Campaigns to curb STIs hailed

Conrad Mupesa
Mashonaland West Bureau
Societies and artisanal miners have praised the High-Throughput Screening (HTS) campaigns being facilitated by peer educators in Mhondoro-Ngezi, which have helped reduce new HIV infections while facilitating the faster detection of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and diseases.

The campaigns have also promoted uptake of condoms and antiretroviral therapy drugs in the area, including Venice Mine, located 25km from Kadoma town.

Ms Hilda Kamanga, Ms Clareta Mashizha and other peer educators are walking the length and breadth of Ward 13 and 14 to reach out to everyone.

Speaking at Dorneni village near Venice Mine during an ongoing media tour of Mashonaland West which is being facilitated by the National Aids Council (NAC), one of the artisanal miners, Mr Elliot Mgoma, said they were previously sceptical about visiting health care facilities.

The purpose of the tour is to expose journalists to various interventions in place to reduce the HIV pandemic.

The area has had high cases of STIs, particularly syphilis, unwanted pregnancies, illegal abortions and early child marriages.

The peer education drive has helped a lot in addressing health issues in the area, said Mr Mgoma.

We used to have more STI cases around artisanal mining areas, but they have dropped drastically and one of the reasons is the effective use of condoms that are being promoted and distributed by the peer educators.

Cde Dought Masaka, Zanu PF Mhondoro-Ngezi’s district coordinating committee (DCC) information secretary concurred with Mgoma, saying previously at least four people were dying each week from HIV and AIDS related complications, but the outreach programme had reduced the cases in the district.

Apart from shunning condoms, artisanal miners were also engaged in drug abuse which increased their chances of contracting HIV, he said.

The peer educators have also taken it upon themselves to discourage drug abuse.

Peer educators were conducting their duties voluntarily and needed to be empowered with tools such as smart phones, bicycles and other resources to complement the Government in the fight to eradicate HIV and AIDS.

Venice Mine’s safety, health and environmental officer, Mr Shawn Lavaia, whose organisation has helped peer educators, commended the outreach programmes.

We have over 400 workers and while plans are there to establish a clinic to support them, our operations have not been affected by any health drawbacks because the peer educators are always at our disposal, he said.

Ms Mashizha said it was difficult to distribute condoms and to promote cervical and prostate cancer awareness in the artisanal mining set-ups but with constant quarterly HTS programmes, there had been an improvement. She said the targeted group was not limited to miners but extended to vendors, sex workers, youths and school children.

During their outreach, the peer educators have also promoted Covid-19 testing and sensitised people on the advantages of vaccination. The province hosts this year’s World Aids Day commemoration at the Chinhoyi University of Technology under the theme: End Pandemics, End Inequality, End Aids.