Chronicle Editor
Lumbidzani Dima, Chronicle Reporter
DRIVEN by teamwork, transparency, confidentiality, and non-discrimination, a trust spearheaded by America-based Zimbabwean nurse has taken it upon themselves to help pregnant women in need, especially young girls.
His Grace Foundation is a registered trust under The Law of Zimbabwe, aiming at providing assistance to pregnant women who have mental challenges, teenage pregnancies as well as pregnant women in need.
Ms Hildah S Dube (30) who is the visionary behind the trust works hand in hand with Isabel Dube (25), Sengamo Dube (26) and a social worker Sharleen Moyo (24).
Ms Dube said their mandate is to teach the nation about mental health in pregnancy, teach teenagers how to cope in their new roles as mothers as well as assist pregnant mothers especially young girls in need, with resources.
“Assistance comes in form of material resources as well as education so as to impart knowledge not only to the pregnant women but to Communities in Zimbabwe at large. We kick-started our move at Cowdray Park Clinic on Tuesday where we donated some hampers to 20 young pregnant women,” she said.
Basically, the hampers included baby clothes, diapers, soaps, petroleum jellies and methylated spirit.
Ms Dube said they want to help build a Zimbabwe which is sensitive to the needs of pregnant women.
“In 2021 we had a vision to establish a trust which was to assist pregnant women who have mental challenges, teenage pregnancies as well as pregnant women in need, we then realised a gap in the sense that there were organisations which were catering for pregnant women and some mental health issues but there was none which was dealing with this issue as a single narrative. The Zimbabwean community was mobilised and this initiative was established in January 2022, donations came in monetary form as well as material resources,” said Ms Dube.
She said donations come from friends and family based in the US, Ireland and UK for now, as they hope to attain more funds from well-wishers.
The trust engaged the Bulawayo City Council (BCC) to help identify such women in the communities. They said their aim is to grow bigger and one day be able to help every pregnant youth in the country and not just Bulawayo or Matabeleland.
Ms Dube clarified that helping the young girls is not meant to promote teenage pregnancies but rather an acceptance of reality to the fact that teenage pregnancies shall forever exist and mental issues related to pregnant women are there.
“We are not advising teenagers to get pregnant because we will help them, but we realised that most teenage pregnancies come bearing lack of funds. Some are chased away from home once parents find out they are pregnant; some pregnancies have no fathers or the fathers are teenagers with nothing as well. Therefore, to reduce the burden of teenagers thinking of illegal practices such as abortion which they do in a risky manner and put their lives in danger, we are going to help them,” she said.
This comes at a time when Zimbabwe’s teenage pregnancy rate keeps on rising, with the majority being under-age girls that are forced to drop out of school.
The worrying trend has also led to debate over access to sexual and reproductive health rights (ASHRH) services, with some lobbying that learners as young as 12 years be given a choice to use contraceptives as a measure to address teenage pregnancies.
The Education Act, which was amended in 2020, makes it illegal to expel pupils that fall pregnant.
Bongani Ndlovu
Online Reporter