National AIDS Council (NAC) |

NAC Fears HIV Setbacks Despite Global Praise

July 14, 2025 Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa Zimbabwe has earned international praise for its HIV response, with the latest UNAIDS Global AIDS Update 2025 placing the country among a select group on track to meet the ambitious 2030 target of ending AIDS as a public health threat. However, health authorities at home have issued a stark warning: the next five years could undo years of progress if urgent action is not taken to counter recent funding setbacks. According to UNAIDS, Zimbabwe is one of only seven countries in Eastern and Southern Africa to have…

Tablets and Tenacity: How Young HIV Peer Supporters Are Transforming Treatment Adherence in Rural Zimbabwe

July 2, 2025August 14, 2025 Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa in Gutu Every morning, 20-year-old Christin Madombi wakes up with a mission. From her modest home in Gutu’s Mutero area, she powers up her tablet and scans through a list of peers—young people just like her, living with HIV. She has 24 peers assigned to her under the Community Adolescent Treatment Supporter (CATS) program. With each missed alert comes a sense of urgency. The tablet, loaded with a digital tracking tool, shows her who needs a follow-up. Without hesitation, Christin sets out on foot, trekking through the…

PSH Adopts Social Enterprise Model to Sustain Health Services

April 16, 2025 Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa In a strategic move to ensure long-term sustainability, Population Solutions for Health (PSH) is transforming part of its operations into income-generating ventures, positioning itself as a hybrid social enterprise amid waning international donor support. The shift comes at a time when global health programs are facing disruptions due to the withdrawal of funding from major donors, particularly the United States government. The cutbacks have forced several non-governmental organisations (NGOs) that were heavily reliant on donor aid to shut down or scale back significantly. To remain operational and…

Young Person With HIV Yearns To Be A Doctor

September 23, 2024September 25, 2024 Kuda Pembere

By Kuda Pembere recently in Bindura Renowned motivational speaker, Napoleon Hill once said, “Desire is the starting point of all achievement, not a hope, not a wish, but a keen pulsating desire which transcends everything.” Though it may appear like Sisyphean task at the moment since he is yet to enroll for Advanced level studies, Hill’s quote aptly befits this 22-year old lad’s desire to become a medical doctor. Hillary Ngirazi from Bindura is a buoyant Community Adolescent Treatment Supporter (CATS) at Foothill’s Rural Clinic in his District. A dedicated…

Convicting Crystal Meth/Mutoriro Possession: Zimbabwe’s Biggest Legal Lacuna

January 9, 2024January 9, 2024 Michael Gwarisa

By Michael Gwarisa Zimbabwe is experiencing a Drug and Substance abuse crisis. The drug epidemic is mainly affecting young people mostly males, even though the prevalence of females who use drugs is also rising. According to the 2022 Situation Assessment report of drug use in Zimbabwe, 58.47 percent of males use drugs in Zimbabwe, while females account for 40.59 percent. One drug that has wreaked havoc in Zimbabwe is Crystal meth, a common name for crystal methamphetamine, a strong and highly addictive drug that affects the central nervous system. There…