Story by Tamuka Charakupa
COMMUNITY-led HIV/AIDs prevention programmes have been hailed as key in influencing positive change and addressing stigmatisation and discrimination associated with the epidemic.
Mining towns often become epicentres of social ills due to high levels of migration, unemployment, and a predominantly male workforce which creates an environment where women and girls are the most vulnerable.
The government, through the National Aids Council (NAC) is implementing various community-led initiatives such as Sister-to-Sister Mentorship, Behaviour Change Community and Parent to Child Communication in these hot-spots.
These initiatives afford people platforms to talk openly about issues often hidden in silence such as drug and substance abuse, prostitution, gender-based violence, and the ongoing fight against HIV and AIDS.
“I was trained by NAC to be a Sister to Sister mentor. Part of the duties include coordinating women and young mothers, holding regular meetings to share life experiences while also educating each other on the dangers of early marriages, unprotected sexual activities, gender-based violence, HIV and Aids and the need to self-empower,” Henrieta Gurajena said.
“Patchway is a mining community where artisanal gold mining is also rampant. The illusion of easy money is driving the rise of drug and substance abuse and high HIV and Aids infections. So this programme is reaching out to the most vulnerable age group where we teach each other and share solutions to some of these issues affecting us,” Behaviour Change community motivator, Ms Tendai Madende said.
“Our Sister to Sister platform is a safe place where we share openly issues affecting us be it personal health matters, abuse, rape issues and through peer mentorship we create strong bonds and local support systems,” Beneficiary, Ms Anna Phiri said.
“It is a fact that people of my age (16) have issues and are suffering in silence. There is peer pressure on one side then poverty on the other and most youths are finding refuge in drugs. This behaviour change community brings together parents and their children to a safe platform where they openly communicate and share buried emotions and thoughts,” Beneficiary, Vusa Zibengwa said.
With Mashonaland West currently having at least 13 % of the national HIV survivors, NAC believes the decline in new infections in hotspot areas is a positive development.
“We are investing mainly in reaching out to mining communities after we discovered that there is a huge knowledge gap resulting in young ladies being victims of abuse, high rate of teenage pregnancies and increased reports of gender-based violence. These various community-led initiatives, with their combined efforts are closing that gap,” Mhondoro Mubaira District Aids Coordinator for NAC, Mr Tafadzwa Maeresera said.
The NAC community-led initiatives are proving to be powerful tools in influencing positive change in line with the global push towards ending AIDS by 2030.
