ZNFPC Manicaland makes inroads into Apostolic Churches
Making inroads into the white garment apostolic churches with Family Planning and Sexual Reproductive Health Services has never been easy especially in Manicaland province where these churches are rooted. However, through several advocacy meetings, the province managed to convince leaders of prominent apostolic churches in Manicaland on the benefits of these services to their congregants. This has seen the ZNFPC Manicaland provincial office signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Johanne the 5th of Africa Apostolic Church in August 2019 and one with Johanne Marange is at an advanced stage.
Generally, Manicaland province has a low contraceptive prevalence rate of 59% and a teenage pregnancy rate of 27% as well as 10.1 % of unmet need. In the pursuit to increase the contraceptive prevalence rate and reducing the teenage pregnancy rate, the province had to engage community leaders, including traditional leaders, and church leaders.
Some apostolic church members continue to face greater sexual and reproductive health risks than the general public, due to sexual abuse, economic pressure, child and forced marriages, lack of information and life-skills, and socio-cultural factors with regards to gender and sexual relationships. In line with the Zimbabwe National Family Planning Strategy 2016 – 2020 and the National Adolescent and Youth Sexual and Reproductive Health (ASRH) Strategy II: 2016 – 2020, ZNFPC Manicaland is having its focus on apostolic churches as a special population and hard to reach areas to address these challenges.
The focus and engagement saw, ZNFPC Manicaland and Johanne the 5th of Africa Apostolic Church agreeing on a family planning and sexual reproductive health outreach at their quarterly church gathering in October 2020 at Zimunya, about 20 km east of Mutare. The outreach gave ZNFPC an opportunity to provide family planning and reproductive health information and services to the church`s congregants including HIV Testing services.
The outreach also provided an important platform for ZNFPC to impart to the congregants information which help them identify strategies to strengthen their family relationships through Couple Communication and Parent-Child Communication discussions. The Provincial Marketing and Communications Officer, Mr Daniel Maromo took them through the aspect of Couple Communication, in which he emphasized the importance of good communication in maintaining healthy relationships and couples were encouraged to work together in whatever concerns their families. In addition to this, issues of respect, faithfulness and safer sex were discussed.
On Parent-Child Communication, he spoke of the importance good relationships between parents and their children, and parents were encouraged to be approachable and open to the children, as well as to take charge of their parental roles, rather than relinquishing this role to teachers and pastors as charity begins at home. Issues of child abuse were also discussed as this is an offence under the laws of the country.
The Service Delivery Coordinator, Mr Kennedy Majero presented on family planning, highlighting methods available and benefits of family planning. He emphasized on long acting reversible contraceptives as of greater convenience especially to those in hard to reach areas.
During this outreach, health education was given to 2 000 people, about 800 information, education and communication materials and over 9 000 male and female condoms were distributed. One hundred and thirty three women accessed clinical services of whom 101 received contraceptive pills, 20 received Depo-Provera and 12 were tested for HIV.
Lessons Learnt
- The church leader`s voice is well respected by congregants
- Religion is a barrier to access to family planning and reproductive health services
- The church needs constant engagement and more information on FP / SRHR
- Advocacy to community, political and church leaders is important to unlock service delivery gridlocks.
The church leader, Madzibaba Andby Makururu in his solidarity message, pledged to continue to advocate for his church members to access family planning and sexual and reproductive health services, as well as fighting against child marriages, and sexual gender based violence in his church. Further to this, the church`s leader gave a vote of thanks, in which he acknowledged the importance of the information shared to them by ZNFPC staff in the development of the church as well as addressing social and health concerns of his congregants.
He commented, “Zvimwe hazvidi mweya kana kuporofitwa, zvinotoda chipatara”. He went on to encourage the congregants to visit the ZNFPC stand for services at the gathering as well as clinics.
Engagement with the white garment apostolic churches in Manicaland is very important in the fight against unmet need, teenage pregnancies and child marriages. This particular engagement with Johanne the 5th of Africa Apostolic Church helped in reaching out to the hard to reach community / population. The church remains a very important community, therefore, making inroads with family planning and reproductive health services is the only way to safeguard the health of its members.
ZNFPC Manicaland is breaking the barriers, the white garment section of the apostolic churches is well known for shunning health services including family planning services, and being allowed to offer family planning services at their gathering is indeed a feat culminating from a protracted advocacy and sensitization campaign.
Johanne the 5th of Africa Apostolic Church is headquartered in Mutare and it has branches in all the 7 districts of Manicaland province. The church is also present in Bulawayo, Gweru, Kadoma, Kwekwe, Chinhoyi, Karoi, Mutoko, Masvingo, Zvishavane, Shurugwi, Mvuma, Chivhu and Kariba. Regionally, the church is well established in Mozambiques` 10 provinces, South Africa`s Cape Town and in Namibia`s Windhoek.