Marko Phiri

Marko Phiri is a freelance journalist based in Zimbabwe. He has written for numerous Catholic publications including The Tablet, The Irish Catholic and America Review. He is a published author whose work also appears in the Kalahari Review.

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Precious Blood Sr. Caroline Busvumani stands at the entrance of the Precious Blood Care Centre in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. The center opened in 2022 amid a spike in drug and substance abuse in Zimbabwe. (Marko Phiri)

Catholic sisters set up drug and alcohol rehab center in Zimbabwe

The Precious Blood Care Centre comes at a critical time when authorities have raised concerns about widespread substance abuse which critics say is being driven by economic hardships.

Precious Blood Sr. Caroline Busvumani stands next to tomatoes that the Missionary Sisters of the Precious Blood have grown in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. (Marko Phiri)

Renewable energy boosts Catholic sisters' sustainability in Zimbabwe

From their sprawling provincialate in one of Bulawayo's quiet eastern neighbourhoods, the Missionary Sisters of the Precious Blood have turned to solar energy to run a thriving horticulture project.

Sr. Concilia Chemhere of the Franciscan Missionaries of the Divine Motherhood (second from left), helped establish the congregation's new spiritual center at Mater Dei Hospital in Zimbabwe.

Franciscan sisters in Zimbabwe open spiritual center at hospital

The Franciscan Missionaries of the Divine Motherhood in Zimbabwe have opened the Franciscan Center at Mater Dei Hospital, offering psychological counseling and other social services. 

AMR Sr. Grace Moyo, a teacher at the AMR Secondary School in Lupane, Zimbabwe, poses with participants in the Binga Kasambabezi Marathon. AMR sisters organized their students to take part in the Oct. 21, 2023, race, whose theme was "Running for our wildlife conservation" as part of efforts to educate young people about the environment. (Courtesy of AMR)

Catholic sisters in rural Zimbabwe promote environmental awareness

Servants of Mary the Queen sisters are engaging young learners in public campaigns to raise environmental awareness and end illegal exploitation of Zimbabwe's natural resources. 

Sr. Praxedis Nyathi enjoys an event at the primary school. Government officials have praised the sisters' ECD program and its state-of-the-art facilities. (Courtesy of Praxedis Nyathi)

Catholic sisters bring early childhood education to Zimbabwe's rural areas

A congregation of Indigenous nuns in Zimbabwe runs early childhood education schools in Lupane, filling a gap in a poor rural district long left behind in the country's development agenda. 

Sr. Mildness Chinake, right, visits welders. Vocational skills training is a key component of empowering refugees at the Tongogara Refugee Camp in Harare, Zimbabwe. (Courtesy of Mildness Chinake)

Q & A with Sr. Mildness Chinake, caring for refugees in Zimbabwe

Despite grabbing global attention for its own crises, Zimbabwe hosts refugees from across Africa. At the Tongogara Refugee Camp, Carmelite Sr. Mildness Chinake is a project director with the Jesuit Refugee Service.

A woman walks out of her family home in Harare, Zimbabwe, on May 9 during the COVID-19 pandemic. (CNS/Reuters/Philimon Bulawayo)

Franciscan sisters' hospital prepares as COVID-19 looms in Zimbabwe

Bulawayo, Zimbabwe - Mater Dei Hospital, established by the Franciscan Missionaries of the Divine Motherhood in 1953, has mobilized resources to boost its ability to admit COVID-19 patients.

Q & A with Sr. Gertrude Sibanda, on the frontlines of maternal health care in rural Zimbabwe

Q & A with Sr. Martina Leaka, providing vocational training to those who need jobs most

Determined Zimbabwean nun sets out to build new rural school against all odds