According to a report, Criminalising Condoms, that surveyed sex workers in Kenya, Namibia, Russia, the US and Zimbabwe, the police confiscate and destroy condoms.

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On World Population Day this year, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in his speech said, “Women and young people who are in good health, and who have the power and means to make their own decisions about how many children to have and when to have them are better able to contribute to the development of their societies.” This is very encouraging to young people in Zimbabwe. To say young women and girls have no access to family planning is true largely because of society stereotypes and ignorance. Being raised in societies where premarital sex is rejected makes it difficult for one to make use of contraceptives before they are married. Our societies would take a big blow in the face and would find it difficult to call for abstinence if they were to accept that young people engage in sexual activities before they are married. Abstinence is the best and safest method, but on the ground we have young people engaging themselves in risky sexual behaviours. Which places them at risk of unwanted pregnancies, as well as contracting STIs and HIV.

In a survey of 14-24 year old men and women from conducted in Harare it found that 43% of women had premarital sexual intercourse yet 80% of pregnant students did not want to be pregnant. This survey also found that even though 79.5% of the young adults knew at least one method of contraceptive and did not want to fall pregnant, 87% of the sexually active women and 83% of the sexually active men did not use them at first intercourse. Further, 64% of never married women and 71% of never married men who had intercourse in the month before the survey did not use contraceptives. The survey established that the leading reason for not using a method was ignorance.

With increased access to family planning methods made available to young girls and women in the country, we can go a long way in reducing unwanted pregnancies in this era where the number of those abstaining is on the decrease. Yes we can argue for the young girls to abstain, but when they go back to the streets, to their friends and colleges only a few will manage to abstain. So its better that they be educated. I have seen and heard stories of women in colleges and universities who defer their studies after they have fallen pregnant. Some of these never return to complete their studies. PSI believes that, ‘Women have greater access to education and employment opportunities when they control their fertility, which can enhance their own and their families’ economic status.’

From Freedom Fone’s latest newsletter:

Reproductive Health Hotline runs on Freedom Fone in Kenya

June 2012 found our technical team in Nairobi, hosted by Women on Waves and partners, to train reproductive health activists on how to use Freedom Fone to complement their information services. The Aunty Jane Hotline was officially launched on 19 June to provide Kenyan women with reproductive health information in English and Swahili. The Aunty Jane Hotline will make use of Freedom Fone’s IVR, voicemail and SMS functionalities to share life saving reproductive health information, and to receive feedback and questions.

Government has put an end to the distress of mothers who after giving birth could not foot their medical bills. Some women who face complications while giving birth at clinics are usually transferred to hospitals and this results in them facing a higher medical bill than they had budgeted for and most likely beyond their reach. Thus after giving birth, the joys of holding your newborn are sometimes not enjoyed by many women in Zimbabwe because of the financial constraints they faced in paying for their medical bills. In some cases women would be detained at the hospital or clinic until their bill was cleared or in the worst scenarios have their belongings confiscated. But alas, this is going to be a thing of the past as rural clinics and hospitals have scrapped maternity fees. Next week this same waiver will be introduced in provincial and central hospitals as reported by Newsday.

Morehouse College, one of the oldest American colleges, has awarded an honorary doctorate to Zimbabwe’s richest man, Econet Wireless Holdings founder, Strive Masiyiwa in recognition for his philanthropic and humanitarian work across the African continent. Masiyiwa is ranked 34 on the Forbes’ list of Africa’s 40 Richest. The Econet Wireless mobile telecommunications company brand has spread from Zimbabwe to conquer Africa and has also moved to the UK and New Zealand. Apart from running the company Strive Masiyiwa is involved in the Capernaum Trust, a charity organization that sponsors children from disadvantaged families with scholarships.

We asked the Kubatana community to share their reflections on what Africa Day means to them – here is some of what we got …

Africa day symbolises unity of African countries, which was initiated by great leaders such as Nyerere and Nkurumah although it is now characterised by conflicts, war and despotic leaders. – Clive

It continues to sicken thinking minds that new civil conflicts are prevalent. The mere fact that only four African countries consider Africa day, as a public holiday is indicative of strained African relations! Gross violation of human rights, poor governance, corruption and lack of political will all continue to ridicule the maxim of Africa day. Africa day that never was! – Raymond

What else would it mean? It’s just another passing day for Africans. Despite numerous pledges and noises made by African states in the African Union, no solidarity is shown when it comes to the suffering of fellow states. There is pretence of Brotherhood when in actual fact it’s, each man for himself and God shine on us all!  – Shephard

African Day is a great day for each and every African, and those who wish the continent the greatest of success! This day should always open our eyes and give us the joy of fighting for what we are, who we are and what we believe in. Together as Africans we fought the out-side common enemy – colonialism but now we are fighting the enemy within – poverty, racism, xenophobia, ethnicity, civil wars, authoritarian regimes, human rights abuses, etc… It has been more than a decade since OAU, now African Union was formed but the enemy within us is still strong! The enemy within has divided Africans; it has brought in another strong enemy – Neo-colonialism. It has widened the economic gaps between the poor and the rich. My fellow Africans, is this what we fought for in the name of liberation? How liberated are we as Africans? I believe this day should open up our minds and eyes, to reflect on these issues as Africans. What are we celebrating? Are we celebrating the formation of OAU as an organisation or the purpose why it was formed? Either way, what is important is for us to remember that we need to develop strategies of defeating the enemy within. Let us help the OAU/AU in defeating the common enemy. – Twambi

Though we speak different languages and live in different countries, the big issue is unity. Black or white we should share. That’s Africa day for to me. – Kenneth

It was supposed to mean a time to reflect on peace, food security and technological advancement on the continent. Unfortunately, we are always chewing our humble pie where conflicts are the order of the day, and corruption is at centre stage. Basically the meaning is getting to be negative for us the youths. – Francis