1)        Zimbabwe Qualitative Harmonised Social Cash Transfer Study

 This project valued at +/- $500,000 has been carried out in Mutare Rural, Bulilima and Binga.  It is a study whose aim was to support efforts to end abuse, exploitation, trafficking and torture and all forms of violence against children by 2030 (SDG 16:2).  Research was done in collaboration with UNICEF, Africa University and University of Edinburgh.  The study aims were to explore potential pathways and mechanisms through which cash was impacting on family dynamics, family environment and decision making on children themselves.

2)         Mid Term Review of the Joint Programme on Prevention of Gender Based Violence (JPGBV) Against Young Women and Adolescent Girls (2015-2016)

To complement government efforts, UNICEF and UN Women designed a Joint Program on Prevention of Gender Based Violence (JPGBV) against adolescent girls (10-19 years) and young women (20-24 years). The Judicial Service Commission was the lead organisation on this programme, to address the rights of survivors of sexual violence as per the multi-sectoral protocol.  Funded by Danida, the JPGBV was a three year program (2013-2016) with a total budget of $4,966,925.91. The program was commissioned in 2013, but implementation started in 2014. The review was from 2015 to 2016.

One of WUA’s gender experts was in the group of consultants led by Development Solutions.  The objectives were to assess progress against objectives contained in the log frame, check if the programmes were on track, and if any adjustments were needed, drew conclusions about the programme strategy and inform future programming.  Evaluations were carried out by visiting partner organisations in Harare as well in the Beitbridge area, Makoni and Bindura.

Partners of the UNWomen and UNICEF whose services were evaluated included:

1. Justice for Children Trust,
2. Zimbabwe Women Lawyers Association (ZWLA),
3. Women and Law in Southern Africa (WLSA - Legal Assistance).
4. Family Support Trust -Medical Services
5. Childline - Psychosocial support
6. Ministry of Women’s Affairs Gender and Community Development – Shelters; and
7. World Vision - Prevention

3)         Addressing Social Norms that Underpin Violence against Children in Zimbabwe  (June - August 2016)

WUA staff participated in this UNICEF funded qualitative study which employed a participatory methodology of focus group discussions called Round Robin Sessions and in depth interviews in investigating social norms that cause violence among children in Zimbabwe.  The focal areas studied include child marriage, intersections of violence and adolescent sexual and reproductive health, adolescent relationship violence and  violence in educational settings focusing specifically on corporal punishment in schools and violence in ‘bush boarding’ or informal school accommodation arrangements. 136 participants within the ages of 18-24 years were selected from four districts of Harare, Binga, Chipinge and Beitbridge.

The selected districts ensured a diversity of ethnicities and allowed representation from rural, urban, peri-urban’ farming communities and border town populations which provided diverse perspectives across Zimbabwe.

4)         Formative Research on Social Norms underpinning Violence against Girls and Women in Zimbabwe (June –July 2017)

WUA staff were part of a UNICEF qualitative study that was conducted in four locations selected from Harare, Epworth, Bulawayo and Umzingwane.   A sample of 140 participants which included men and women aged between 40-65 years was selected.  The study employed focus group discussions named Round Robins and in depth interviews to unearth the social norms that expose girls and women to violence. The focal areas included physical violence, emotional violence, rape (in general), marital rape, sexual violence against girls and women as well as early and forced marriages.

5)         An Exploration of violence against girls in bush boarding: The case of Binga (July – December 2016)

Using a combination of qualitative methods and U-Report survey results, the study aimed at capturing the nature of social norms that cause violence against boys and girls staying in ‘bush boarding’ arrangements. Three schools were selected because they have ‘bush boarders’ living in different arrangements.  Focus group discussions, key informant interviews, in-depth interviews and field observations were used to collect qualitative primary data.  The study was done in Binga District, Zimbabwe.

6)         Zero Hunger Strategic Review Report 2015

WFP in response to the UN Zero Hunger Challenge which all UN member states including Zimbabwe  endorsed identified a few countries to gain deeper insights into how best it can support countries in meeting the UN Secretary General’s Zero Hunger challenge.  The main purpose of the Zero Hunger Challenge was to accelerate progress towards eliminating food insecurity and malnutrition. WFP  contracted the services of Professor Hope Sadza the Vice chancellor of the Women’s University of Africa, to conduct an independent Strategic Review of Zimbabwe’s efforts towards implementing the  Zero Hunger Challenge. The strategic review was expected to facilitate better understanding of the role and type of support the country needs and expects from WFP as well as other development partners with its efforts to respond to the Zero Hunger challenge. The review was expected to reshape WFP’s strategic planning process  and  focus for its Zimbabwe country programme, and enhance WFP’s  engagement with Zimbabwe on food and nutrition security issues.

7)         Project in Support of the University of West England (UWE) Postgraduate

            Certificate in Professional Practice Change Management and funded by the

            Bill & Melinda Gates foundation (June 2021 to April 2022)

The WUA Lecturer in the Department of Health and Family Sciences, Dr Priscilla Mataure will be part of the facilitators in the implementation of this project.  They have already shown interest in extending the project by another year.

Background Overarching Project: Optimizing Stakeholder Operating Models for HIV Prevention in Zimbabwe

Principal Investigator (PI): Professor Peter Case

Co-Investigator (CI): Professor Jonathan Gosling

Co-Facilitator: Dr Priscilla Mataure

This project has been commissioned by the Malaria Elimination Initiative (MEI), University of San Francisco (UCSF), and is funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The main contract is between UCSF and the University of the West of England (UWE), United Kingdom. Professors Peter Case and Jonathan Gosling have been contracted to oversee the design and delivery of leadership and organization development (OD) programmes to improve the HIV prevention programme service delivery in Zimbabwe and assist with sustainable integration of Voluntary Male Medical Circumcision (VMMC) into mainstream healthcare provision.

MEI is partnering with the Ministry of Health and Child Care (MoHCC) Zimbabwe, Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI), Populations Services International (PSI) and UWE to meet project milestones and deliver proposed outcomes. The intervention methodology for this project draws upon a combination of organization development (OD), participatory action research (PAR) and quality improvement (QI) methods to improve operational delivery at differing levels within the HIV healthcare system. The approach combines structured training and institutionalization of collaborative problem-solving. A central element of the project will be capacity building for healthcare professionals responsible for HIV prevention programme management and VMMC service delivery. The aim is to create a cadre of workers that can sustain the work post-project and expand the programme of work both within Zimbabwe and, potentially, across the region. To this end, between twelve and sixteen health professionals from the MoHCC and other partner organizations will be provided with supervised training in facilitation methods during the project implementation period. These individuals will also be offered the opportunity to enrol on the UWE postgraduate certificate in Professional Practice in Change Leadership (PG Cert PPCL) in order to accredit their learning. This training is intended to embed high levels of sustainability within the overall project intervention, enabling the scaling-up and institutionalization of activities.