Monthly Archives: July 2011

“I Wanted My Soul to Dance in the Wind”, Gumbonzvanda’s Acceptance Speech.

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 Acceptance Speech : Women’s Human Rights Defenders Awards 2011

 Zimbabwe Women Lawyers Association (ZWLA): Nyaradzayi  Gumbonzvanda

30 July 2011

It is with such humility that I accept this award: ZWLA Women Human Rights Defenders award for 2011. I do celebrate and affirm my co-nominees Alec Muchadehama and Mary Ndlovu for their commitment and passion for protection of human rights. This is a special recognition conferred by a leading professional women’s organisation advancing the human rights of women and girls nationally and globally.

This award, launched in 2007  has been conferred to some of leading human rights advocates and defenders of our time: Prof Julie Stewart, Honourable Justice Elizabeth Gwaunza, Dr Amy Tsanga, Justice Rita Makarau, Priscilla Chigumba and Sarudzai Njerere. Mentors in my own life, I am humbled to join this revered league of human rights advocates. Continue reading →

Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda Recieves the Zimbabwe Women’s Human Rights Defenders Award, 2011

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PRESS RELEASE:   Zimbabwe Women Lawyers Association

Women’s Human  Rights Defenders Awards, 2011

Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda - 2011 Awardee

(Harare. 30 July 2011) a question has been posed why the need to form an organization by female lawyers for the advancement  and protection of women’s rights.  This came about as an observation of the vast challenges women still face, and its belief that Zimbabwe Women Lawyers Association (ZWLA) has a duty to help them.

“Women have suffered under various economic and socio-political challenges alongside men. They’ve also had to cope with discriminatory laws and deeply entrenched gender inequality”. For this reason, ZWLA acknowledges and honours the women and men who are working at local, regional and global level to advocate for women’s rights as well as working tirelessly to defend women.

Today ZWLA conferred the third annual Women’s Human Rights Defenders Awards to human rights defenders who have been working at different levels of activism. The  winner of the award  is Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda and the runner up is Alec Muchadehama. Continue reading →

A Narrative of Hope for Children Living with HIV in Murewa

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community briefing with care-givers

When we started on HIV prevention and care programmes in 2007, we had a more general outreach to families affected by HIV. We reached out to everyone and established a strong presence in ward 8 and 17 in Murewa District in Zimbabwe. This is a district with a 23% HIV prevalence rate, against a national average of 13%.

The more we engaged with families, the more it became clear that we needed to have a special and increased focus on children living with HIV. In every family where a parent of reproductive age group was HIV positive, we also had a child living with HIV. Most of the children had single parents, living with foster care-givers and some simply in desperate situations. Access to treatment became an immediate call for us, and associated with importance of investing in education for these children, in a supportive and enabling learning environment. Continue reading →