Category: Features

WhenTo Tell My Boy/Girlfriend I am HIV+…Plight of HIV+ Adolescents

Healthtimes

By Michael Gwarisa  AT a certain stage in life, the desire to be loved or love someone grips us  all and the feeling to express one’s love through physical means overrides normal reasoning. Its more like ecstasy, you cant explain it! However, for young adolescents living with HIV, expressing themselves in love relationships is a bit of a challenge as they have to juggle between telling their loved ones their true HIV status or withhold the truth until a certain time. Just like any normal  children, HIV positive adolescents also…

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Child Prostitution in Hopley Farm – The Vulnerability of Young Girls and the Struggle for Survival

Healthtimes

By Karen Mangwiro Antagonistic life experiences such as divorce or death of parents or caregivers, neglect and abuse by families and extended family members as well as peer pressure can leave the girl child vulnerable to various forms of self-destructive behaviour such as promiscuity among other negative behaviours. At times the girl child tries to solve the emotional pain she holds. General family problems such as broken homes, death of parents when the children are still young and the absence of a reliable guardian to care for them are the…

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Demystifying Gender Equality

Healthtimes

By Michael Gwarisa  SAFAIDS this week hosted a two day symposium dubbed Changing The River’s Flow, a gender norms transformative programme aimed at encouraging young people, both male and female to take part in the fight against gender inequalities and Gender Based Violence (GBV). For years, women across the globe have been pushing for equal rights in the home, political sphere and economy. Going down history, the concept of Feminism has seen a number phases and movements coming into play all in the name of fighting and addressing the imbalances…

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Zim Woman Collects Used Sanitary Pads For A Living

Healthtimes

By Michael Gwarisa AT a time when unemployment has reached ridiculously lugubrious levels in Zimbabwe, young people across all sectors have devised strategies to hedge themselves from the prevailing economic catastrophe. Some youths have turned to vending, while others have opened small businesses just to get the day going. The weaker ones who can’t stand the heat have gone into some dangerous trades like crime and prostitution in a bid to survive the murky economic woes bedeviling the country. In the midst of all these entrepreneurs is one Fortunate Njenjera,…

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Without aid, who will pay for African healthcare?

Healthtimes

By Simon Allison In Kigali, at the World Health Organisation’s first ever Africa Health Forum, delegates have given themselves one not-so-simple task: to provide universal health care to all Africans. But even should the assembled diplomats, medical practitioners, policy wonks and conference junkies figure out how to deliver on this ambitious goal, an even bigger question hangs over proceedings: who is going to pay for it all? We know who is not going to pay for it. Western donors have funded many of Africa’s health initiatives over the years, including…

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Church’s Role In Fighting Domestic Abuse

Healthtimes

By Pastor Banarbas Gwarisa The Bible portrays man as the pastor, priest and the King of his home. Man as husbands and sons of families are meant to be guiding families to walk the moral path as well as be the role models that launch the young generations into a future full of hope, love and security. However, there are many reasons why we see in today’s time this not being the case, men have actually turned away from their primary function which is that of protecting  complementing efforts of…

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Zimbabwe struggles To Scale up Infant Nutrition

Healthtimes

Story by Nevson Mpofu HealthTimes Correspondent    ZIMBABWE is part of the initiative Scaling Up Nutrition Movement which was initiated in 2010. Currently, Zimbabwe Civil Society Organizations scaling up Nutrition Alliance [ZCSOSUNA] are intensifying Nutrition sensitive interventions with a network of its various stakeholders. The ‘hot’ topic is on the 1st 1000  days. The First 1000 days of an infant baby’s survival and life are being sustained to stand crucial as Nutrition security and Food security are to be heightened by Command Agriculture and NUTRITION Scaling up programs . . In…

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