Tag: UNICEF

Zimbabwe Launches House to House Oral Cholera Vaccination Campaign

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa A total of 2.3 million people, aged one year old and above, are set to benefit from the Oral Cholera Vaccination (OCV) campaign that has been launched in Harare today. The campaign will be carried out on a  house-to-house, and cluster-to-cluster basis in 160 wards within 26 high-risk districts in seven provinces namely Harare, Mashonaland West, Mashonaland East, Mashonaland Central, Manicaland, Masvingo and Midlands. These districts are considered the main drivers of the outbreak. Officiating at the launch, Minister of Health and Child Care (MoHCC), Dr Douglass…

Read More

Africa Warms Up To Single-Dose HPV Vaccine

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa Following the relaunch of the Human papillomavirus (HPV) programme by GAVI the Vaccine Alliance, in line with the new World Health Organisation (WHO) recommendations for a single-dose HPV vaccine, African states are embracing the administering of the one dosage in eligible populations. The developments come amidst indications that GAVI has set an ambitious target to reach 86 million girls with the HPV vaccine by 2025, as immunisation partners outline an ambitious plan to protect millions of girls in lower- and middle-income countries against cervical cancer. Speaking during…

Read More

A Mother’s Unwavering Commitment: Ryan’s first Polio Vaccination

Healthtimes

What seemingly started like an ordinary morning for Whyy Mutumbunzou (21), with her routine house chores, including caring for her only child, 1-year-old Ryan, took an unexpected and thrilling turn. A radio broadcast message from the MoHCC encouraging all mothers and caregivers to bring their children under five years for the 4th round of the Polio vaccination campaign. By Own Correspondent Despite not knowing what Polio was, Whyy enthusiastically gathered her belongings and walked briskly with her son to the nearest clinic, Hatcliff Family Health Services. For Whyy, the choice…

Read More

Protecting adolescents from unplanned pregnancies through access to comprehensive SRHR services

Mildred Mushunje

By Dr Mildred T. Mushunje Adolescents’ sexual and reproductive health matters, and their lives matter!! Adolescents and young people constitute the bulge of population in the Sub-Saharan region, Zimbabwe in particular. An adolescent is any persons aged between 10 and 19 years. Very young adolescents are defined as those aged between 10 and 14 years and older adolescents as those aged between 15 and 19 years[1].  Investing in their good health and well-being increases their chances for better and more productive adult lives (SRHR Africa Trust, SAT, 2021[2]) yet they…

Read More

Zimbabwe Drug Peddlers Selling Drugs To 14 Year Olds

Kuda Pembere

Local drug dealers, also known as MaJazzMan are now disregarding age and selling drugs to whoever shows up on their doorstep, a UNCEF Report has said. By Kudakwashe Pembere According to a UNICEF September 2023 research brief dubbed, ‘Understanding drug use and substance abuse by Zimbabwean adolescents and young people’, it was found that these dealers popularly known as ‘maJazzman’ are so profit-driven they condone any age. The research brief is a summary of the findings and recommendations from Muthengo Development Studies (MDS), Zimbabwe Civil Liberties and Drug Network (ZCLDN),…

Read More

Unicef launches campaign targeting adolescents

Kuda Pembere

UNICEF Zimbabwe has launched a three month communication campaign to address the needs and challenges faced by adolescents in Zimbabwe. By Kuda Pembere Themed “Nothing for us without us”, the communication campaign will be running from this month to December. It comes at a time when the country is seized with containing high teenage pregnancies and child marriages as well as the incidence of HIV amongst adolescents. UNICEF Zimbabwe country representative Dr Tajudeen Oyewale said it was important for adults to listen to children, adolescents and young people. “For the…

Read More

Unicef Zimbabwe urges government to invest in newborn health

Kuda Pembere

Government should invest in approaches that improve the monitoring of newborn health, the UNICEF Representative in Zimbabwe said on Friday. By Kuda Pembere Addressing the Zimbabwe Medical Association (ZIMA) conference Dr. Tajudeen Oyewale said it was important to invest in research and approaches that enhance newborn health. “I call on both the Government and experts to invest more in innovative approaches to monitor newborn health, especially at the community and improve referral linkages to facilities. At the same time, new investment in Implementation research to allow us to better understand the current…

Read More

More 10 Year Old Pregnant Girls Test Positive For HIV In Zimbabwe

Michael Gwarisa

More pregnant young adolescent girls aged 10 and above, are testing positive for HIV upon booking at the Antenatal Clinic (ANC), findings from a new National Assessment on Adolescent Pregnancies in Zimbabwe have shown. By Michael Gwarisa The study was conducted by the Centre for Sexual Health and HIV AIDS Research Zimbabwe (CeSHHAR) in conjunction with the Ministry of Health and Child Care (MoHCC), UNICEF, UNESCO and UNFPA as the lead  agency for youth and adolescents. According to the report, an estimated 1,706,946 ANC bookings were made in 1,560 health…

Read More

UNICEF Zimbabwe launches child focused data repository

Kuda Pembere

UNICEF Zimbabwe on Wednesday launched a data repository platform for data and statistics on child-focused indicators to strengthen evidence based, and data driven approach to programming, strategy formation and advocacy. By Staff Reporter The repository, which is a first of its kind in Africa, is a result of accumulated data that was extracted from various national survey sources across a number of years, designed to consolidate different data sources into a single unified platform for easy access, analysis and reporting. The repository provides real-time provision of updated national and sub-national…

Read More

A Well-Resourced Health System Essential For Zimbabwe to Attain Reproductive Justice

Edinah Masiyiwa

By Edinah Masiyiwa, Executive Director Women’s Action Group Attending a recent workshop organized by the Community Working Group on Health on “reproductive justice” reminded me how much the core values of reproductive justice are being violated in Zimbabwe and how much we need to protect girls and young women from injustice. The term reproductive justice has a history in feminist ideology and has three core values: the right to have a child, the right to not have a child, and the right to parent a child or children in safe…

Read More