The ongoing media training workshop hosted by the Zimbabwe Gender Commission in collaboration with Population Solutions for Health (PSH), with support from the Embassy of Sweden, marks a significant moment in the country’s broader efforts to address gender-based violence, child marriage, and drug and substance abuse. What may seem like a routine training is in fact a strategic shift, positioning the media not merely as observers but as active agents of change. It is a national wake-up call, a coordinated campaign to challenge the normalization of silence, fear, and stigma that has for too long shrouded these social crises.
The workshop, held in Kadoma, is part of the broader “The Strength Is In You” multimedia campaign launched in January 2023, running through to December 2025. It seeks to create a movement, one that discourages drug use, empowers young people to resist harmful behaviours, and amplifies community resilience. Currently being rolled out in areas like Mabvuku, Tafara, and Budiriro, the campaign utilizes radio, digital platforms, and grassroots community dialogues led by trained health workers to instill knowledge and offer hope. The vision is national, but the impact must be deeply personal.
What emerged from the workshop is the realization that media houses, reporters, editors, and even influencers must go beyond simply raising awareness, they must help shape the national conscience. Zimbabwe is not short of stories. It is short of storytellers who are willing to delve deeper, to engage survivors, to challenge harmful norms, and to spotlight solutions that actually work. Journalists must become not only narrators of pain but also champions of healing and justice. Particularly vital is the engagement of male journalists in these conversations—not as token participants, but as frontline advocates who understand that gender-based violence, drug abuse, and child marriage are not women’s issues, youth issues, or rural issues alone. They are national issues, and everyone has a part to play.
One of the strongest themes discussed was the ethical responsibility of the media. The way we use language. words like “accused,” “victim,” or “junkie”, can either promote justice or reinforce prejudice. The presence of security personnel during coverage, the identity of survivors, and even the framing of interviews are ethical choices with lasting consequences. The workshop reminded journalists that it is not enough to follow the story; they must also protect the people in it.
PSH has positioned itself as a vital connector within communities, using its limited funding not only to raise awareness but to refer those in need to empowerment partners and support structures. The response so far has been overwhelming, proof that the need is great, but also that the will to act is there. What is needed now is sustainability. To build on this momentum, partners must push for deeper collaborations, wider campaign reach, and long-term investment in both prevention and recovery. Youth need skills, not just slogans. Communities need resources, not just reminders. Survivors need safe spaces, not shame.
As we look forward, we must recommend stronger integration of the media in policy advocacy, more training and inclusion of male voices in newsrooms and campaigns, localized outreach in indigenous languages, and continued storytelling from those who have overcome. Survivor-led narratives must not be hidden, they must lead the way. Media must investigate, humanize, and inspire.
The truth is clear: Zimbabwe is standing at a crossroads. Drug and substance abuse are threatening to wipe out an entire generation. GBV continues to destroy homes. Early child marriage is stealing the future of girls. But the nation is not without hope. The strength is in you. It is in communities, in collaboration, and in commitment. And most powerfully, it is in the stories we choose to tell and the action we are bold enough to take.
