COVID-19 Negatively Impacting Food Security and Nutrition: ZCSOSUNA

By Zimbabwe Civil Society Organisations Scaling Up Nutrition Alliance (ZCSOSUNA) The Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID 19) pandemic is a health and humanitarian crisis threatening the food security and nutrition of millions of people around the country. The pandemic comes at a time when more than 4.3 million people are severely food insecure in rural…

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NGO coalition calls for an end to forced disappearances in Africa

As the world celebrates the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances today (30 August), an NGO coalition is calling on African States to end this practice immediately, hold perpetrators to account, search for the disappeared and provide reparations to the victims and their families. The African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies (Sudan),…

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COVID-19: The Union’s Wave Money platform to support people with MDR-TB

In Union-managed areas of Myanmar, COVID-19 is causing disruption to the provision of care and support to people with tuberculosis (TB) and multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB). Despite the pandemic, The Union is continuing to provide DOT (Directly Observed Treatment) and home visits to people with MDR-TB. Home visits are also an important means by which Union…

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ZIMCODD promotes social and economic justice system from a youth perspective

By Zimbabwe Coalition on Debt and Development The Zimbabwe Coalition on Debt and Development (ZIMCODD) is hosting its annual Social and Economic Justice Activist Academies (SEJAAs) from the 24th to the 31st of August 2020. The National Social Economic Justice Activism Academy is being currently conducted in Nyanga with 25 participants drawn from all provinces….

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Ngororombe: The tenacity of living heritage through dance and entertainment

By Nimorod Ushe Bikita District is a melting pot where the cultural belief and behaviour of Ngororombe traditional dance and music has been nurtured over the years. Background of Ngororombe traditional dance in Bikita Located few kilometres north of Chikuku Township is a place known as Gangare. Probably, it is the cradle of Ngororombe traditional…

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ZNOART urges law enforcement agencies to take corruption cases seriously

By Joyce Mukucha and Anyway Yotamu The Zimbabwe National Organisation of Associations and Residents Trusts (ZNOART), a resident pressure group said it is deeply concerned over the matters of corruption which is allegedly being spearheaded by mostly council and government officials across the country that have been exposed which is now in the public limelight…

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First Lady commissions medical equipment and refurbished ward to Sally Mugabe Central Hospital

First Lady Auxilia Mnangagwa today officially handed over medical equipment and commissioned a refurbished ward at the Sally Mugabe Central Hospital in Harare. The initiative came into being as a result of the contribution to the COVID-19 Mitigation Efforts through a partnership between two Telecoms giants – NetOne and TelOne. The collaboration saw the two…

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African water and sanitation projects critical to preparedness for COVID-19-like pandemics

By Wambui Gichuri Wambui Gichuri is the Acting Vice President, Agriculture, Human and Social Development and Director, Water Development and Sanitation at the African Development Bank (https://www.AfDB.org/)As the prevalence of COVID-19 accelerates across Africa, over 40% of the population in Sub-Saharan Africa do not have access to clean water and are unable to heed the…

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COVID-19 hampering the fight against GBV: Katswe Sistahood

By Joyce Mukucha Katswe Sistahood has bemoaned the negative effects of the Covid-19 induced lockdown which disturbed the implementation of their fight against gender-based violence(GBV) under the Start Awareness Support Action (SASA)! Faith Initiative. The organisation revealed that drug abuse amongst youths and the prevalence of teenage pregnancies were on increase during the unprecedented times…

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African Risk Capacity Limited Appoints 2 World-class Professionals as Non-Executive Directors

The African Risk Capacity Limited (ARC Ltd) Governance Committee has  appointed two new Non-Executive Directors (NEDs), Ms. Sarata Kone-Thiam and Ms. Lade’ A. Araba, to join its Board of Directors thereby completing the Board complement of seven individuals in line with structure. The new directors are joining a group of other industry experts led by Mr….

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COVID19 has worsened the plight of agricultural value chain actors with disabilities

By Charles Dhewa For more than 10 years, Samson Mundodzi a gifted blind farmer from Nyazura in Manicaland province of Zimbabwe used to be accompanied to Mbare market for selling his commodities. Like all other farmers, Samson would have his commodities loaded onto long distance buses that passed through his home and get to Mbare…

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Ride4Rangers cyclists launch a fundraising campaign in support of Tusk Trust

A team of British Amateur cyclists has started the Global 30,000KM Bike ride with Land’s End to John O’Groates Adventure to protect African Rangers and Wildlife. 50+ African Travel professionals doing a joint bike ride Land’s End to John O’Groats Thousands of people around the globe doing their own ‘virtual’ bike ride for Rangers 874…

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Betty Kaseke soldiers on with community development despite damaging rumours

The philanthropy in the “Iron Lady” as Betty Kaseke has come to be known because of her ability to conquer criticism and character assassination has refused to die as she focuses on community development through the Betty Kaseke Foundation. Carrying the poise of a beauty queen that she is, Betty Kaseke yesterday through her foundation,…

