When the knock came at her mud-brick door, Mazvita Bhasiketi thought it was another visitor asking for directions to the water source or something else.
Instead, it was a team of strangers carrying tablets, test kits and gentle smiles.They introduced themselves as part of the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) — a national effort led by ZIMSTAT in partnership with UNICEF to understand how Zimbabwean families are really living.
“I was nervous,” she admits. “But they said, ‘We are here to listen.’ No one ever says that.”Bhasiketi lives in one of the hard to reach areas of Manicaland, Gandanzara village.
Every morning before sunrise, she walks nearly three kilometres to collect water from a community borehole , unprotected well.
Her youngest child, four – year-old Tapiwa, walks behind her, a small container swinging from his hand.The water looks clear. But clear does not always mean safe.On the day the MICS team arrived, they tested the water from her container.
A small strip dipped into the cup while she is carefully looking.
“I didn’t understand what it meant,” she said quietly. “But they explained that the water could make my children sick if its found unsafe.”
For the first time, Bhasikiti’s daily struggle became data.The work happening in Gandanzara village is part of Zimbabwe’s 4th round of MICS, its fourth national survey after successful rounds in 2009, 2014 and 2019.
In April 2024, the Government of Zimbabwe formally strengthened this work when ZIMSTAT and UNICEF signed a Memorandum of Understanding, committing to collect and use evidence to improve the lives of children and families.
Unlike many surveys driven fully by donors, this one is said to carry strong local ownership.
The Government of Zimbabwe has committed about US$480,000 to support the programme, while UNICEF contributed US$1.2 million, alongside US$250,000 from other UN agencies.But on the ground, what people see are not budgets, they see people who listen.
Pepukai Chiore, UNICEF chief of social policy said, “we are trying to reach every corner of the country with this survey online with the Government ‘s thrust to leave no one and no place behind. The MICS survey will assist gvt to come up with policies to assist the communities informing with the evidence which is online with the NDS2 where it specifies the need to generate comprehensive timely information to inform gvt and support the devolution agenda. “
Chiore also said that the MICS survey is very important for policy makers because looking back at previous round of mics there was an indicator about child marriages and it informed government policy on child marriages which was passed by parliament, hence it’s importance
“Crucially, the data can be broken down to district and ward level, ensuring that villages are no longer hidden inside national averages.This work is closely aligned with Zimbabwe’s National Development Strategy 2 (NDS2) and the country’s push to achieve Vision 2030 — a future where development is inclusive and based on real evidence.
“Now I Feel Seen”For Bhasiketi, the survey was not just about data. It was about dignity.“Before, no one ever reached here to ask us these questions because to transport ever reach here, the roads are inaccessible ,” she says. “We just lived our life and suffered quietly. Now I feel like someone in out there will finally know how we live.”
She does not know what a policy brief is. She has never heard of budgets. But she understands something simple:Her story mattered enough to be written down.
Agnes Saunyama from the Ministry of Health and Child Care, who is a measurer and conducting water tests in this survey says,” We are doing household water sample test and also do a source sample test. The main goal is to assess the safety of the water that is being used by individuals in the household and this will map a way for the government to intervene and see weather people are using clean and safe water.”
