2021 when the world was on lockdown due to COVID-19, Mashonaland Central…

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The Intersection of Unpaid Care Work and Cholera In Zimbabwe: The Untold Tales of Women in Rural Settings

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa in Buhera Data from previous epidemics show that women and girls take on the bulk of unpaid or poorly paid care work in families and communities when formal health systems are unable to cope with the rising tide of infections. When COVID-19 hit in 2020, healthcare workers were overwhelmed with managing a novel but highly infectious respiratory infection. The growing demand for care in the context of the COVID-19 crisis deepened already existing inequalities in the gender division of labour, placing a disproportionate burden on women and…

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Making Communities Safe For Women: How Zimbabwe’s GBV Program Has Improved Access To Services In El Nino Affected Districts

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa In every emergency, the vulnerability of women and girls increases. In Zimbabwe, the prevailing El Nino-induced drought has amplified the susceptibility of women and girls to numerous forms of abuse. In both Matabeleland North and South provinces, cases of elderly women getting abused sexually have been on the increase. In Gwanda and Umguza Districts where mining is rampant, artisanal miners have been sexually abusing young children, girls,women and even elderly women under the false belief that it gives them fortune in their mining endeavors. In Umguza District,…

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After Dropping Out Of School Due to An Early Marriage, Mhondoro Adolescent Girl Traces Footsteps Back To Classroom

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa in Chegutu When COVID-19 hit in 2020, everything came to a standstill as governments worldwide clamped down on services to pave way for the effective management of the disease. Unfortunately, the education sector was also affected, and learning was suspended. This, however, increased the vulnerability of girls from poor backgrounds as many were driven into early marriages to escape from the effects of poverty and hunger that characterised the pandemic period. One such girl is Theresa Garikai (21), from Katawa Village, from Mhondoro Mubaira, Chegutu District, who…

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10 Minutes In The Shoes Of Zim’;s First Video-Assisted-Thoracoscopy-Surgery (VATS) Patient

Kuda Pembere

By Kudakwashe Pembere On March 1, 2024, donning a purple silk night gown, Tatenda Nyakutya is admitted in Ward B5 for females as she awaits to see her 17-year-old child whom she last saw about a week prior her surgery. Despite the pots surgery pain, Tatenda’s sense of humor gets the best of her as she finds time to crack one or two jokes with her relatives. “So in 2022, I collapsed and they rushed me to Nyanga District Hospital,” says Tatenda as she shuffles through a medicine bag containing…

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Zimbabwe International Women’s Day Commemorations Puts A spotlight On Investing In Women

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa in Shurugwi Women and girls in Zimbabwe bear the biggest brunt of climate change, and economic challenges amongst other vices, hence the need for increased investment in women across all economic spheres. The call was made by various stakeholders who attended the International Women’s Day Commemorations 2024 Commemorations at Chitora Primary School in Shurugwi. This also comes amid an Elnino-induced climate crisis whereby various districts across the country are facing a serious drought. Officiating at the International Women’s Day celebrations, Minister of Women Affairs, Community, Small and…

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Student Resource Centre Bridges SRH Unmet Need and Information Gaps for MSU Students

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa It’s around 12 midday, Audrey Katsande (22), and her friend Mitchell Munjoma (21) are chilling in the Girls’ Space inside the Student Resource Centre at the Midlands State University (MSU). It’s a time to cool off after a long morning of lectures and college work. University life can be difficult for students at times, and MSU students are no exception. Being a multi-campus college with an estimated student enrollment above 18000 students, the MSU is faced with unique challenges. Its accommodation facility caters only for less than…

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City of Harare and Zimbabwe Gender Commission join hands in GBV fight

Kuda Pembere

By Kuda Pembere The Zimbabwe Gender Commission (ZGC) teamed up with the City Of Harare to mark the Women’s Month with a fight against Gender Based Violence (GBV) through a Clean Up Campaign in Harare’s oldest high-density suburb Mbare last Friday. Officiating the cleanup campaign in Women’s month themed Sweeping Gender-Based Violence, Harare deputy mayor Councillor Rosemary Muronda said it was important to get rid of GBV in homes between men and women. “It is my honor to officiate the Clean Up campaign during the Month of Women and Gender-Based…

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Zimbabwe Launches Women at the Center Project To Ease GBV Case Management and Referral Pathways

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa The Government of  Zimbabwe through the Ministry of Women Affairs Community, and Small and Medium Enterprise Development in collaboration with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), have launched the Women at the Centre Project that focuses on providing increased support to survivors of Gender Based Violence (GBV) through quality case management. Japanese Pharmaceutical Company Takeda is supporting the project and its being implemented over four years.  Zimbabwe is one of five countries that are part of this project. The other countries are Indonesia, El Salvador, Azerbaijan and…

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