WELCOME TO
PHOEBE CENTRE ZIMBABWE
Mission Statement
PHOEBE stands for Promotion of Health, Opportunity, Equality, Benevolence and Empowerment. We deliver support services to women and girls with mental health issues, challenge all forms of gender based violence and empower women to lead safe, fulfilled lives.
Who we are
PHOEBE began as a registered charity in Suffolk, United Kingdom in 2012, working with women and girls from black and minority ethnic communities who experience mental health problems and domestic violence. We have been in Zimbabwe since 2016, working with women and girls to promote their general wellbeing and address the challenges that they face in their lives. Our main focus is mental health, helping women with mental health conditions to access care, recover and reintegrate into society and providing support to their caregivers.
PHOEBE focuses on the lives of women due to the gendered inequalities present in society which result in disadvantages for females. Worldwide, women experience extreme poverty at higher rates and are more than twice as likely than young men to be out of education, employment or training. PHOEBE’s work takes an intersectional approach, recognizing the different layers of social stratification which interact to make some women more vulnerable than others. We recognize that women do not live single-issue lives – mental health problems often intersect with violations of sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), and with experiences of gender based violence. PHOEBE therefore offers a holistic, integrated model of care which seeks to support women across a range of issues.
We are currently the only organisation in Zimbabwe which has an accessible specialist program dedicated to women’s wellbeing and mental health. We are based in Harare and also work in Mashonaland Central, Mashonaland East, Mashonaland West and Harare, with a view to grow and expand across the country.
Our aims
- To challenge the stigma associated with mental health through education and community engagement
- To increase social interaction between women with mental health issues and create a space of support.
- To provide support to carers and healthcare professionals who look after those with mental health conditions
- To provide support to survivors of gender based violence
- To challenge cultural practices and beliefs which perpetuate gender inequalities and/or cause harm to women and girls
- To support the realization of women’s sexual and reproductive health and rights
Our Impact and Past Achievements
Through our services, women are able to access safe spaces where their mental health needs are understood and catered for. Our centre is a friendly, welcoming hub which facilitates social interaction between women, helping them to combat isolation and build a support network of friends who have had similar experiences.
Our programs have helped to generate sources of income for women with mental disorders and their carergivers, through skills development in crafts and perfume making, and providing small start-up sums.
During Covid-19, the demand for our services was high due to unemployment and increased levels of poverty. Many of our beneficiaries reported going hungry due to the lack of financial resources to buy food. PHOEBE distributed food and household essentials such as soap and cooking oil on a monthly basis, which were gratefully received by our community.
Our work with other organisations / partnerships
HEALTH
PHOEBE has a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Ministry of Health and Child Welfare. This enables us to work closely with the two main psychiatric hospitals in Harare, Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals ANNEXE and Harare Central Hospital Psychiatric Unit.
EDUCATION
PHOEBE also works in partnership with the Ministry of Education. We are connected to many schools in the Harare area, holding in-school workshops about mental health and other issues, as well as putting on sporting activities and drama classes.
SRHR
Our grantee partner is Amplify Change, a fund which advocates for improved sexual and reproductive health and rights. Through their support, we are able to run projects which provide comprehensive sexual education for students, train women to become reproductive justice mentors in their communities and challenge gender based violence through training and awareness campaigns.
