UN Women Calls for a Proportionate and Adequate Representation of Women in Covid-19 Spaces

By Joyce Mukucha As International Women’s Day (IWD) is just around the corner at a time when the world is grappling with the Covid-19 pandemic, UN Women has highlighted the need to uphold women’s rights and fully leverage the potential of their leadership to the disease preparedness and response. This comes after the realisation that…

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ZIMCODD condemns corrupt use of COVID-19 Resources

By ZIMCODD “Without strong watchdog institutions, impunity becomes the very foundation upon which systems of corruption are built. If impunity is not demolished, all efforts to bring an end to corruption are in vain”- Rigoberta Menchu. Zimbabwe Coalition on Debt and Development (ZIMCODD) welcomes the arrest of the Principal Director of Epidemiology and Disease Control,…

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CZR hails President Mnangagwa on lockdown review

The Confederation of Zimbabwe Retailers (CZR) has welcomed the ‘balanced review’ of the lockdown by His Excellency President Emmerson Mnangagwa which focuses on fighting the Covid-19 pandemic while opening up the economy. Mr. Denford Mutashu, the CZR president said the measured lockdown extension has eased business operations and his organisation is of the strong view…

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Covid-19 Leaves Women On the Periphery of Economic Activities

By Joyce Mukucha Zimbabwean women running their own projects and businesses have bemoaned the negative impacts which have been brought by the COVID-19 and the resultant lockdowns. Voicing their concerns, business women said just like any other economic and social sectors, the pandemic has fuelled the already existing challenges they were facing due to economic…

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Ebola: Red Cross intensifies response amidst fears of regional spread

Red Cross volunteers and staff Guinea, Liberia, Côte d’Ivoire, Mali, Senegal and Sierra Leone have stepped up surveillance and community sensitization efforts. To support these live saving activities, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) has issued an international emergency appeal for 8.5 million Swiss francs. Mohammed Mukhier, the IFRC’s Regional Director…

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Blame game won’t win the fight against drug abuse: Linda Masarira

By Joyce Mukucha The Labour Economists and Afrikan Democrats (LEAD) president, Linda Masarira has urged members of different communities to desist from laying the blame on children and youngsters but instead encouraged them to join hands in the fight against the vice. This comes after Masarira was asked about how she has managed her own…

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New Maisha Health product enables patients to consult doctors remotely

Maisha Health, Cassava Smartech Zimbabwe’s health insurance unit, has rolled out a digital platform that allows patients to consult doctors remotely. The Maisha Telemedicine platform will collect a patient’s vital signs, such as blood pressure and temperature, and connect the patient with a doctor through a video call. Cassava Smartech said the listed technology giant…

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Nenyasha Trust Extending Motherly Love to Psychiatric Patients

By Joyce Mukucha Motivated by the desire to change and enhance the lives of psychiatric people and their families to meet their basic needs and medication across the world, Nenyasha Trust, a non-profit making organisation, is extending support through donations to mentally challenged people. This comes after realising difficulties being faced by psychiatric patients’ families…

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Informal cross-border traders need a tailored Covid-19 recovery package

The government’s promise to continue engaging cross-border traders will come as a pleasant gesture to informal business operators, particularly women. The recommitment comes at the time researchers have found out that Covid-19 restrictions, especially border closures in the East African region, have had widespread consequences on cross-border traders.   In the wake of the Covid-19 outbreak, East African…

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G7 leaders commit US$ 4.3 billion to finance global equitable access to tests, treatments, and vaccines in 2021

The ACT Accelerator partnership welcomes over US$ 4.3 billion of new investments from the USA, Germany, the European Commission, Japan, and Canada to fund the development and equitable rollout of the tests, treatments and vaccines needed to end the acute phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. Today’s commitments bring the amount committed to date to US$ 10.3 billion, leaving a funding…

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How Could Digital Tools Help Fight Against Anti-Vaccination?

