30 women living with HIV honoured

Obey Musiwa-Herald Reporter

THE Pan-African Positive Women’s Coalition Zimbabwe (PAPWC-ZIM) recently honoured 30 women living positively with HIV for their bravery and leadership in the fight against the condition.

In an interview, PAPWC-ZIM national director Tendai Westerhof emphasised the importance of recognising women who live openly with HIV.

“The reason was to award brave women living openly with HIV at the national level. We ended up giving awards to at least 30 women for their outstanding leadership in fighting stigma and promoting HIV and AIDS awareness in various communities.”

The awards ceremony, held in Harare, served as public recognition of the women’s efforts and aimed to inspire others facing similar challenges. The winners received certificates, food hampers, and various tokens of appreciation.

The event also acted as a belated commemoration of World AIDS Day, observed annually on December 1.

It provided a platform for women living with HIV to share their experiences, insights, and success stories. “The award ceremony was exceptional,” Mrs Westerhof said.

The event was made possible through the generosity of numerous organisations, including financial sponsors and companies that donated items for attendees.

Mrs Westerhof said there were 14 sponsors for the event, with significant contributions from the Global Network of People Living with HIV, the African Women’s Development Fund, and Lancet Clinical Laboratories and Diagnostics.

Other sponsors included Vitality Wellness, Population Solutions for Health, Pangaea Zimbabwe, and Zvandiri.

Technical support also came from partners such as United Nations Women, which provided T-shirts and the main backdrop, while National Foods contributed hampers.

Through such programme, Mrs Westerhof added, PAPWC-ZIM aims to reach every woman living openly with HIV who is making a difference in her community by 2030.

The initiative highlights the resilience and strength of women in the face of adversity while promoting awareness and support for those affected by HIV.