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Access status: Open Access ,
Intervention strategies on the efficacy of GBV services in rural areas in Zimbabwe. A case of Ngorima village in Chimanimani district
(BUSE, 2026) Tsododo, Fortunate
Gender-based violence (GBV) remains a pervasive challenge in rural communities of Zimbabwe, where access to and utilisation of intervention services were severely constrained by geographic, cultural and socio-economic barriers. This study investigated intervention strategies and their efficacy in addressing GBV in rural areas, with a specific focus on Ngorima Village in Chimanimani District, with an aim of proposing strategies to improve GBV service utilization in rural communities. A convergent parallel mixed method design was adopted combining a household survey of 50 respondents with 5 key informants interviews and 5 focus group discussions involving 30 participants drawn from community members, service providers, traditional leaders and relevant stake holders. Data were analysed through descriptive statistics using SPSS and thematic analysis. Findings revealed that existing strategies included awareness campaigns, traditional leaders engagement, health facility support and VFU services with 96% respondents aware of at least one GBV programme. However, only 10% reported that they or a household member had sought GBV related assistance. This exposed a critical awareness-utilisation gap. Cultural beliefs, distance to services, fear of stigma and economic dependency on perpetrators were the primary barriers to help seeking. These findings indicated that knowledge of services alone was insufficient to drive survivor action, consistence with broader evidence on GBV service gaps in Sub-Saharan Africa. The study concluded that effective rural GBV intervention required integration of norm transformation, economic empowerment, mobile service delivery and coordinated referral systems. Government ministries, traditional leaders, NGOs, social welfare institutions and health services were recommended to adopt a community centered rural GBV model to bridge the identified awareness-utilisation gap.
Access status: Open Access ,
The Role of vocational training as a strategy in mitigating drug and substance abuse among youths in Shamva, Zimbabwe: a study of Shamva vocational training centre
(BUSE, 2026) Nyamadzawo, Clara R.
This study explores the role of vocational training as a strategy in mitigating drug and substance abuse among youths in Shamva, Zimbabwe: a study of Shamva Vocational Training Centre. The study aimed to explore the role of vocational training as a strategy in mitigating drug and substance abuse among youths in Shamva with specific focus on Shamva Vocational Training Centre. Anchored in an interpretive paradigm and guided by a qualitative approach, the research used a case study design. Data was collected through two focus group discussions each session having four youths and three key informant interviews, this allowed the study gain in-depth insights, opinions, motivations and ideas on the study topic. A purposive sample of 11 participants, including 8 youth trainees at Shamva vocational training and 3 key informants which includes a community leader, one youth officer from Ministry of youth empowerment, development and vocational training and one Shamva vocational training center instructor. Findings revealed that drug and substance abuse among youths in Shamva is driven by a complex interplay of unemployment and economic hardship, poverty, peer pressure, family dysfunction, trauma and substance availability. Despite these structural vulnerabilities participants demonstrated that vocational training reduces substance use through several interconnected mechanisms including provision of structured time and purpose, enhancement of self-efficacy through mastery experiences, creation of alternative social networks and generation of economic hope. However, the study also found that multiple barriers significantly constrain youth participation, including financial constraints, lack of awareness, transportation challenges, cultural stigma associated with vocational training, care giving responsibilities disproportionately affecting female youth and programme quality limitations. The study concluded that vocational training holds significant potential to mitigate drug and substance abuse among youth in Shamva when structural barriers are comprehensively addressed and genuine employment linkages are established. The Vocational Training and Youth Substance Abuse Mitigation model was proposed as an evidence-informed practice framework integrating structural enablers, programme components, mechanisms of change and measurable outcomes. Recommendations were made to government bodies to increase investment in subsides and infrastructure, the Ministry of youth empowerment development and vocational training to enhance aftercare and employer partnerships, non-governmental organizations to provide complementary financial and psychosocial support. Social workers to adopt economically-aware practice that addresses the multiple determinants of youth substance abuse.