Bertalan Meskó, MD, PhD Anti-vaccination (anti-vax) movements lure increasingly more people into skipping potentially life-saving immunisation against infectious diseases, such as measles, mumps, or rubella; highly impairing herd immunity for entire communities. You might have encountered such sentiments on social media, but people living a century before also experienced similar resistance to vaccines during the…

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Zimbabweans endure cruel treatment in the diaspora, establish protective movement

Zimbabweans are working on establishing a movement to defend abused countrymen working and residing in the diaspora. The proposal to set up a movement is informed by the need to protect Zimbabweans against their ill-treatment as foreigners in the diaspora. This came out clear on the Africa 54 hot seat platform where one of the…

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ZIMBABWE: Health care system exhausted by most recent COVID-19 wave

By Doctors Without Borders (MSF) Following a recent spike in COVID-19-related cases and deaths, Zimbabwe’s already struggling health system is buckling under the pressure. In several facilities, health workers are operating without adequate PPE, medication, equipment and oxygen and, with an existing and ongoing shortage of nurses and doctors, most health centres are unable to operate at…

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Include journalists in the COVID-19 priority vaccination rollout: MISA Zimbabwe

The Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) Zimbabwe has called upon the government to prioritise and also include journalists among the first priority groups listed for the COVID-19 vaccination rollout programme. The media representative body said its request is informed by the fact that the media was declared an essential service in terms of Zimbabwe’s…

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University students a key population in fighting stigma against HIV and AIDS

By Joyce Mukucha Despite decades of scientific advances in prevention and treatment, as well as widespread awareness-raising efforts, irrational fears of HIV infection and negative attitudes towards people living with HIV (PLWHIV) continue to be rampant and are a persistent barrier to addressing the epidemic. Realising how bad and different PLWHIV are treated be it…

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FAO Commemorates World Pulses Day

By Joyce Mukucha The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) Liaison Office with the United Nations (UN) in New York in collaboration with Emerging Ag Inc, governments, non-governmental organizations, and all other relevant stakeholders yesterday held a virtual event to celebrate World Pulses Day. The event which was aimed at raising awareness and recognising the contribution…

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UNITLIFE and Ecobank Foundation works to prevent chronic malnutrition amongst children in Africa

UNITLIFE, the United Nations initiative dedicated to fighting chronic malnutrition through innovation, and the Ecobank Group’s Foundation (www.EcobankFoundation.org) – the pan-African banking group with operations in 33 countries across the continent-announce the launch of the “Make the Connection” campaign, which aims to raise awareness and funds to prevent chronic malnutrition in Africa. 144 million children…

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COVID-19 relief: Sekuru Banda opens businesses for Kapfupi and other musicians

Famous traditional healer, Sekuru Banda has come to the rescue of comedian Kapfupi and other musicians struggling under the COVID-19-induced hardships by opening grocery shops and starting income generating projects for them. The initiative is part of Sekuru Banda’s extension of an olive branch to musicians who have gone for more than a year without…

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Retailers Declare Full-Fledged War Against Covid-19

By Staff Reporter Following increased daily Covid-19 infections and the Government’s recent invitation for business entities and the private sector to venture in and assist in the procurement of Covid-19 vaccines, the Confederation of Zimbabwe Retailers (CZR) has called upon businesses to commit and save the nation through donations. In a statement released on Monday,…

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ZimRights application to compel the government to provide national deployment vaccination plan not urgent: High Court

By Kumbirai Mafunda The High Court has removed an urgent chamber application filed by Zimbabwe Human Rights Association (ZimRights) seeking to compel the government to provide a National Deployment Vaccination Plan and present a budget for the purchase of coronavirus vaccines before Parliament after ruling that it is not an urgent matter. Through its lawyer…

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How health aid can reach the world’s poorest people

Cordelia Kenney, Kaci Kennedy McDade, Wenhui Mao, and Osondu Ogbuoji Disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic could reverse progress in global poverty reduction and in global health improvements among poor people. The links between health and poverty are clear: Poverty limits people’s ability to access medical care, safe living environments, and sufficient nutrition, the absence of which can have disastrous consequences. Conversely, good…

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High Court Orders Government to Disseminate Comprehensive Information on Covid-19

By Veritas High Court judge Justice Mary Dube has ordered the Ministers of Health and Child Care and of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services to disseminate widely “comprehensive and adequate information” on both private and public testing, isolation and treatment of COVID-19. This follows an urgent application filed by the trustees of MISA Zimbabwe, represented…

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The UN working to eradicate female genital mutilation (FGM)

By Joyce Mukucha On 6 February 2021, the United Nations (UN) through its agencies, the World Health Organisation (WHO), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) joined the rest of the world to commemorate the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). The UN has noted with concern that many countries are experiencing…

