UNFPA Partners with Social Workers and Universities to Strengthen GBV Response

By Michael Gwarisa The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has announced a strategic partnership with the Council of Social Workers, academic institutions, and government entities to enhance case management services for survivors of gender-based violence (GBV) under the Women at the Centre programme. The announcement was made on December 6, 2024, as part of the 16 Days of Activism campaign. Gender-based violence continues to plague Zimbabwe, with nearly one in two women experiencing physical or sexual violence. To address this crisis, the UNFPA initiative, funded by Takeda Pharmaceuticals, aims to…

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Zimbabwe Considers Cost Recovery Strategy For Family Planning Products

By Michael Gwarisa Amid growing donor fatigue and declining international support, Zimbabwe is pursuing a cost recovery framework for contraceptive commodities to ensure the sustainability and accessibility of reproductive health services. Spearheaded by the Zimbabwe National Family Planning Council (ZNFPC), in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Child Care (MoHCC) and other partners, this initiative aims to maintain progress in reproductive health despite diminishing external funding. Like many nations dependent on donor contributions, Zimbabwe is seeking strategies to sustain its family planning programs. The proposed cost recovery framework intends…

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Empowering Midwives Through E-Learning: New Training Program Bridges Zimbabwe’s Healthcare Skills Gap

By Michael Gwarisa For the past nine years, Mutsa Katsidzira, 33, a nurse at Sally Mugabe Hospital in Harare, has practiced as a nurse. Although she finds her job fulfilling, she has always dreamed of a career in midwifery, where she could help pregnant women deliver safely. Zimbabwe’s healthcare sector has faced significant setbacks over the past decade. Skilled professionals, particularly nurses and midwives, have left the country in search of better working conditions and pay, leaving a critical gap in the healthcare system—especially in midwifery training. According to the…

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“Straight from the Class to the Labour Ward,” Teen Mom Wishes “Not In My Village Campaign” Had Visited Her Village Earlier

By Michael Gwarisa in Chiweshe She is Forget Nyamukandenga (19) from Chiweshe, Mashonaland Central. At age 17, in 2022, she was impregnated by a 24-year-old man, a development she says completely changed the course of her life. When she fell pregnant, she was doing her Upper Sixth studies in Mt Darwin and was due to write her examinations in November of the same year. Left with no option, her parents had to send her away to stay with the man responsible for her pregnancy. This period marked the genesis of…

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Harare City Introduces Health Insurance

By Kudakwashe Pembere A community health insurance scheme covering several health services for Harare City’s citizens should be operational before the month ends, HealthTimes has learned. In an interview with the Harare Municipality Health Services Manager Mr Richard Chigerwe, he said the scheme was different from the Harare Municipality Medical Aid which covers their employees. He said residents will have to pay a monthly subscription of US$2 to access various healthcare services under the scheme named “Utano Wedu”. Harare Municipal Medical aid is a closed medical aid for City Council…

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Zimbabwe Launches E-learning Platform For Midwifery

By 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 brain drain. Officiating the launch, acting Health and Child Care Minister, Professor Paul Mavima said the e-learning platform for midwifery learning shows the Ministry of Health’s commitment to move towards improving learning experience through incorporating…

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Amid Diaspora Parenting and Child-Headed Families, Comprehensive Sexuality Education Comes To The Rescue in Bulawayo

By Michael Gwarisain Bulawayo A few years ago, Vuzu Sex parties made headlines in Bulawayo Metropolitan province as young people of school-going age engaged in various forms of indecent behavior including sexual orgies, drug and substance abuse amongst other ills. For Simangalisiwe Ndlovu* (19), from Gwabalanda in Bulawayo, attending these parties was easy since both her parents stay out of the country and there was no parental supervision at home. Her parents work in South Africa and Simangalisiwe lives with her two siblings, her younger brother who is 15 and…

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Health Resilience Fund Support Enhances Uptake Of Long-Term Family Planning Methods In Matabeleland South

By 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 the highest unmet need for contraception. In Gwanda, Matabeleland South, women such Florence Kungai (31), from Gwanda who in the past experienced two separate occasions of contraceptive failure due to interruptions in her schedule, now…

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

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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Government of Zimbabwe, UNFPA and partners call for greater investment to accelerate progress on the population and development agenda

By Health Reporter At a High Level Meeting to track progress on implementation of the International Conference on Population and Development Programme of Action (ICPD PoA), and in light of findings from a global report, the Government of Zimbabwe, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and partners today called for greater investment to accelerate progress on the population and development agenda. The year 2024 is a milestone year for the global community as it marks the 30th anniversary of the ICPD. The ICPD conference, held in Cairo in September 1994,…

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