GOROMONZI, Jun. 23 (NewsDay Live) — Nearly one in four Zimbabwean girls aged between 15 and 19 has begun childbearing, with adolescent pregnancy prevalence standing at 23.7%, prompting government and development partners to intensify efforts to curb the growing challenge.
In response, the Government of Zimbabwe, together with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), on Monday launched the National Framework for the Prevention and Response to Adolescent Pregnancies.
The framework, unveiled in Goromonzi, is aimed at strengthening national efforts to prevent adolescent pregnancies and protect the health, dignity and future prospects of young people.
Speaking through UNFPA resident representative Miranda Tabifor, United Nations resident coordinator Rosemary Kalapurakal described the framework as a landmark step towards addressing one of the country’s pressing social challenges.
“By establishing this framework, Zimbabwe is taking a decisive and historic step towards safeguarding the health, dignity and future of its most valuable asset — its young people,” Kalapurakal said.
“The launch represents not just a policy framework but a strategic shift towards domestic ownership. By integrating the successful Not-In-My-Village campaign model, we are empowering traditional leaders to act as primary accountability officers for adolescents and young people.”
She said the United Nations system remained committed to supporting Zimbabwe’s efforts to sustain gains made in reducing adolescent pregnancies.
The framework places strong emphasis on community-led interventions and incorporates the successful “Not in My Village” campaign, which mobilises traditional and religious leaders to challenge child marriage, gender-based violence and stigma associated with adolescent pregnancy.
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Senator Chief Nechombo, born Langton Chikukwa, pledged the commitment of traditional leaders to drive the campaign at community level.
“We are saying no teenage pregnancies — not in the family, not in the village, not in the community and not in our nation. These messages must be embedded in our minds if we are to realise the dreams and aspirations we have for our children,” he said.
He also urged young people to take responsibility for their choices and future.
Officially launching the framework, Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Minister Edgar Moyo said adolescent pregnancy had become a major national challenge with far-reaching social and economic consequences.
“When adolescents are denied opportunities, leave school prematurely and become trapped in cycles of poverty and vulnerability, the consequences are felt far beyond individual households,” Moyo said.
“Adolescent pregnancy is not simply a challenge affecting individual care. It affects our collective social and economic development.”
He said the issue had implications for educational attainment, labour productivity, health outcomes, social cohesion and intergenerational poverty, while also undermining efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, the African Union’s Agenda 2063 and Zimbabwe’s Vision 2030.
The framework is being supported through the Health Resilience Fund (HRF), which finances programmes aimed at improving the wellbeing of mothers, newborns, children and adolescents.
The HRF is coordinated by the Ministry of Health and Child Care and receives funding from the European Union, the governments of Ireland and the United Kingdom, and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.
