Centre for Sexual Health and HIV / AIDS Research (CeSHHAR Zimbabwe)

CeSHHAR Zimbabwe is a locally-registered research and development NGO, and focusing on advancing sustainable climate-resilient and low-carbon health systems and their surrounding communities, especially focussing on the health of pregnant and postpartum women and their children. CeSHHAR Zimbabwe is actively involved in three core commitments:

• Conducting Climate Change and Health Vulnerability and Adaptation Assessments (V&As): Through their participation in the Heat Indicators for Global Health (HIGH Horizons) Project, funded by Horizon Europe and the UKRI, CeSHHAR aims to understand impacts of ambient heat on pregnant women, postpartum women, their infants and health workers. HIGH Horizons identifies and evaluates cost-effective integrated adaptation and mitigation interventions targeting these vulnerable groups, and includes development of an mHealth early notification system for pregnant/postpartum women, infants, and health workers in urban and rural areas. 
• Developing a Health National Adaptation Plan (HNAP): CeSHHAR collaborates with the Ministry of Health and Child Care and the Ministry of Environment, Climate, and Tourism to utilize V&A data in developing informed guidelines and plans. 
• Sustainable low carbon health systems: CeSHHAR is measuring healthcare-related carbon emissions at selected facilities in Zimbabwe. Moreover, we are developing a resource allocation modelling tool to optimize investments in mitigation interventions at local health facilities.

Supporting the following commitments:

• Commitment 1: Conduct climate change and health vulnerability and adaptation assessments (V&As) at population level and/or health care facility level.
• Commitment 2: Develop a health national adaptation plan (HNAP) informed by the health V&A, which forms part of the National Adaptation Plan.
• Commitment 3: Use the V&A and HNAP to facilitate access to climate change funding for health.
• Commitment 5: Deliver a baseline assessment of greenhouse gas emissions of the health system (including supply chains).

Country experience:

Zimbabwe: Commitments 1, 2, 3 and 5

Links:

Site in English: ceshhar.org/