Social protection

  1. Challenges of COVID-19 isolation expose vulnerable elders to the virus

    In many countries, the bigger focus of the coronavirus pandemic has been the protection of elderly members and those with underlying medical conditions. As seen globally, the elderly are more at risk of dying from the virus. But one challenge that many families are grappling with is isolation from older family members by those confirmed…

  2. Children forced to fend for their families

    In most districts of Zimbabwe, a lot of girls have dropped out of school with some married off at an early age and others turning to commercial sex work to eke a living. This is mostly because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic which has worsened pre-existing inequalities. The vulnerability of young girls in particular, has…

  3. Helping get justice for a teenage girl who was raped

    ECID Community Reporter Fatima Yakubu, based in Makarfi, shows commitment against gender-based violence by facilitating the arrest and subsequent prosecution and jailing of a rape culprit. Read a summary of Fatima’s heroinism below. Halima (not her real name) is a 15years old student of the Government Secondary School, Makarfi ward in Makarfi Local Government Area…

  4. COVID-19 lockdown leads to spike in domestic violence cases in Zimbabwe

    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…

  5. Communities’ resistance to COVID-19 vaccination

    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…

  6. COVID-19 lockdown worsens the plight of commercial sex workers in Zimbabwe

    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…