Our True Voice are the eyes and ears of the communities that drive the ECID programme.
They are our network of community reporters sharing first-hand accounts of the challenges and solutions of social exclusion.
One objective of the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) is the provision of healthcare benefits to all members of the population. A cardinal point of achieving this is the provision of financial risk protection while accessing basic healthcare services. Like other states and local government areas in Nigeria, equitable access to affordable and quality healthcare is…
The need for engagement with project communities in Nigeria under the ECID project was what brought me to post as Community Engagement Officer working with On Our Radar (OOR). Communities especially remote areas in Nigeria are faced with difficulty accessing social and technological services such as health care, infrastructure, agriculture, gender inclusion and justice, livelihood…
In many countries around the world, marriage before the age of 18 is a violation of fundamental human rights of children. But in Nigeria, child marriage is still very much a big problem. The country has one of the highest child marriage prevalence rates in the world with an estimated 44% of girls marrying before…
Loveness Munsima is a 21-year-old woman from the Binga district. She has a disabled 4-year-old daughter whose father is far away in Bulawayo and is jobless. Munsima is not employed. She has no source of income. Opportunities are scarce. Her daughter requires special attention and it pains her that she is not able to provide…
Advocacy groups say one in three women in Zimbabwe is a victim of domestic violence. The COVID-19 lockdown has seen a spike in cases of domestic violence across the country with experts saying the mental strain caused by job losses, lockdown restrictions are fuelling domestic tensions leading to unprecedented levels of abuse behind the locked…
The slashing of maize crops ready for harvest in countless little fields dotted around the city of Mutare by city council employees is now a perennial event that not only draws tears from the affected citizens but also questions the council’s desire to assist the less privileged in the community, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic.…
Tinde Ward 18 in Binga is an example of one of the communities in the country that are resisting being vaccinated for COVID-19 with the reasons for many community members driven by misinformation, lack of information, distrust, and a general disdain for western medicines. Compared to its neighbours, Zimbabwe has had an organised COVID-19 vaccination…
The COVID-19 lockdown has gravely affected a majority of Zimbabweans both in the rural and urban areas because the country’s economy is largely informal – and entrepreneurs have to travel to neighbouring Mozambique, South Africa, and Botswana to buy their wares. The lockdown has made it hard for people to work or find food. The…
Despite the importance of COVID-19 measures such as lockdowns in the control and the spread of the virus, lockdowns have negatively influenced theft, especially among daily income earners. ECID Community Reporter, Kudzwai Terera, based in Mutasa District, Zimbabwe, tells the story of how COVID-19 lockdown measures have emboldened burglars in some parts of Zimbabwe. Mutasa…
COVID-19 measures such as lockdowns, instituted governments in sub-Saharan Africa have been helpful in controlling the spread of the virus. This has, however, triggered some negative economic impacts on women. ECID Community Reporter, Faris Davison, based in Dangamvura, Mutare in Zimbabwe tells the story of how COVID-19 lockdown measures has worsened the economic plight of…