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COVID-19 vaccines: President Mnangagwa pays tribute to China

President Emmerson Mnangagwa has applauded China for taking a leading role in contributing to Zimbabwe’s national vaccine deployment strategy. Addressing the nation on Thursday, President Mnangagwa praised China for its consistent humane policy of treating Covid-19 vaccines as global public goods. “Allow me to take this opportunity to express our heartfelt and sincere gratitude to…

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Unite to end cancer: world urged

By Joyce Mukucha In the pursuit to significantly reduce illness and death caused by cancer, encouraging its prevention, detection, and treatment, Zimbabwe yesterday joined the rest of the international world in commemorating World Cancer Day (WCD). Through an online meeting hosted by the Zimpapers Television Network, the Cancer Association of Zimbabwe(CAZ) in partnership with the…

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COVID-19: Government commends US$234 million support from development partners

By Staff Reporter The government has acknowledged and appreciated the support from Development Partners towards the Covid-19 pandemic response in Zimbabwe. The nation is in the middle of fighting the second wave of the pandemic which witnessed increased infection rates resulting in an increased number of deaths as compared to the first wave. The cases…

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MSF: Southern Africa urgently needs COVID-19 vaccines as new strain ravages region

Brienne Prusak As a highly infectious new strain of COVID-19 spreads through Southern Africa, the international medical humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is calling for COVID-19 vaccines to be distributed equitably, prioritizing frontline health workers and people at highest risk of severe illness and death from COVID-19. Health workers in Mozambique, Eswatini,…

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SALT Africa Curbing GBV During Lockdown through Mental Counselling Services

By Joyce Mukucha In pursuit of ending gender-based violence (GBV) in communities during the lockdown, Someone Always Listens To-you (SALT) Africa, a local organisation that focuses on mental health, is making huge strides in offering assistance to GBV victims and survivors through a cocktail of measures to ensure that this scourge does not escalate. SALT…

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ARUKA Foundation Working to Eradicate Stigma Against People with Mental Illness

By Joyce Mukucha More than half of people with mental illness do not seek help for their disorders, they even avoid or delay seeking treatment due to concerns about being treated differently or fears of losing their jobs and livelihood. Worldwide, stigma, prejudice, and discrimination against people with mental illness still remain a problem that…

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IAS calls for legislation preventing the return of the global gag rule in the future

On 28 January 2021, US President Joseph R. Biden signed an executive order repealing the harmful U.S. Mexico City Policy, more commonly known as the global gag rule. President Biden lifted these restrictions by signing the “Memorandum on Protecting Women’s Health at Home and Abroad.” “IAS – the International AIDS Society – welcomes the end…

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COVID-19 Agency: What Africa and its Diaspora Should Do and How

By Professor Arthur G. O. Mutambara Clearly, it is not sufficient to merely articulate the lack of collective agency facing the African continent and its diaspora with respect to the COVID-19 pandemic. We must proffer solutions that address both ‘what’ should be done and ‘how’ it could be accomplished. The Work to be Done on…

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Corruption is killing people: Transparency International

By Transparency International On 28 January 2021, we released our Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) 2020, and the results make one thing clear – corruption kills people.    COVID-19 is not just a health and economic crisis, but also a corruption crisis. Our research shows that countries where corruption is more pervasive are less able to provide health care for their citizens and…

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2020: Worst year in tourism history with 1 billion fewer international arrivals

By UNWTO Global tourism suffered its worst year on record in 2020, with international arrivals dropping by 74% according to the latest data from the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). Destinations worldwide welcomed 1 billion fewer international arrivals in 2020 than in the previous year, due to an unprecedented fall in demand and widespread travel restrictions….

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ZLHR rescues couple jailed over Mnangagwa’s false death report

By Kumbirai Mafunda A Beitbridge couple has been released from prison after Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) members arrested and charged the duo with publishing or communicating falsehoods by sharing a message on a WhatsApp group stating that President Emmerson Mnangagwa had died after being administered a vaccine to treat him of coronavirus. The couple, Vongai…

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Novartis renews WHO medicine donation pledge with aim of ending leprosy

A renewed partnership agreement signed by Novartis and the World Health Organization (WHO) will drive the global push towards making leprosy history. The five-year extension of the partnership – which was first signed in 2000 – will see Novartis continue to donate multidrug therapy (MDT) medicines to treat leprosy up to the end of 2025….

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