Tag: UNFPA ZIMBABWE

Zimbabwe Pledges Millions for Contraceptives as Health Sector Faces Funding Gaps

Kuda Pembere

By Kuda Pembere When donor funding for Zimbabwe’s contraceptive commodities fell sharply over the past two years, the country found itself at a crossroads. For decades, external partners had bankrolled most contraceptive procurement, insulating the national family planning programme from the fiscal shocks that frequently affect the health sector. That cushion is now gone. Against this backdrop, Zimbabwe launched the Contraceptive Cost Recovery Framework Policy in October, signalling an important shift from dependency to domestic responsibility. The policy sets out how the country will mobilise internal resources to meet an…

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Community Health Equity Fund Launched in Hopely as Nation Prepares for Insurance Scheme

Kuda Pembere

By Kuda Pembere and Edward Makuzva At a time when out of pocket health spending is high for many urban residents in Harare, the City of Harare on Wednesday officially launched the Community Health Equity Fund (CHEF) in Hopely. The launch at Tariro Clinic comes six years after President Emmerson Mnangagwa opened the facility. Officiating at the event, Health and Child Care Minister Dr. Douglas Mombeshora, in a speech read on his behalf by Policy and Planning Director Dr. Stephen Banda, said the CHEF is part of preparations for the…

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UNFPA Urges Focus on Adolescents, Youth and Quality Healthcare as Zimbabwe Prepares for Ninth Country Programme

Kuda Pembere

By Kuda Pembere As the Zimbabwean Government through Treasury prepares for its ninth country programme in partnership with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the organisation has urged the country to prioritise healthcare quality and improve the livelihoods of adolescents and young people, particularly females who are disproportionately affected by teenage pregnancies, gender-based violence, and HIV. This was said by UNFPA Zimbabwe Representative Miranda Tabifor while speaking to journalists on the sidelines of a consultative stakeholder workshop to develop the ninth country programme, running from 2027 to 2031. With over 60…

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City of Harare Health Insurance Officially Launched

Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa Harare health insurance has taken a major step forward with the launch of the Community Health Equity Fund (CHEF), aimed at improving access to healthcare and reducing reliance on out-of-pocket payments. The scheme, supported by the Ministry of Health and Child Care (MoHCC), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), ZB Financial Holdings, and Harare Municipal Medical Aid Society (HHMAS), will see residents pay a once-off registration fee of US$1 and an annual subscription fee of US$2. The pilot will run in the Southern District of Harare, beginning…

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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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Zimbabwe Establishes E-Learning Platform For Midwifery Training

Michael Gwarisa

In a bid to strengthen the provision of reproductive health services in hard-to-reach areas and during emergencies, the United Nations Population Fund in Zimbabwe (UNFPA-Zimbabwe) is supporting the Ministry of Health and Child Care (MoHCC) to develop an E-Learning platform for pre-service and in-service midwifery training. By Michael Gwarisa The system was developed in 2022 as part of efforts to scale up digital innovations to facilitate capacity building and delivery of quality service through support from the Health Development Fund (HDF). According to the UNFPA Zimbabwe 2022 Annual Report, there…

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UNFPA Zimbabwe Explores Use Of Drones To Reach Women and Girls In Inaccessible Areas With Services

Michael Gwarisa

The United Nations Population Fund in Zimbabwe (UNFPA-Zimbabwe), says it will soon be rolling out Drone Technology to deliver services to women and girls in hard-to-reach areas. By Michael Gwarisa The move is in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which recognize innovation as critical to accelerating progress towards global development aspirations as it ensures they deliver on their three transformative results to end preventable maternal death, end unmet need for family planning, and end violence gender-based violence (GBV) and all harmful practices, including female genital mutilation and child…

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