Helping Out Of School Adolescent Girls Navigate HIV and AIDS Vices Through Economic Strengthening Programs in Mash West

By Michael Gwarisa Being the first born child to both parents living with hearing and speech disabilities, 20 year old Cecelia Mhande from Chikangwe Township in Karoi, has not had it easy. Her situation got worse when her father lost his job at a local dealership a few years ago, plunging her entire family into untold economic hardships. Even though she wrote and passed her Advanced Level (A Level) examinations in 2023, her prospects of going into University this year hang in limbo owing to the financial challenges back home.…

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Zimbabwe Records Decline In New HIV Infections In Adolescent Girls and Young Women

By Kudakwashe Pembere Zimbabwe is on schedule to reduce new HIV infections in adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) by 2025, at the back of increased coverage of combination prevention programs alongside other interventions, the Global HIV Prevention Coalition(GPC) said in a report. While the country is still amongst high HIV burden countries alongside Cameroon, Lesotho and Malawi, GPC noted that there has been a decline in the acquiring of HIV in AGYW. The report looks at the progress in HIV control in some African countries. HIV incidence among adolescent…

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Protecting adolescents from unplanned pregnancies through access to comprehensive SRHR services

By Dr Mildred T. Mushunje Adolescents’ sexual and reproductive health matters, and their lives matter!! Adolescents and young people constitute the bulge of population in the Sub-Saharan region, Zimbabwe in particular. An adolescent is any persons aged between 10 and 19 years. Very young adolescents are defined as those aged between 10 and 14 years and older adolescents as those aged between 15 and 19 years[1].  Investing in their good health and well-being increases their chances for better and more productive adult lives (SRHR Africa Trust, SAT, 2021[2]) yet they…

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UNDP Facilitates Construction of Low Cost Boarding Facilities To Reduce HIV Vulnerability In Adolescent School Girls

Following the death of her mother, 15 year old Grace Mwamuka* now stays with her father and two minor siblings. She is from Ndima Village in Chimanimani. Throughout the year 2022, she would walk three hours to and from school daily. By Michael Gwarisa Every morning, she would wake up as early as 4:00 AM to clean the house and prepare food for her young siblings before departing for school. After school, she would rush home to clean the house and prepare dinner. This was taking a toll on her…

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ZHI Launches Multimillion worth Programs to Advance HIV Prevention, Care and Treatment In Zimbabwe

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…

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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…

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From 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…

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Manicaland 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…

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FACT’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…

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ZNFPC, 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…

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