Tag: STIGMA

School Re-entry Program For Pregnant Girls Fails To Attract Takers

Kuda Pembere
Young Preganant Women

With Zimbabwe passing the Education Amendment Act of 2020 which allowed re-entry of pregnant girls and adolescent mothers to school, a June 2023 report dubbed National Assessment on Adolescent Pregnancies in Zimbabwe found that the provision fell on deaf ears as more than 95 percent of pregnant adolescents are not going to school. By Kuda Pembere The report was prepared by the Centre for Sexual Health and HIV AIDS Research Zimbabwe (CeSHHAR) in partnership with the Ministry of Public Service, Labour, and Social Welfare (MoPSLSW), Ministry of Health and Child…

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Workplace Stigma Against TB Survivors On The Rise In Zimbabwe

Kuda Pembere

Documented cases of discrimination against TB patients and survivors in the workplace environment, have  been increasing over the years been reported in most settings in Zimbabwe with some employers going to the extent of dismissing survivors under unclear circumstances. By Kudakwashe Pembere recently in Kwekwe This was revealed during the presentation of the Community Rights and Gender Assessment findings in Kwekwe on Wednesday by Jointed Hands Welfare Organization (JHWO) director Dr Donald Tobaiwa. He said they learned from the assessment that a lot of former miners were dismissed without getting…

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Surviving TB As A Young Person. Tracing Dr Tanaka Mukuhwa’s Journey With TB

Michael Gwarisa

Tanaka Mukuhwa (19) from Mutare is a Tuberculosis Survivor and a young person living openly with HIV. He was diagnosed with Meningitis Tuberculosis (TB) at the age of 13 when he was still in school and stayed in hospital for six months. By Michael Gwarisa His story illustrates the profound consequences tuberculosis can have on young people especially those at the prime of their lives. Even though Tanaka’s story has a happy ending and describes unexpected positives amidst the challenges of tuberculosis treatment, including how this disease might provide an…

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Naming & Shaming Quarantine Escapees Fuel COVID-19 Stigma

Michael Gwarisa

IN as much as disclosure of names and details of quarantine escapees is good for managing and controlling the uncontrolled spread of COVID-19, the practice fuels stigma and discrimination for escapees and COVID-19 affected and infected individuals, the Community Working Group on Health (CWGH)  has warned. By Michael Gwarisa In a statement, CWGH Executive Director, Mr Itai Rusike said as an organization, they abhor the naming and shaming of people who escape from the country’s quarantine centres by government as this excerbates and entrenches stigma and discrimination against the escapees…

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HIV Testing Beams Longevity To People Living With HIV: Rev Kapachawo

NewsRoom

THE old adage which says “the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step’, aptly sums up the journey through which renowned HIV activist and clergyman, Reverend Maxwell Kapachawo walked in his quest to conquer the ravenous HIV/AIDS claiming millions of lives annually. By Kudakwashe Pembere Most of you still remember the famed 2005 Television and Radio advert, “Ini ndiriPastor uyezve ndiri HIV Positive. Ndinosevenza neZinerela. Shoko rangu guru nderekuti HIV haina shasha inogona kubata chero munhu. Mwari vanechekuita nehupenyu hwangu nehwako. Naizvozvo ngativarumbidzei Hallelujah! ….Ngatinamateyi kuti Mwari…

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Sex Workers Conference Expose Health Workers Unprofessionalism

NewsRoom

NEGATIVE attitudes coupled with high level stigma by nursing and other health staff at various health centers is to blame for the high Anti Retro-viral Treatment (ART) default rate among sex workers in various parts of the country, sex worker organisations have said. By Michael Gwarisa recently in Gweru These revelations were made by sex worker organisations at the just ended National Sex Workers conference that was hosted by the Zimbabwe Aids Network (ZAN) in Gweru which aimed among other things to deliberate on Sexual Reproductive Health Rights (SRHR) issues…

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