BY MIRIAM MANGWAYA THE Japanese government has donated US$740 740 to mitigate the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic among women and girls in Guruve and Mbire districts in Mashonaland Central.
The fund, availed through United Nations (UN) Women, seeks to enhance access to COVID-19 testing and vaccination as well as awareness of the respiratory disease to over 103,210 women in the two districts.
The programme will also see training of over 500 women in the production of personal protective equipment.
UN Women country representative Delphine Serumaga said the programme was also aimed at combating vaccine hesitancy.
“Existing key drivers of vaccine hesitancy leading to lack of demand for vaccine rollouts need to be challenged. These include myths related to risks of infertility in women, impotency in men, or risk of death based on religious grounds, especially among the Apostolic sects prevalent in the area,” Serumaga said
Japanese Ambassador to Zimbabwe Satoshi Tanaka said: “…there is first a need to find a pathway out of COVID-19 and build a more resilient society. This project will enable communities in Mbire and Guruve to take a major step towards overcoming COVID-19 and becoming more resilient to future outbreaks.”