Story by Mercy Bofu-Matinha
THE National AIDS Council’s Sister-to-Sister programme, introduced by the National AIDS Council (NAC) in Bikita District, Masvingo, is empowering young girls and mothers through sexual and reproductive health education, mentorship and skills training.
A 34-year-old Ms Tavonga Makotore of Zvamatsayi Village, under Chief Mabika in Bikita, joined the Sister-to-Sister programme three years ago and has since risen to become a mentor.
She now leads a group of 50 young girls aged between 15 and 24, who meet six times a month to receive training on sexual and reproductive health rights, life skills and income-generating projects.
“I joined the sister-to-sister programme and became a mentor after receiving training on the importance of sexual reproductive health knowledge and the importance of skills training. This year I am mentoring 50 young girls and women who are vulnerable in our community, from orphans, sex workers, adolescent girls and young women.
“We focus on various programmes and projects, and we work as a team on projects. Since we started this year, many now know the importance of family planning, the use of condoms and the importance of upgrading themselves. Now we have got a goat project with each of us so far having three,” Ms Makotore said.
Through the programme, tangible results are already being recorded.
Among the 50 girls trained this year, 15 have managed to return to school with sponsorship support, while the group has also invested in collective income-generating initiatives, improving household livelihoods and economic resilience.
“I joined the Sister-to-Sister programme this year after I was identified by our mentor. So we would receive training on sexual and reproductive health, again the importance of working for our families, hence we started small income-generating projects like selling wild fruits and horticulture projects,” Ms Patricia stated.
” I am happy that today my life has transformed for the better. I am now able to send my children to school. I am now able to assist other young ladies with information and ideas on risks of having unprotected sex and the burden it brings to them,” Ms Sharon Mushanyuki said.
The Sister-to-Sister initiative is also making an impact in other parts of Bikita, including the Shumbaimwe area, where beneficiaries say the programme has increased awareness on HIV prevention, early marriages and gender-based violence.
“Here in Shumbaimwe area, we want to thank the government through NAC for bringing the Sister-to-Sister programme. A risk and vulnerability assessment was done, and 50 young adolescent girls and women were identified, and they are part of this sister-to-sister initiative. Now, many of us know our rights, hence cases of gender-based violence have decreased,” Ms Retina Manjengwa said.
“Through this programme, after training, I managed to go back to school, and my fees are being paid by NAC through the DREAMS programme. I am not the only one and it has changed the way we approach life, I am looking forward to advance in terms of education and acquiring a course,” Miss Gracious Magove (not her real name) said.
The NAC Sister-to-Sister model combines mentorship, peer support and health awareness, empowering young women and mothers to make informed decisions, reduce vulnerability to HIV infection and build sustainable futures for themselves and their communities.
“This programme is an initiative that focuses on sexual and reproductive health education. It is being implemented in 18 wards of Bikita District, and it also focuses on empowering our adolescent girls and young women through the internal savings and lending schemes.
“The programme is benefitting 900 people over a period of 12 months, and they attend 40 sessions. So far, we have recorded positive results in terms of the impact of this programme, as we have seen many of them now empowered, with some opting to go back to school,” Bikita District Aids Coordinator, Ms Tariro Gutu said.
“ In Masvingo province, through a number of HIV interventions, we now have an incidence rate of 0.15 for all age groups. We have realised incidents which is high among youths of the ages between 10 and 24, and most of our programmes are targeting the youths because they are the ones who are more vulnerable. So we are implementing the sister-to-sister and brother-to-brother programme, and we are also trying to avoid discrimination among boys.
“We have also moved a step up to focus on reducing Child marriages and teenage pregnancies, focusing on a campaign called not in my village. In all these programmes, we also work with the media so that they help in raising awareness on HIV prevention within our communities,” Masvingo Provincial NAC Acting Manager, Mr Munorweyi Munyikwa said.
As the programme continues to expand across rural communities, the Sister-to-Sister model remains a vital tool in the national response to HIV, while simultaneously promoting education, economic empowerment and social transformation among young women.
