Quality Research
Evidence-based decision-making grounded in rigorous public health and social science inquiry.
Integrity & Accountability
Transparent whistle-blower policies, unqualified audit records, and community accountability mechanisms.
Innovation
From digital health solutions to GPS-based data platforms — ZiCHIRe continuously adopts cutting-edge approaches.
Community Resilience
Building sustainable community systems that outlast individual projects and funding cycles.
Ethical Sensitivity
Rights-based, apolitical, and non-discriminatory practice anchored in human dignity.
Six Strategic Priorities
Our five-year strategic plan was developed through participatory processes involving the board, staff, volunteers, community health workers, and external stakeholders. These six pillars guide all ZiCHIRe programming.
Our Theory of Change
ZiCHIRe's programmes follow a clear causal chain – from structured community actions through measurable outputs to sustained health outcomes and population-level impact.
This is a title
Actions
Community-based interventions: HIV testing, VMMC, GBV prevention, cancer awareness, TB screening, peer mentorship, entrepreneurship training, CLM, SBCC
Outputs
Healthcare workers trained, awareness campaigns conducted, condoms distributed, safe spaces established, young people enrolled in clubs, diagnostic equipment procured.
Impact
Reduced HIV incidence, lower MM-related mortality, healthier adolescents, empowered women and girls, resilient communities equipped to thrive against adversity.
Outcomes
Increased HIV testing, improved SRH knowledge, reduced GBV, higher PrEP access, enhanced diagnostic capacity, reduced TB transmission, stronger community systems.
Our Story
Two Decades of Community-Centred Public Health
ZiCHIRe — Zimbabwe Community Health Intervention Research — was established in 2000 through a pioneering collaboration between the University of Zimbabwe’s Department of Community Medicine and the Battelle Institute, USA. What began as a high-quality research vehicle rapidly evolved into a full-spectrum public health organisation combining research, programme implementation, and advocacy.
Our partnerships have since grown to include the University of Washington, the University of Denver, and a broad network of international funders including the Global Fund, PEPFAR, UNFPA, UNICEF, and the Bristol Myers Squibb Foundation. ZiCHIRe is headquartered at 4 Mount Road, Avondale, Harare, with programmes spanning Zimbabwe’s urban, peri-urban, and rural communities.
Our work is grounded in a social-ecological framework — we recognise that individuals thrive within families, communities, and societies, and our interventions are designed to create the conditions for resilience, health, and human flourishing at every level.
Our Core Programme Areas
ZiCHIRe's strategic thrust integrates six interconnected health domains
Comprehensive HIV education, testing, counselling, PrEP/PEP access, and ART adherence support. Targeting adolescent girls and young women, men who have sex with men, and key populations through community-based approaches including VMMC, Mother-to-Mother peer groups, and the Brotha2Brotha initiative.
Over 1 million Zimbabweans are affected by mental health disorders, with a mental health budget of just 0.42% of national health spending. ZiCHIRe's fully-flagged mental health department delivers community-based psychosocial support, trauma-informed care, and interventions addressing depression, substance use, and crisis response..
Protecting adolescents from unintended pregnancy, child marriage (prevalent at 33% nationally), and STIs through Comprehensive Sexuality Education, family planning promotion, fistula awareness, and adolescent mother support. Collaborating with MOHCC to mainstream CSE in health facilities and schools.
Addressing gender-based violence through a socio-ecological lens — prevention programmes, case finding and referral, PSEA mainstreaming, community mobilisation challenging harmful masculinity norms, and child protection policies with zero tolerance for abuse. ZiCHIRe responded to a 40% increase in GBV calls during COVID-19 lockdowns.
ZiCHIRe addresses Multiple Myeloma (severely under-diagnosed — only 5 haematologists for 15M+ Zimbabweans), cervical and breast cancer awareness, TB community-based case finding, and malaria SBCC. Partnering with BMSF and University of Cape Town to train haematologists and expand diagnostic capacity nationwide.
Building community and institutional capacity to respond to pandemics (COVID-19) and natural disasters. Cyclone Idai in 2019 affected an estimated 270,000 people. ZiCHIRe integrates psychosocial support into disaster risk reduction, works with the Department of Civil Protection, and mainstreams climate change adaptation into community health programming.
Join the fun in our city!
ZICHIRE Activities
& Events
Take a look around town and you’ll find us . We operate from Harare across multiple provinces, reaching urban, peri-urban, and rural communities through community health workers, peer mentors, and clinical services.
Zimbabwe Community Health Intervention Research
Major trends, priorities, and opportunities shaping ZiCHIRe's five-year strategic direction for healthier communities across Zimbabwe.
Delivering innovative, evidence-based health programmes since 2000 — reaching individuals, families, and communities across Zimbabwe and beyond.
You Are Now Part of Something Greater Than Yourself
For over 25 years, ZiCHIRe has believed that every life deserves dignity, safety, and health. Whether you are a partner, a funder, a volunteer, or a community member — you have walked through a door that opens toward a healthier Zimbabwe. We are glad you are here.
Community Voices
Stories of Transformation
Behind every statistic is a human story. ZiCHIRe believes in the power of narrative — collecting and sharing the lived experiences that reflect real change in communities across Zimbabwe.