Zvitambo Institute for Maternal and Child Health Research

Zvitambo is a non-profit organization working to improve infant and maternal health in Zimbabwe, and to disseminate their findings to improve health globally. They conduct research and provide technical support and education to reduce the burden of malnutrition and infectious diseases. Zvitambo was initially formed to conduct a trial of 14,110 mother-infant pairs assessing the impact of vitamin A supplementation on mother-to-child-transmission (read about this project here). Within that trial, they also developed an intervention to inform and support women about infant feeding in the context of HIV. After the completion of the vitamin A trial, Zvitambo expanded and became a non-profit company that conducts multiple projects funded by national and international donors. Their work is multi-disciplinary, and encompasses technical expertise in nutrition, water, sanitation & hygiene, HIV surveillance, prevention and treatment, and health systems strengthening. Zvitambo has cutting edge research infrastructure that includes a data management center and laboratory. They are legally registered as a non-profit company with the Ministry of Justice of Zimbabwe, and operate under two Memoranda of Understanding with the government, one with the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, and the second with the Ministry of Health and Child Welfare. Their Areas of Interest: - Nutrition - Medical Research - Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) - Gut Health - Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission of HIV - Strengthening Health Systems - Maternal Capacities for Child Care - Technical Support Research & Projects - SHINE Trial (Registered with ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01824940) - Saving Maternal and Newborn Lives in the Context of HIV - Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission (PMTCT) - Zvitambo Vitamin A Trial