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Masawara companies come together to help the Chikomba community

Companies in the Masawara Group, which is comprised of the Zimnat Insurance Group, Cresta Group of Hotels, Minerva Risk Advisors, BIC, Dandemutande and Grand Re-Insurance, have come together to “Make Life Better” for the Chikomba East community. As part of the “Simukai Development Project” which is a village initiative started by Hon Dr Sekai Nzenza…

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Saving lives, economies, and livelihoods campaign launches in Africa

H.E. Amira Elfadil Mohammed, Commissioner for Social Affairs, African Union Commission; H.E. Dr Amani Abou-Zeid, Commissioner for Infrastructure and Energy; and Dr. John Nkengasong, Director of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) launched the “Africa Against COVID-19: Saving Lives, Economies and Livelihoods” campaign during the Africa CDC weekly press briefing on…

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EcoSure launches Pamwepo/Sisonke cover for churches and social groups

ECOSURE, a micro-insurance brand from Cassava Smartech, has unveiled a new package called EcoSure Pamwepo/Sisonke in an effort to ensure that churches and other social groups have access to affordable insurance cover. This comes as Zimbabwe’s hyperinflationary environment has significantly wiped out people’s disposable incomes as prices of goods and services continue to rise on…

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Zimbabwean Youths Stand In Solidarity with Marginalized South Korean Church

Zimbabwean youths have joined hands with youths across the world to stand against human rights violations and the discrimination of vulnerable groups through penning a joint support letter to the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General and the UN affiliates. Among the 155 youth groups from 62 countries were the Young Peoples Program, Zimbabwe United Nations Association…

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New research will improve early warning of devastating mega storms

For the first time, researchers can predict how extremely large West African storms may behave when, for example, they approach a cityBy Future Climate for Africa and Researchers at the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH) Ground-breaking scientific research will make it easier to predict the path of some of the world’s most powerful…

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New Higherlife Foundation programme to help childbirth

Philanthropist and pan-African businessman Strive Masiyiwa is mobilizing funds to support the maternal, child-birth sections of Zimbabwe’s largest referral hospitals. Masiyiwa’s action follows recent media reports of seven babies that were reportedly stillborn in one night at one of the country’s largest referral hospitals, after urgent treatment was said to have been delayed due to…

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AU Commission inaugurates AfCFTA permanent secretariat as a launchpad for Africa’s economic transformation

The African Development Bank Group provided a $5 million institutional support grant to the AU towards the establishment of the AfCFTA secretariat At a ceremony on Monday to commission the permanent secretariat of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), Ghana’s President Nana Akufo-Addo and Moussa Faki Mahamat, chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission,…

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ZRBF PROGRESS provides stockfeed for 2250 Households in Beitbridge District

By Anyway Yotamu In Beitbridge District, 2 250 households are receiving supplementary subsidized livestock feed from the Program for Growth and Resilience (PROGRESS) under the Zimbabwe Resilience Building Fund (ZRBF) in the wake of the drought being experienced in the country. The intervention is being implemented as part of adaptive programming to the resilience-building efforts…

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Communities plunged into vulnerability

By Habakkuk Trust The prevailing harsh economic conditions coupled with the devastating impacts of climate change have plunged communities into the doldrums of vulnerability.  Growing food insecurity is the norm in most rural areas as the Government’s Food Insecurity Mitigation Program seems to fail to cope with increasing vulnerability in rural households. The situation which…

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To Stay Ahead of the Next Insect Outbreak, Harness Available Data Intelligence

Recently, the UK contributed £17 million to support the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) to continue their efforts to combat the desert locust surge in East Africa and improve early warning and forecasting systems.  Because of contributions like this and other contributions that have been made by countries including Germany, Saudi…

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Facebook launches Avatars across Sub-Saharan Africa

Avatars include hundreds of global sticker packs and integrations with GIF providers and can also be shared across Facebook and Messenger Facebook (https://www.Facebook.com/) yesterday, launched Avatars in Africa to give people new ways to express themselves online. Avatars are digital personas that enable people to engage across Facebook and Messenger in a more personal and…

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Harnessing the power of needs assessments in African countries

By Charles Dhewa Needs assessments are some of the most under-rated and under-utilized resources in African countries.  Development agencies that often start some work in communities with a baseline study often do so for purposes of getting donor money as opposed to fully informing and guiding their interventions. In some cases, the baseline study is…

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Community Information Centres to address misinformation in the fight against COVID-19

Dr. Jenfan Muswere, the Minister of ICT, Postal and Courier Services has said COVID-19 has exposed how misinformation poses one of the greatest security threats of our time. The Minister made the remarks while officially opening the Maphisa Community Information Centre in Matebeleland South Province today. He alluded to the COVID-19 media briefing on 6…

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Awakening the entrepreneurial spirit of every young African is key to the continent’s future

