By Michael Gwarisa
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil – Zimbabwean HIV advocate, Tendayi Westerhof has been honoured with the prestigious Ruth Cardoso Movement Building Award, an international recognition celebrating her decades-long advocacy for the rights, dignity and leadership of women living with HIV.
Receiving the award at the 26th International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2026) in Rio de Janeiro, Westerhof described the recognition as more than a personal achievement, saying it belongs to thousands of women who have spent decades fighting for justice, equality and access to healthcare.
“This award is about building a movement,” Westerhof said in an interview with HealthTimes. “It means bringing women together. It is a collective effort where women in all our diversity are mobilised and organised to fight for justice, for human rights, and to ensure that we are involved in leadership whenever issues affecting our health, sexual and reproductive rights, HIV and AIDS are being discussed.”
For more than three decades, Westerhof has been one of Zimbabwe’s most recognisable voices advocating for women living with HIV. Through grassroots mobilisation and policy advocacy, she has consistently pushed for meaningful involvement of women in shaping HIV programmes and ensuring that their voices are heard at every level of decision-making.
She said movement building goes beyond HIV, encompassing efforts to protect women from violence, safeguard their dignity and create healthier communities.
“We want to create a better world free of pandemics for everyone, where the dignity and human rights of women and girls are recognised and protected,” she said. “Advocacy requires brave people who are willing to stand the heat, be visible, be heard and lead others.”
The recognition comes at a time when the global HIV response is facing significant financial uncertainty following cuts in donor funding. Despite the challenges, Westerhof urged women living with HIV not to lose hope, reminding communities that the early HIV response was built long before international funding became available.
“When we started the AIDS response there was no funding,” she said. “Women volunteered in communities, mobilised people for HIV testing and community dialogues, and advocated for services without donor support. We cannot lose heart simply because funding is becoming scarce.”
She noted that many successful community-led initiatives, including community-led monitoring, were initiated by women themselves before attracting donor investment.
“There are many things we can still do without funding. When funding is available it makes life easier, but our commitment to our communities should never depend entirely on donors,” she added.
The award also coincides with a personal milestone for Westerhof, who recently celebrated her 60th birthday.
“I turned 60 this year, and receiving this recognition at this stage of my life means so much. It is a huge honour,” she said.
However, she insisted the award should not be viewed as an individual accomplishment.
“For the women whose chairs are empty today and who could not be here, this award is for them. Their support, encouragement and sacrifices made this possible,” she said. “I dedicate this award to the Pan-African Positive Women’s Coalition, the Ministry of Health and Child Care, the National AIDS Council, civil society organisations in Zimbabwe and the networks of women living with HIV. This award is not mine alone, it belongs to all of us.”
