Author: Michael Gwarisa

Editor for HealthTimes, Zimbabwe's leading online health news publication

World Bank Closes 13-Year Health Sector Development Support Project In Zimbabwe

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa The World Bank has officially handed over the Health Sector Development Support Project (HSDSP), to Zimbabwe’s  Ministry of Health and Child Care (MoHCC), as part of efforts to institutionalise and create continuity of projects beyond donor funding. Initiated in 2011, the Health Sector Development Support Project was characterised by different funding cycles including the latest additional financing. Through the project, Zimbabwe has recorded positive gains on  the maternal and child health side of services through innovative health systems strengthening approaches, supported by an investment of US$78 million…

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Sweden Injects US$1.9 Million towards Zimbabwe’s Anti-Drug Abuse Campaign

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa In a bid to support Zimbabwe’s efforts to curb the souring drug and substance abuse crises, the Embassy of Sweden in Zimbabwe has availed an amount to the tune of US$1.9 Million towards “The Strength is in You” anti-drug campaign. The US$1.9m grant for the Anti-Drugs Campaign is part of the Swedish Embassy’s overall efforts to address negative practices in Zimbabwe. The campaign is being implemented by the Population Solutions for Health (PSH), and is aimed at raising awareness on the dangers of drug use, provide support…

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Taking Pregnancy Testing To Women’s Doorstep: How Village Health Workers Are Bridging the Maternal Health Divide In Rural Mutare

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa Zimbabwe is currently on a positive trajectory regarding maternal health amidst indications of a decline in maternal mortality at the back of numerous interventions by the government and several partners. Data from the Zimbabwe Statistics Agency (Zimstat) Vital Statistics report of 2023 shows that infant and maternal mortality rates have declined by 20 and 36 percent respectively. The 2022 Population and Housing Census data shows that maternal mortality in Zimbabwe reduced from 960 per 100,000 live births in 2010, to 363 in 2022. Despite the milestones recorded,…

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My Age Zimbabwe Becomes Collaborative Partner of IPPF

Michael Gwarisa

By Staff Reporter My Age Zimbabwe, has entered into a collaborative partnership with the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF). This partnership marks a significant milestone in our collective efforts to promote sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) for young people in Zimbabwe. My Age Zimbabwe, a leading youth-led organization dedicated to advocating for comprehensive SRHR education and services, has been at the forefront of empowering young people and championing their rights. The organisation was founded by Onward Gibson Chironda in 2011 as a young person who had a passion…

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El Nino Induced Drought Presents Bleak Future For TB Patients In Zimbabwe As Many Could Discontinue Treatment

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa The heat wave is blazing hot in Shurugwi, a small town in the Midlands province, and Brighton Mangwiro (30), is preparing to go to the gold mine shaft where he temporarily works. Due to the El Nino weather patterns, the heavens have not been so generous in the just-ended 2023-2024 cropping season, and many farmers in Shurugwi are already counting their losses. This has pushed more young men, and women in the area into artisanal gold mining in a bid to fend for themselves and loved ones.…

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ARASA Pilots Cohort Coordination Work In Zimababwe To Unite Diverse SRHR Movements

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa In a bid to strengthen collaboration across various Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), and social movements, Zimbabwe has become the first country in the sub-Saharan region to launch an advocacy cohort coordination program to harmonise Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) advocacy work. This comes at the back of observations that various regional movements were  fragmented, and working  in a siloed environment that often limits functional collaboration across Civil Society Organisations. Speaking in an interview with HealthTimes on the side-lines of a two-day Zimbabwe Advocacy Cohort Coordination Co-creation…

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Conservation Is The Firewall To Future Public Health Threats Says AWF Boss

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa In 2020, the world went into a total lockdown following the declaration of the Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) as a global health pandemic. The coronavirus is an infectious disease caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Cases of novel coronavirus were first detected in China in December 2019, with the virus spreading rapidly to other countries worldwide. This led WHO to declare a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) on 30 January 2020 and to characterise the outbreak as a pandemic on 11 March…

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#BREAKING: Ban On Care Workers Bringing Dependents To The UK Takes Effect

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa The ban on care workers bringing their dependents to the United Kingdom is now in full force following the announcement by the United Kingdom (UK) government on December 4, 2023 of changes to the immigration system. The announced had indicated that the ban  would take effect in March and April 2024 and from March 11, 2024, care workers (SOC 6145) and senior care workers (SOC 6146) will be unable to bring dependents when they migrate to the UK, and only CQC-registered providers in England will be able…

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A Double Dose To The GBV Fight: Gweru One Stop-Centre and Safe Shelter Linkages Help Ease Referral Pathways For Survivors Of Gender-Based Violence

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa recently in Shurugwi In 2012, Sharon Hove (Not-Real Name), married the love of her life in one of the fanciest weddings Gweru has ever hosted.  They had two children together. Life was normal and all was going so well. However, the honeymoon was not to last long as her husband changed into a total stranger and started abusing her. At the just-held International Women’s Day Commemorations in Shurugwi, Sharon took a bold stance and narrated her abuse story in the presence of hundreds of people at Chitora…

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TUI Junior Academy project supports the Clean Green Zimbabwe Initiative to empower children as change agents on climate and environment in their communities

Michael Gwarisa

Harare, 8 March 2024 – TUI Care Foundation and Dutch National Committee for UNICEF have signed an agreement around the TUI Junior Academy project to support environmental education in schools as part of kick-starting the Clean Green Zimbabwe programme which was recently launched by the Minister of Environment at the COP28 in Dubai. The world today continues to grapple with climate change, environmental degradation, and biodiversity loss. In this triple planet crisis, children and young people are the most affected, yet they contribute the least to the situation. “Urgent action…

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