The webinar, themed Investing in Africa’s Future: Youth Empowerment Through Entrepreneurship, invited a range of private and public sector representatives to discuss the challenges young African entrepreneurs face The African Development Bank (www.AfDB.org) joined a number of development leaders in calling for greater support of youth entrepreneurship during a virtual event organized by the Tony…

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Understanding the Nerumedzo Heritage Site in Bikita

By Nimrod Ushe Nerumedzo is a national monument popularly known for a swarm of stink bugs (Harurwa) which throng annually to that place between the month of April and August. During that time, citizens of Bikita District, pour libation of traditional beer in petition and sacrifices to please the ancestors/vadzimu/amadhlozi for their precious gift of…

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The rising prominence of communication, thanks to COVID19

By Charles Dhewa In much of the world including developing countries, COVID19 has repositioned communication as the key driver in project implementation. Before the pandemic, many organizations were reluctant to increase the communication budget. Working from home and restrictions in the movement have seen ICT channels and tools moving to the centre of most communication…

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Masiyiwa calls for local community leadership in stemming the spread of COVID-19

African Union (AU) Special Envoy for COVID-19 and businessman Strive Masiyiwa has called on community leaders – including chiefs, religious leaders, councillors and members of Parliament – to lead in arresting the spread of COVID-19 at the local level. Masiyiwa writes: A dear friend called me the other day quite distressed because his brother’s wife…

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How African farmers are dealing with bad news brought by COVID-19

By Charles Dhewa From the Masaai livestock owners in Kenya failing to access veterinary products to farmers in Lupane district of Zimbabwe failing to access usual markets due to lockdowns, COVID19 has resulted in uniform collective grief among food producers across Africa. To the extent dealing with droughts, locusts, fall army worm and other shocks…

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Old Mutual Zimbabwe Donates PPE Worth over 250 000 Rand to St Anne’s Hospital

Yesterday, Old Mutual Zimbabwe and its local subsidiaries, including Cabs Zimbabwe, handed over a consignment of personal protective equipment worth 250 000 Rand to St. Anne’s Hospital. The donation is part of Old Mutual’s pledge to contribute towards the fight against COVID-19 in Zimbabwe. The consignment donated included 34 200 gloves, 16 000 masks, 5…

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ZiCHIRe BC engages adolescent boys on SRHR through Brotha2Brotha initiative

The Zimbabwe Community Health Intervention Research (ZiCHIRe) trained Harare mentors for the Brotha2Brotha (B2B) programme. This is a sport-oriented initiative that seeks to mentor boys into responsible young men. There is a gap in terms of addressing boys and young men’s needs. Adolescent girls and young women and key populations needs were given priority by…

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UNFPA releases over $2.5 million for GBV and SRHR services during the COVID19 pandemic

…Prevention and response to Gender Based Violence for women and girls at risk to be prioritised Harare, 7 August 2020 – The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has released over $2.5 million to support the Government of Zimbabwe and various implementing partners to continue providing quality sexual reproductive health and Gender-Based Violence services during the…

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Communities exercise self-governance in the face of Covid-19

By Habakkuk Trust Rural communities in Matabeleland have taken it upon themselves to curb the increase in imported cases arising from illegal returnees. The issue of border jumpers making an illegal entry into the country without undergoing screening and testing has been a cause of concern in recent weeks. Habakkuk Trust Community Advocacy Action Teams…

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ZNOART clarifies issues affecting residents to Minister Oliver Chidau

The Zimbabwe National Organisation of Associations and Residents Trusts (ZNOART) has written a letter to Senator Oliver Chidau, the Minister of State for Harare Metropolitan Province outlining its mandate and the challenges facing residents, particularly in Harare and Bulawayo. Below, Spiked Online Media reproduces the ZNOART letter to Minister Chidau: Hon O Chidhau Minister of…

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EIB and Afreximbank direct EUR 300m of support to African COVID response

4th  August 2020:- ·         Accelerated EIB financing under Team Europe initiative ·         Over 25% of funds dedicated to women in business and climate action ·         Pan-African rapid response to alleviate COVID-19 impact and support climate action ·         Scheme to support trade and ensure medical supplies continue The European Investment Bank (EIB), the lending arm of the European Union, and the…

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Sasai launches new ‘Moments’ video-sharing and the social networking feature

: Sasai has launched Sasai Moments, a new social media networking and short video sharing capability. Sasai Moments will allow the App’s users to experience, capture, post and share videos, audio notes, pictures and user location tags, among other features. This will be driven mostly by user-generated content along the same lines as TikTok. The…

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“A Breach of Religious Liberty”: International Community Reacts to Chairman Lee’s Arrest

At 1:20 am on August 1, Chairman Man Hee Lee, the founder of Heavenly Culture World Peace, Restoration of Light (HWPL) and leader of religious movement Shincheonji was arrested amid investigations pinning the blame for South Korea’s COVID-19 outbreak on his church. This came after holding a 10-hour arrest warrant hearing regarding five Shincheonji officials…

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