COVID-19 takes its toll on young Zimbabweans’ mental health

Teen mother Nyasha Kamunda is eager to see her peers getting help to deal with mental health issues using her own experience in overcoming challenges brought about by the outbreak of COVID-19, which she blames for her early marriage.

Kamunda (19) from Harare’s Waterfalls suburb said she had given up on life until she joined a leadership programme offered by Youth Advocates Zimbabwe (YAZ) that addresses HIV/AIDS issues and sexual reproductive health rights for adolescents and young people aged 19 to 24 years.

The mother of a four year-old is now part of YAZ  youth advocates across the country that are helping young people deal with new challenges brought about  by the COVID-19 pandemic among young people such as mental health problems, worsening substance abuse, early child marriages and HIV/AIDS, among others.

The youth advocates like Chikutura help identify factors that enable or affect demand and uptake of integrated COVID-19, sexual reproductive health (SRH) and substance abuse prevention and services.

“I joined YAZ after my aunt, who was concerned about my well-being as a young mother, introduced me to them. I had a child when I was very young,” Kamunda said.

“My aunt is a hairdresser and she heard about YAZ through their WhatsApp platform.

“One of the key lessons I got from the YAZ leadership training was that having a child while still young did not mean the end of life and these are some of the messages that young girls in my situation do not get.

“When COVID-19 started young girls stopped going to school and parents also stopped going to work and this created a lot of conflicts in homes that forced some girls into relationships with older people who impregnated them.”

There was also an upsurge in cases of domestic violence due to prolonged lockdowns to slowdown the spread of COVID-19 and this affected the mental wellbeing of young people, which pushed them into drug abuse and risky sexual behaviour, she said.

After the YAZ training which consisted of a one-month online training course consisting of modules such as leadership, COVID-19, HIV/Aids, physical development, sexual reproductive health rights and responsibilities, mental health and gender norms as well values, Kamunda said she felt empowered to help others overcome challenges similar to those she faced as a young mother.

“I am now part of a group that is doing market gardening in our neighbourhood where we grow vegetables and onions for sale. Since we can now generate our own incomes through vending there are fewer conflicts at our home,” Kamunda said.

“We are also trying to impress on our peers that they can make a living through vending or income generating projects and that they should not give up on life if they encounter challenges, especially in this COVID-19 environment.”

A recent UNICEF Zimbabwe Mental Health Poll for Adolescents and Youths showed that 76 per cent of those surveyed were of the view that the mental health of children and adolescents had been negatively affected by the outbreak of COVID-19 and the hard national lockdowns that followed.

A lot of young people could not cope with seeing their parents struggle to make ends meet during the prolonged school breaks and this drove many into substance abuse and sexual activities, the survey says.

There was also a rise in cases of physical and sexual abuse in homes, which affected the mental wellbeing of young people.

Another YALEP graduate Sheila Zvavamwe (18), from Chitungwiza’s Manyame area, said most of the mental health issues that young people were grappling with were caused by problems at home that were amplified by COVID-19.

“There is a lot that was happening in homes during COVID-19 and this drove many young people into drugs and sexual activities to escape the pressure,” Zvavamwe said.

“Through YALEP I learnt that as a young girl there is a lot to life than getting married.

“I also learnt that doing drugs will have far-reaching effects on my health.”

Twenty-three-year-old Givemore Bepura from Waterfalls, who said he joined YAZ to deal with his own mental health problems during COVID-19 lockdowns, now uses WhatsApp groups to help his peers deal with the same issues.

“After the YALEP training I started creating WhatsApp groups for young people in my community where we discuss various issues affecting them, including addressing myths about COVID-19,” Bepura said.

“The responses that I am getting show that young people are getting the messages and they are happy that it’s coming from their peer.”

The YAZ programme supported by UNICEF Zimbabwe through funding from USAID Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance COVID 19 Emergency (USAID BHA) and European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Operations (EU ECHO) has so far benefited 18 795 young people in 12 districts across Manicaland, Bulawayo, Masvingo, Harare, Mashonaland East and Matabaleland South.

Some of its objectives are to help improve demand and uptake for integrated COVID-19 prevention, vaccination and sexual reproductive health services for adolescents and young people, among other activities.