UNESCO’s flagship O3 Programme Empowers 30 million learners to prevent HIV, reduce EUPs and eliminate GBV

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, 4 Mai 2022 — UNESCO’s flagship Our Rights, Our Lives, Our Future (O 3) Programme is holding its Annual Review and Partners’ Meeting from 4 to 6 May 2022 in Johannesburg, South Africa. The meeting will be opened by the Honorable Angie Motshekga, Minister of Basic Education in South Africa. The O 3 Programme, run in partnership with ministries of education and health, supports 33 countries across sub-Saharan Africa to work towards a region where adolescents and young people are empowered, healthy and resilient and have the…

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Taking Child Marriages And SGBV Fight Right To The Doorstep Of Marginalized Tribes In Mbire

Women in Mazambara, Mbire benefit from the SASA model

MBIRE district in Mashonaland Central is home to vast wildlife including the famous Big Five even though one of the animals, the Black Rhino has since vanished from the picture. Despite the rugged terrain and a poor road network ahead, the meandering and curvaceous road leading to Mbire through the Mavhuradonha mountain range makes one green with envy. By Michael Gwarisa recently in Mbire However, beyond this beauty lies a monster, Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV), which has led to a spike in the incidence and prevalence of early…

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Zim Experts Warn Of Rise In Unintended Pregnancies After Lockdown…Should Young People Adopt Long-term Contraceptives?

FAILURE by young women and girls to access modern contraceptives and reproductive health services during the lockdown could spell doom and possibly reverse the gains that have been attained in terms of reducing Early Unintended Pregnancies (EUPs). By Michael Gwarisa According to the Zimbabwe Demographic Health Survey (ZDHS) 2015, sexually active unmarried women are more likely to have the highest risk of unintended pregnancy. This is because more than 70% of them are on short-acting contraceptives, condoms, and orals. Under a lockdown scenario as ours, supply can easily be disrupted…

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Boreholes Now HIV and Pregnancies Traps For Young Girls

Picture From Nehanda Radio

THE prevailing water crisis in Harare and other parts of the country exposes girls and young women to HIV infections and early unintended pregnancies (EUPs) owing to the lengthy hours they spend in long winding queues and boreholes where they end up fraternising with individuals who harbor evil intentions. By Michael Gwarisa Speaking at the launch of the Harare Zimbabwe Population-based HIV Impact Assessment (ZIMPHIA), Harare province acting provincial development coordinator Mrs Catherine Kampila said the water crisis in Harare had created a fertile breeding ground for risky sexual behaviour…

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UNESCO In Regional Drive To Curb Early Unintended Pregnancies

Mr Masimba Nyamucheta UNESCO

THE United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has embarked on a campaign to reduce cases of Early Unintended Pregnancies (EUPs) in Zimbabwe and other sub-Saharan countries, a move that is set to empower adolescent girls and young people to make informed decisions about their Sexual Reproductive Health (SRH). By Michael Gwarisa in Mazowe Through a partnership with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the Southern Africa HIV and AIDS Information Dissemination Service (SAfAIDS) and Save The Children, UNESCO has already kick-started various media engagements initiatives at a regional…

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