2525 The role of Ubuntu philosophy in enhancing accessibility of Sexual Reproductive Health (SRH) services by female artisanal miners in Chakari mining village, Zimbabwe

Description

Ashely Ropafadzo Tome, Lecturer in Social Work, Department of Social Work, Women’s University in Africa, Email address: tomeropash@gmail.com

Abstract

This research paper explores Sexual Reproductive Health (SRH) challenges faced by female artisanal miners because of the inaccessibility of SRH services in rural and remote parts of Zimbabwe such as Chakari. These challenges included irregular menstrual cycles, miscarriages, sexually transmitted infections, unwanted pregnancies, unsafe abortions and sexual violence. It can be argued that these challenges are more prevalent in rural Zimbabwe because the health system is urban-biased. The researcher used a qualitative method with a descriptive multiple case study design to examine the well-being of the women. Ten in-depth interviews with the participants were conducted together with two key informant interviews during data collection. The data were transcribed, translated and thematically analyzed. Although policies and awareness campaigns have been introduced to address SRH challenges it should be noted that previous research has not investigated the influence of the Ubuntu perspective in facilitating the accessibility of SRH services for women in artisanal mining in developing countries. The challenges can be solved. The adoption of the Ubuntu ideology in Zimbabwean politics can improve and accelerate service delivery thereby promoting good governance. Ubuntu at political level can be described as a call to service and participation as it involves serving humanity in a practical way. When applied in politics it encourages political leaders and government officials to put people first and not exploit the nation’s resources for selfish gain. The Ubuntu theory ensures that policies are formulated and implemented in a manner that includes everyone and expels exclusion and marginalization.

Keywords: Chakari, Female artisanal miners, Sexual reproductive health services, Ubuntu, Zimbabwe

Article type: Original research

Review type: Double-blind

This paper was presented at the Ubuntu 2024 International Conference held at the University of Western Cape, hosted by The Network: Towards Unity for Health, Rural WONCA, University of Cape Town, Stellenbosch University and University of Western Cape.