THE Zimbabwe Health Interventions (ZHI), through support from the USAID, PEPFAR and the Ministry of Health and Child Care (MoHCC), has launched two programs, the DREAMS-RISE and ACCE initiatives in bid to reduce new HIV infections as well as economic induced vulnerabilities in Adolescents Girls and Young Women (AGYW). By Michael Gwarisa The acronym ACCE stands for, Accelerated and Comprehensive HIV Care for Epidemic Control in Zimbabwe (ACCE) while DREAMS-RISE stands for Determined, Resilient, Empowered, AIDS Free Mentored and Safe – Re-Ignite, Innovate, Sustain and Empower (DREAMS-RISE). The two programs…
Read MoreTag: AGYW
Hitting Three Birds with One Stone: Low Cost Boarding Facilities to Address Teen Pregnancies, Early Marriages and New HIV Infections in Chimanimani Adolescent Girls
HILDER Muwani* (16) is doing Form 3 at Mhakwe Secondary school in Chimanimani. Every day, she walks 30 kilometers to and from school. She at some point contemplated moving to a bush boarding or renting a room near the school just to cut on the distance, but her parents would have none of it. They feared she would mix with the wrong crowd, fall pregnant and end up dropping out of school as has become the fate of many girls in Chimanimani. By Michael Gwarisa recently in Chimanimani The risk…
Read MoreFrom Heaven To Hell In 12 Months: A GBV Survivor’s Story
NOMAGUGU Hurumba (22) is an orphan and a single mother to a three year old son. Growing up in Chiredzi, especially after the demise of her parents was never easy. To compound her woes, when she was in Form 3, Noma had to drop out of school after her siblings had indicated that they were no longer able to shoulder her school fees burden. By Michael Gwarisa recently in Chipinge She moved from Chiredzi to stay with her sister in Chipinge. However, persistent economic hardships in the country pushed her…
Read MoreManicaland Child Marriage Survivors Find Solace In Economic Strengthening Programs
DUE to economic hardships and prolonged schools closure at the back of recurrent COVID-19 induced lockdowns, Marvelous Tsambe* (16) from Chikore Village in Chimanimani entered into an early child marriage at the age 14 as an escape from the challenges back home. However, to her surprise, marriage did not bring the much anticipated economic escape. By Michael Gwarisa in Manicaland Just like most girls her age in her area, Marvelous fell for Majoni-Joni or those young men who illegally cross the border to work in South Africa. Whenever they return…
Read MoreFACT’s Education Program A Resounding Success in Mutare Says Zim Government
EVEN though the pass rate in Mutare marginally dropped during the COVID-19 period, the district continues to enjoy a pass rate above 60%, while the number of adolescent girls, orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) who remained in school has increased at the back of education and parenting interventions being implemented by the Family AIDS Caring Trust (FACT), a top government official has said. By Michael Gwarisa in Mutare Through the Children Tariro (CT) project, FACT has been implementing education and parenting programs in Mutare, Mutasa and Chipinge districts with the…
Read MoreZNFPC, Partners Launches HIV Prevention Program For Young Girls and Women
IN a move that is meant to reduce new HIV infections in young people in Southern Africa, the Zimbabwe National Family Planning Council (ZNFPC) and its partners Botswana Family Welfare Association (BOFWA) and Namibia Planned Parenthood Association (NAPPA) have introduced a project that will integrate HIV prevention methods with Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) for Adolescent Girls and Young Women (AGYW) and their partners. By Patricia Mashiri The USD$100 872.00 SADC member countries resource mobilization initiative, is a two year funded project which is aimed at building capacity for…
Read MoreZWMB Partners Youth Engage To Provide Loans To Young Women
ZIMBABWE Women Microfinance Bank (ZWMB) has partnered with Youth Engage, a grassroots focused organization that advocates for the health of young people in their diversity to give financial freedom to young women and girls. By Patricia Mashiri The Bank empowers women economically and socially by providing access to affordable and innovative women-centered financial products and services. It also assists young women in their individual capacity, in groups/clubs/cooperatives or as micro, small, and medium enterprises. Speaking to HealthTimes, Ms Barbara Muyengwa, Head of Marketing and Public Relations ZWMB said they decided…
Read MoreYouth Engage Trains 70 Adolescents Girls & Young Women On HIV, SRHR
Youth Engage Zimbabwe, in partnership with her Her Voice Fund and Zimbabwe Community Health Intervention Research Health (ZiCHIRe), have kick-started HIV and Sexual Reproductive Health Rights (SRHR) training for Adolescent Girls and Young Women (AGYW). By Patricia Mashiri The inaugural training was held in Harare South where a total 70 AGYW aged between 15 to 27 were trained while more other trainings are already lined up for other parts of the country.The trainings are meant to increase utilization of equitable SRHR and HIV services by vulnerable AGYW, improve delivery of…
Read MoreZimbabwe’s 2020 Global AIDS Monitoring Report Shows Progress In Bending AIDS Trajectory
ZIMBABWE has released its 2020 Global AIDS Monitoring (GAM) report which shows that the country is itching closer to epidemic control despite a myriad of challenges threatening to reverse the gains achieved so far, chief among them being the COVID-19 pandemic. By Michael Gwarisa Addressing a Press Conference where he presented on GAM and progress made so far, National AIDS Council (NAC) Chief Executive Officer, Dr Benard Madzima said the country achieved tits 90-9090 targets and the results from the GAM estimates also tallies with the ZIMPHIA results that were…
Read MoreHer Voice Fund Projects Make Inroads Despite COVID-19
AT least six organizations that received small grants from the Her Voice Fund successfully implemented a number Sexual Reproductive Health (SRH) and capacity building initiatives in communities they were operating in despite the restrictions on movement and travel that characterised the year 2020 at the back of a raging COVID-19 pandemic. By Michael Gwarisa The HER Voice Fund grant was allocated by the Global Fund and set aside to support meaningful community engagements and leadership of adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) in a bid help reduce new HIV infections…
Read More