Tag: HIV AND AIDS

SASA Project Records Gains from Partnering Chiefs in Ending Sexual and Gender Based Violence against Women and Girls

Michael Gwarisa

WHILE Chiefs have traditionally been blamed for preserving harmful cultural practices that perpetuate abuse of women and girls, the SASA project being implemented by the Zimbabwe Association of Church related Hospitals (ZACH) has managed to rope in chiefs and other traditional leaders as allies in ending Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV) in communities. By Michael Gwarisa SASA stands for Start Awareness Support Action (SASA) and ZACH is implementing the program in eight hot spot districts (Chimanimani, Mguza, Kwekwe and Umzingwane] plus 4 additional hot spot districts). Speaking during the…

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HIV advocate Cathy Murombedzi upbeat about HIV cure

Kuda Pembere

A bullish veteran journalist and Health Communicators Forum (HCF) vice chairperson Catherine Murombedzi is among the hopefuls who live to tell this tale. By Kudakwashe Pembere Seeing her feels like reliving the biblical times when Jews waited for the Messiah. Having kept her faith, Cathy is upbeat she will see the HIV cure in her lifetime. I am certain an HIV Cure is possible. There was no treatment at the onset of HIV in the early 1980s up to the 90s, but here we are today, there is anti-retroviral therapy,…

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Scrap Import Duty and VAT on Condoms…Partners Plead With Gvt, As Zimbabwe Records 15 Million Condom deficit

Michael Gwarisa

RELIANCE on donor funding for the National Condom program, coupled with a restrictive tax regime has resulted in Zimbabwe failing to meet its condom obligation of 173 million condoms per year, a development that could reverse progress made so far in the HIV response, HealthTimes has learnt. By Michael Gwarisa Zimbabwe’s national condom program comprise of public sector condoms, private sector condoms and Social Marketing condoms. However, increased donor fatigue has seen major donors such as the USAID and PEPFAR cutting their funding towards the procurement of public sector and…

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SADC Youth Helpline 393 Launched In Zimbabwe

Michael Gwarisa

IN a bid to bridge existing HIV information gaps and access to care for adolescents and young people, Youth Advocates Zimbabwe (YAZ), working with the Ministry of Health and Child Care (MoHCC) and the National AIDS Council (NAC) have launched the SADC Youth Helpline to facilitate dialogue and openness between healthcare service providers and young people. By Michael Gwarisa The 393 Youth Helpline national contact center will be piloted in three districts in the SADC region namely, Francistown in Botswana, Zomba in Malawi and Zvishavane in Zimbabwe. The project also…

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Hivos’ Program Expands SRHR Services To Street Children and Vulnerable Groups

Michael Gwarisa

THE Consent2Access Campaign, an advocacy initiative on Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) being implemented by Hivos and its partners across Eastern and Southern Africa, has gone a step further by extending services to groups of adolescents and young people that are usually left out in a number of health programs. By Michael Gwarisa The program is being implemented in Kenya, Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe as part of the regional SRH Funds Advocacy campaign aimed at promoting progressive laws, policies and practices that can ensure adolescent and young people access…

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Zim’s Adolescents and Young People Attend In-Country Hub For The 2022 AIDS Conference 

Michael Gwarisa

YOUNG people from various communities In Zimbabwe converged for the AIDS2022 In Country Virtual Hub amidst growing calls for government to increase domestic funding towards HIV and AIDS programing. By Michael Gwarisa The five day in-country AIDS2022 In Country Virtual Hub was hosted by Zvandiri in Harare at Bronte Hotel following the denying of visas for most young people mainly from African countries to attend the in-person AIDS2022 Conference in Montreal Canada. Other African countries that held in country hubs include Eswatini, Tanzania, Mozambique, Angola and Malawi. In Zimbabwe, The…

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Achieving an AIDS-free future: African leaders are championing sexuality education at the International AIDS Conference

Michael Gwarisa

MONTREAL, Canada, 1 August 2022 — At the 24 th International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2022) held inMontreal, UNESCO and Frontline AIDS hosted a session where African leaders championed sexualityeducation and challenged misinformation to work toward an AIDS-free generation. Young advocates,representatives from African governments and CSOs made the case on why Comprehensive SexualityEducation should remain a priority for HIV prevention efforts and health and wellbeing for young peoplein Sub-Saharan Africa. “Every week, 4900 girls and women aged 15-24 in Sub-Saharan Africa acquire HIV. Each one of theseinfections could be prevented if…

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Zim In Youth Population Bulge: Is Zimbabwe Ready to Harness This Demographic Change?

Michael Gwarisa

THE 2022 Population and Housing Census preliminary results have since been released with latest figures showing that the country has witnessed an annual population growth rate of 1.5%. Zimbabwe’s population was at 7.5 million people in 1982 and the latest statistics shows that it has taken 40 years for Zimbabwe’s population to double. By Michael Gwarisa According to population and demographics experts, at the current population growth rate, it will take Zimbabwe probably about 15 years to double to about 30 million people. According to the latest 2022 population and…

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Zim ready for long term injectable PrEP-MoHCC

Healthtimes

IN a bid to increase adherence to Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) in Zimbabwe, the Ministry of Health and Child Care (MoHCC) said it welcomes obtaining studies to advance prevention therapy through long term injectable Pre-Exposure prophylaxes medications. By Staff Reporter This follows the approval of Apretude (cabotegravir extended-release injectable suspension) in 2021 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. This will be taken in at-risk adults and adolescents weighing at least 35 kilograms (77 pounds) for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to reduce the risk of sexually acquired HIV. However, in Zimbabwe, current…

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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

Michael Gwarisa

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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