Zim Now’s Assistant Editor Audrey Galawu has won 1st Prize for the African Region at the 2nd Edition of the SHE & Rights Media Awards 2025, in recognition of her groundbreaking reporting on gender equality and the right to health.
Galawu received the honour in Bogotá, Colombia, where she is attending the International Conference on Family Planning (ICFP) 2025 — one of the world’s premier gatherings on sexual and reproductive health and rights.
The awards are coordinated by the SHE & Rights initiative, in collaboration with CeHDI, ICFP, FPNN, and CNS.
Zimbabwe was well represented with Hamu Madzedze and Wallace Mawire garnering special mentions, meaning that they made it into the top 20, a highly commendable feat in a pool with 369 entries.
Announcing the regional winners, the organisers praised Galawu’s work as outstanding in a year that drew 369 entries from media practitioners across Africa and Asia-Pacific.
Her journalism stood out for its solutions-focused storytelling, highlighting how communities — especially women and young people — are driving practical responses to health and rights challenges.
“For me, journalism has always been about people — their lives, their struggles, their hope, and their right to be seen and heard. Gender equality in health means ensuring that women and girls can make decisions about their own bodies and futures without stigma, barriers, or silence,” said Galawu after receiving the award.
She added that health rights are a foundation of dignity and development:
“The right to health is not just about access to services. It is about dignity, autonomy, and humanity. When women and girls are denied that right, society loses. But when we support their voices and choices, communities become stronger, families become healthier, and progress becomes possible.”
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ICFP 2025, hosted for the first time in the Latin America and Caribbean region, runs under the theme “Equity Through Action: Advancing Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights for All.” The conference emphasises concrete commitments to expand access to reproductive health services, strengthen community health systems, and reduce inequalities.
Galawu said the award motivates her to keep amplifying local solutions and community voices:
“Communities are already leading change — through knowledge-sharing, care networks, and advocacy. My role is to make sure these stories are heard. Our voices matter, and I will continue to tell stories that move us toward fairer and more just health systems.”
Zim Now Editor, Phil Jambaya, said the recognition is a proud milestone for the newsroom:
“It is awe-inspiring, and we are humbled by this recognition. I want to thank our audiences who have walked with us since our founding three years ago. Because of you, we’ve grown from being seen as just another online platform to a credible, authoritative voice. We promise to keep telling the stories that matter — where you are not just the newsreaders, but the newsmakers.”
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