For Some Zimbabwean Children, a School Meal Can Mean More Than Food
By Michael Gwarisa “Sometimes we go the whole day without eating because there is no food at school.” For one learner in Buhera District, the reality of school feeding is summed up in a single sentence. For children who depend on meals provided at school, the availability of food can mean more than simply satisfying
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Red, Amber, Green: Zimbabwe Plans New Warning Labels for Unhealthy Foods
By Michael Gwarisa Zimbabwe is considering introducing colour-coded food labels that would make it easier for parents and caregivers to identify foods high in sugar, salt and fat, as the Government moves to strengthen regulation of unhealthy food products and their marketing to children. The proposed system would use familiar traffic-light colours to provide an
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Zimbabwe, UNICEF Launch China-Funded Programme to Protect Children From Drought
By Kuda Pembere in Goromonzi WITH Zimbabwe still recovering from the 2023/24 drought and bracing for renewed climate shocks, Government and UNICEF have launched a two-year, Chinese-funded programme targeting more than 212,000 people in drought-affected districts. The initiative, financed through China’s Global Development and South-South Cooperation Fund, will be implemented in up to eight districts
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Zimbabwe to Use Sugar Tax Revenue to Fund Nutrition, Fight Obesity
By Michael Gwarisa Zimbabwe will begin using revenue collected from sugar-sweetened beverages and fast-food taxes to finance nutrition programmes and tackle the growing burden of obesity and diet-related non-communicable diseases (NCDs) following Cabinet’s approval of the National Nutrition Financing Strategy. The strategy, presented by Vice President General (Rtd) Dr. Constantino Chiwenga in his capacity as
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Zimbabwe cannot attain Vision 2030 without well-nourished citizens
Kuda Pembere Zimbabwe’s goal of becoming an upper middle-income economy by 2030 cannot be achieved if citizens are not properly nourished, Deputy Chief Secretary for Social Services in the Office of the President and Cabinet, Reverend Paul Damasane, has said. Rev Damasane made the remarks on Thursday while officiating at a high-level Nutrition Advocacy Meeting
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UNICEF Warns Plumpy Nut Shortages Loom Amid Global Funding Crunch
By Kuda Pembere After three decades of treating child malnutrition with Ready to Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) such as Plumpy Nut under United Nations Children’s Fund support, Zimbabwe faces new risks as funding shortages strain supply pipelines. RUTF, an energy-dense food used to treat children with severe acute malnutrition, has significantly reduced the need for
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Maternal anaemia fuels intergenerational malnutrition in Zimbabwe
Michael Gwarisa Maternal anaemia is tightening its grip on Zimbabwe, with the latest Zimbabwe Demographic and Health Survey (ZDHS) revealing a sharp and worrying rise over the past decade. In 2015, 27 percent of women of childbearing age (15 to 49) were anaemic. Today, that figure has climbed to 41.8 percent, a nearly 55 percent
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Harare’s Children at Risk: 1,000+ Malnutrition Cases Annually
Kuda Pembere More than 1,000 children under the age of five present with malnutrition at clinics run by the Harare City Council each year, according to Jacob Mafume. Mayor Mafume revealed this on Friday during the launch of a parenting mobile application, Rera-Umtwana (Nurture A Child). He noted that most cases are recorded in peri-urban
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How Instant Noodles and Zapnax Snacks Are Fueling a Silent Health Crisis Among Zimbabwean Children
By Michael Gwarisa While they may be convenient and easy to prepare for your little ones, flavoured snacks, foods and beverages contain high sugar, salt and or unhealthy fats that can increase the risk of becoming overweight or obese, and of related chronic diseases later in life. Data from the 2024 Zimbabwe Livelihoods Assessment Committee
Read MoreZimbabwe’s Nutrition Advocacy and Parliamentary Engagement Project Gains Traction
By Michael Gwarisa In a bid to enhance nutrition advocacy and strengthen policymaker engagement on child nutrition and development, Zimbabwe has launched a network of nutrition champions, an initiative that is now gaining momentum and driving greater collaboration across sectors. The programme is being implemented by the Zimbabwe Civil Society Organisations Scaling Up Nutrition Alliance
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