Access status: Open Access ,
Barriers and opportunities in the use of assistive technologies for the inclusion of children living with disabilities in primary education in Zimbabwe: study of St Giles in Harare
(Harare, 2026) Chida, Nyasha
This qualitative study investigated the barriers and opportunities in the use of assistive technologies (AT) for the inclusion of children living with disabilities in primary education in Zimbabwe, with specific focus on St Giles Special School in Harare, revealing that despite progressive policy frameworks including Zimbabwe’s Constitution Section 83, the CRPD ratification (2013), and the newly launched National Assistive Technology Strategy (2024), a significant gap persists between policy aspirations and the lived reality for children with disabilities accessing AT in educational settings. Guided by three objectives to identify the types of AT currently available, explore barriers to AT use, and investigate opportunities for promoting inclusion and grounded in the Social Disability Model (Oliver, 1983), the study adopted a qualitative multiple case study design, collecting data through semi-structured interviews with 5 special needs teachers and 5 parents/caregivers, focus group discussions with 7 children with disabilities, and key informant interviews with 6 professionals, yielding a total sample of 25 participants purposively selected from St Giles Special School, with thematic analysis employed for data analysis. The findings revealed severe inadequacies in AT availability: mobility devices met only 40% of need (15 wheelchairs for over 60 children), communication devices met less than 10% of need, and digital learning tools were completely absent. Five interconnected categories of barriers were identified financial constraints, technological barriers, systemic barriers, social barriers, and knowledge gaps which profoundly restricted children’s participation in reading, writing, classroom interactions, play-based learning, educational progression, and self-care activities, with the social worker highlighting a safeguarding crisis where children unable to communicate effectively cannot report abuse or express pain. Despite these challenges, multiple practical opportunities emerged, including low-cost locally produced solutions, training as a viable investment, mobile-based accessibility features on parents’ own Android phones, and decentralization of service delivery to district-level hubs, with participants identifying six key strategies: establishing a national essential AT list for primary education, mandating AT modules in pre-service teacher training, decentralizing AT assessment and repair hubs, creating public-private partnerships, implementing an “AT Passport” for transitioning students, and community conscientization. The study concluded that barriers to AT use at St Giles are not merely resource constraints but systematic failures of policy coordination, training infrastructure, service geography, and community attitudes, and advanced recommendations for government, St Giles practitioners, and NGOs. Implications for policy include shifting from device donation to systems building, establishing inter-ministerial coordination, and integrating AT into curriculum, while implications for social work practice emphasize advocacy, psychosocial support, safeguarding protocols, and community conscientization. This study contributes to the scarce body of literature on AT and inclusive education in Zimbabwe and Sub-Saharan Africa, demonstrating that while opportunities are genuine and within reach, political will is required to reorganize existing resources, mandate training, decentralize services, and conscientize communities, because without these changes, children with disabilities will continue to be excluded from meaningful educational participation.
Access status: Open Access ,
Social media driven child abuse: a case study of Mbare
(BUSE, 2026) Mwasoya, Tinashe M.
This qualitative study examines the intersection of social media and child abuse in Mbare, a high-density urban suburb of Harare, Zimbabwe. Guided by Systems Theory and social constructivism, the research employed a case study design with semi-structured in-depth interviews and focus group discussions involving 25 participants, including children aged 10–18 years, caregivers, teachers, social workers, community health workers, law enforcement officers, and community leaders. The study addressed three objectives: to examine the forms of social media-driven child abuse prevalent in Mbare; to analyze the implications of such abuse on children's wellbeing; and to propose social work-related interventions. Findings revealed that cyberbullying, online grooming and sexual exploitation, exposure to pornographic content, sextortion, and doxing are prevalent forms of abuse affecting children through platforms such as WhatsApp, Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram. The study documented severe psychosocial consequences including depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation, social withdrawal, and significant educational disruption manifesting as declining academic performance, school avoidance, and disengagement. Structural vulnerabilities including poverty, limited parental digital literacy, weak institutional responses, and inadequate legal frameworks were identified as key enablers of children's online victimization. The research recommends multi-level social work interventions encompassing community-based digital literacy programs, strengthened counselling and psychosocial support services, legal and policy reform, school-based child protection initiatives, and enhanced platform accountability. The study contributes context-specific evidence to the growing body of literature on digital child protection in sub-Saharan Africa and underscores the urgency of integrating digital safety into mainstream social work practice, policy, and education in Zimbabwe.
Access status: Open Access ,
Investigating the effects of brand authenticity, emotional branding, and brand experience on consumer buying behaviour (brand trust and customer loyalty) in the ICT industry in Zimbabwe (First Pack case study).
(BUSE, 2026-06) Mukwacha, Pauline Chidochaishe
This study investigated the influence of brand authenticity, emotional branding, and brand experience on consumer buying behaviour within Zimbabwe's ICT sector, with brand trust as the mediating variable and customer loyalty as the outcome variable. The research was motivated by the increasing competition in the ICT industry and the challenge businesses face in retaining loyal customers. The study employed a quantitative descriptive-correlational research design. The data were collected through questionnaires distributed in physical and online formats to consumers in Harare who had used First Pack products and services. The researcher used purposive sampling and convenience sampling techniques to select participants. Of the 384 questionnaires distributed, 360 valid responses were obtained and analysed using SPSS and AMOS. Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) was used to test the four research hypotheses, and the structural model demonstrated an excellent fit. The findings revealed that brand authenticity, emotional branding, and brand experience each had a statistically significant positive effect on brand trust. The results further established that brand trust fosters customer loyalty through repeat purchases and positive word-of-mouth recommendations, with all hypotheses supported at p < 0.001. The study concluded that ICT companies should prioritise authentic brands, create emotional connections with customers, and maintain consistent brand experiences to build brand trust, which in turn drives customer loyalty. The research recommends that ICT companies improve service quality, customer engagement, and communication to maintain long-term customer relationships.