By Patricia Mashiri At age 13 In 1987, a few years after Zimbabwe had attained her independence, Gogo Memory Nyazvigo now 50, from Mudzi, Nyamapanda went to the health facility expecting to deliver her first child. Unfortunately, she lost the baby during childbirth as he came head first and got stuck in the birth canal,
Read MoreBy Chipo Tsitsi Mlambo The adultification of pregnant children refers to a bias in which adults treat minors as if they possess the maturity and understanding of adults. In Zimbabwe, this bias is particularly evident when pregnant children seek antenatal care in urban centers like Harare. Phrases such as “Watoo amai, watokura” (You are now
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By Ntokozo Gudu Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) championing women and girls’ rights in Zimbabwe have called for the urgent amendment of the Termination of Pregnancy Act (TOP), in order to reduce the high maternal deaths associated with unsafe abortions in the country. Zimbabwe is using a Termination of Pregnancy (ToP) Act that was enacted in
Read MoreBy Kuda Pembere in Chinhoyi CHINHOYI School of Midwifery is one of the six pilot nursing schools selected to conduct studies using an e-learning platform for midwifery. The platform, a first of its kind in the country and was created to close the gap created by the shortage of midwifery tutors in Zimbabwe due to
Read MoreBy Michael Gwarisa in Gwanda The risk of unplanned pregnancies is very high in the absence of Long-Acting Reversible Contraceptives (LARCs) Family planning methods. Women in low-resource settings experience interruptions that may increase the risk of unintended and unplanned pregnancies. In most cases, the poorest couples have the highest fertility, the lowest contraceptive use and
Read MoreBy Staff Reporter While the ideal age for girls in their first period ranges from 10 and 15 years old, a new study has found that girls of colour, particularly Black girls, are beginning their menstrual cycles at younger ages than their peers, HealthTimes has learnt. The study titled “Menarche and Time to Cycle Regularity
Read MoreBy 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
Read MoreBy Olindah Tariro Chademana According to the United Nations, youths are individuals aged between 15 and 24 years. Youth-friendly services, as defined by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), are health services that respect the rights of young people and take their diverse sexual and reproductive lives into account. The World Health Organisation (WHO) supports
Read MoreBy Memory Pamella Kadau In the past few weeks, two unrelated developments have captured media attention and triggered thoughts about safe abortion and child protection. The first development was the lawsuit filed by Women and Law in Southern Africa (WLSA), challenging the validity of some sections of the Termination of Pregnancy (ToP) Act. The second
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