Story by Mercy Bofu-Matinha
A peer-led community-based intervention known as the Community Adolescent Treatment Supporters (CATS) being implemented by the National Aids Council (NAC) is proving to be a game-changer in enhancing treatment adherence among adolescents living with HIV in rural communities.
20-year-old Christine Madombi is one of the CATS members serving the Mutero catchment area in Gutu District by providing guidance and support to her peers who are living with HIV.
Born HIV positive herself, Christine’s personal experience has equipped her with a deep understanding of the challenges her peers face.
After receiving training through the National Aids Council (NAC), she’s become passionate about creating safe spaces for adolescents and now travels around her community offering support services to those living with HIV, just like her.
“I grew up in this area and I have been taking my medication since I was born. I lost both of my parents and it affected me to the extent of neglecting my medication. However, the health personnel here at Mutero coordinated for me to become part of the programme. It helped me a lot and my health has improved a lot. I received training on how to support others like me and we got capacitated through the National Aids Council. Now I move around meeting my peers encouraging them to take their medication religiously and visit health facilities when necessary. This programme enables us to discuss challenges we face as a group hence there is openness to each other,” she said.
Gogo Chitambu (not her real name)a caregiver for a teenager living with HIV, shares that caring for HIV-positive adolescents is a challenging task, but emphasises that family and community support plays a crucial role in ensuring they adhere to their treatment, “Taking care of adolescents living with HIV is very difficult. You have to support them emotionally and ensure they take their medication religiously. There is a lot of stigma and discrimination, especially among young ones and if you are not giving enough attention to adolescents sometimes they may default on their medication.”
The introduction of the CATS programme in Gutu has led to a notable improvement in treatment adherence among adolescents, thanks to the creation of a safe space that fosters open communication and mutual encouragement.
“Here at Mutero Health Centre we have got two Community Adolescent Treatment Supporters whom we work with and they work with 38 children living with HIV. Since the inception of the program, it has helped us engage our adolescents as they support each other by ensuring they collect their medication on time, and emotional support as they move around doing home visits, explained Mutero Mission Hospital general nurse, Sister Catherine Mupfumba.
NAC’s Gutu District AIDS Coordinator, Mr Pasca Mukuwe spoke on how the program is beneficial to rural communities.
“This programme is key as an HIV intervention especially in rural communities because it supports adolescents who are on ART. IN 2018 we managed to train 25 Community Adolescent Treatment Supporters here in Gutu and identified 10 health facilities implementing the CATS programme. We have four players in this programme which are the health facility, the CATS cadre, caregivers, and the beneficiaries who are adolescents living with HIV. These are our key targets. We capacitate both the CATS and caregivers to ensure they address issues of disclosure, stigma, and discrimination while at the same time ensuring adherence by our adolescents,” he said.
Although Zimbabwe has already surpassed the UNAIDS 95-95-95 targets, peer-led initiatives like the CATS program continue to play a vital role in sustaining the country’s progress in the HIV response, supporting thousands of young people across the country.
