Tag: BINGA

Inside Binga’s Herbal Sex Boosters: The Man Behind the Popular Guchu Remedy

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa  Deep in the heart of Binga, in the midst of thick forests and scorching heat, the name Siposami Chuma is synonymous with the word saviour in some circles owing to his mastery of herbs. These are not ordinary herbs but Guchu, a mixture of roots and plants ground together to form a powder he claims can turn a man into a beast in the bedroom. At least that is what he says. If there is anything African men fear the most, it is discovering that their sexual…

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How a Community Seed Bank is Helping Binga Villagers Beat Drought

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa in Binga Just like most parts of the country, Binga villages are preparing their land for the forthcoming 2025/26 agricultural season. The clanging of hoes against dry earth echoes across the fields as farmers race the sun to prepare their land. At one homestead, Vivian Saba greets us with a warm smile, accompanied by her mother. Vivian volunteers as treasurer of the community seed bank, an innovative seed preservation facility designed to ensure farmers have access the best-suited seeds for their environment. A few minutes later, she…

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When the River Found Its Way Into Simwenge, Binga

Michael Gwarisa
Women collecting water from the Simwenge water point in Binga, Zimbabwe, using buckets and jerrycans

By Michael Gwarisa Some years ago, a borehole drilling company struck water in Simwenge Village under Chief Siansundu in Binga, sparking celebrations across the community. But the joy was short-lived. The water was hot and salty, likely the result of hitting a natural hot spring. Even after the Zimbabwe Red Cross Society (ZRCS) intervened in 2023 to rehabilitate the borehole, the problem persisted, leaving the community in ongoing water distress. The old borehole served 93 households but frequently broke down due to the high temperature of the water. “The water…

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Red Cross Restores Dignity to Persons with Disabilities in Binga Through Accessible Toilets

Michael Gwarisa
Construction workers completing an accessible toilet for Gogo Mleya, a person with disabilities, in Saba village, Binga.

By Michael Gwarisa in Binga For more than a decade, Mrs. Esteri Simwaka from Siansundu Village in Binga has been helping her 13-year-old daughter, Bwime, relieve herself in the backyard or nearby fields. “It was easier when she was younger,” said a teary Mrs. Simwaka. “But now she’s grown and much heavier. I can’t lift her anymore. I place her in a bathing dish, drag her across uneven ground to the bush, lift her up so she can relieve herself, clean her, and then drag her back home. The sun…

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Meet Dr. Dhodho: The Once Sickly Village Boy Who Transformed Rural Zimbabwe’s HIV Response

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa He wears many hats. Dr. Efison Dhodho is currently the Knowledge Manager for the Zimbabwe College of Public Health Physicians, a dedicated researcher, and the Director for Strategic Information, Evaluation, Learning, and Information Technology Systems at the Organization for Public Health Interventions and Development (OPHID). Born into a family of 13 as the fifth child, Dr. Dhodho recalls how his fragile health as a child necessitated moving to live with his mother, a rural nurse in Mwenezi District, while his siblings stayed with their father, a teacher.…

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#BREAKING: Worrisome New Leprosy Cases Recorded In Zimbabwe

Michael Gwarisa

ZIMBABWE recorded a worrisome sharp increase in new leprosy cases in 2020 with majority of cases having been recorded in Binga, Matabelenad North (Mat North), prompting government to activate and intensify Leprosy diagnosis and detection in other parts of the country that used to be Leprosy Hotspots. By Michael Gwarisa Traditional leprosy hotspots in Zimbabwe include Mat South (Gwanda and Bulimia), Mat North (Hwange and Binga), Mashonaland West (Makonde and Rafingora and farming areas around Rafingora), Zvimba (Hurungwe and Kariba). Masvingo (Chiredzi South in the Chikombedzi), Manicaland (Buhera and Chipinge),…

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Integrated Nutrition And WASH Project Transforms Binga Fortunes

Michael Gwarisa

NUTRITION is a basic human right and has been identified as the most pertinent and key component in ensuring countries achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGS), hence the need for a multisectoral nutrition security approach towards realising nutrition goals for citizens. By Michael Gwarisa in Binga Despite most governments including Zimbabwe having committed to advancing nutrition centered solutions as well as ending malnutrition by the year 2030, more still needs to be done to realise this vision. In Binga, the issue of food insecurity as a result of reoccurring droughts has…

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Cash Transfers Bring Hope to Drought Stricken Binga

Michael Gwarisa

VILLAGERS in Binga, Matebelend north province have been thrown a lifeline following the introduction of a cash transfer initiative which seeks to address the prevailing food insecurity situation dogging the district. By Michael Gwarisa in Binga The cash transfer initiative is being funded by Save the Children through funds from different member organisations of the Save the children and support from the Ministry of Health and Child Care (MoHCC). Briefing Journalists during a nutrition field visit in Binga district, Save the Children nutrition manager, Mthulisi Dube said Binga needed urgent…

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Polygamy Hampers Nutrition Interventions in Binga

Healthtimes

By Michael Gwarisa in Binga, Matelele POLYGAMY is one oldest practice in African culture including Zimbabwe. Back in the day, having more than one wife was a sign of power and wealth and men could be revered for exhibiting such capabilities. More women would translate to greater yields and productivity in the fields was guaranteed as the women would bear more children  who would work in the fields hence making him a household name in the community. In modern-day Rural Matelele Village in Binga, Polygamy is not a crime and…

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