NAC deploys peer educators to tackle HIV

IN the mining communities of Bubi District, where a highly mobile population and transactional sex continue to drive new HIV infections, peer educators are emerging as a lifeline for vulnerable women seeking healthcare, support and hope.

The National Aids Council (NAC) has deployed 20 active key populations peer educators across the district to spearhead HIV prevention campaigns in hotspots as part of efforts to curb new infections among female sex workers and other vulnerable groups.

The initiative is being implemented under NAC’s Key Populations (KP) Programme, a targeted intervention designed to reach groups that are disproportionately affected by HIV and often face barriers in accessing healthcare.

“Currently, we have 20 active key populations peer educators in the district covering a number of areas. We have a caseload of 326 female sex workers that were enrolled during the first quarter of 2026,” said NAC Bubi District Aids coordinator Ms Nombeko Mlalazi.

She said NAC works closely with the Ministry of Health and Child Care to strengthen access to health services, particularly for women operating in remote mining and business centres.
“This includes conducting regular outreaches during the day to areas that are far, such as Chipita and Durban Mine, where sex workers have challenges in accessing clinical services,” said Ms Mlalazi.

“We also conduct moonlight outreaches after realising that most of them rest during the day as their hours of operation are mainly at night.”
On Monday, beneficiaries of the programme at Mahamba Business Centre shared their experiences and reflections on the intervention, which also addresses non-communicable diseases, drug and substance abuse and economic empowerment.

Close to 60 beneficiaries, comprising both young and older female sex workers, participated in the programme.
Many spoke openly about how Government interventions through NAC had empowered them to negotiate safer sex, build support networks, confront drug and substance abuse, manage non-communicable diseases and explore alternative sources of income.

Bubi District, located about 65 kilometres north of Bulawayo, is one of Matabeleland North Province’s major mining hubs, hosting numerous large-scale, artisanal and small-scale gold mining operations.
According to the 2025 national HIV estimates, the district has an HIV population of 8 202 people, comprising 3 368 males and 4 834 females.

The district’s mining activities have attracted a highly mobile population, creating hotspots around mines, business centres and growth points where transactional sex and other high-risk behaviours are common.

HIV drivers in the district include transactional sex, concurrent sexual partnerships, spousal separation and the incorrect and inconsistent use of condoms.
Female sex workers are among the populations most vulnerable to HIV infection due to their increased exposure to gender-based violence, intimate partner violence, stigma and discrimination.

These challenges often limit their access to critical health services, while their mobility makes it difficult to retain them in HIV prevention and treatment programmes.
In response, NAC is implementing a dedicated programme that focuses on meaningful engagement with female sex workers, preventing new HIV infections and strengthening linkages to essential health services.

Through peer-led outreach, HIV testing services, condom distribution, sexually transmitted infection screening and treatment, and access to HIV prevention tools such as Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP), beneficiaries say the programme is helping vulnerable women protect themselves against HIV infection.

The intervention is also tackling barriers that have historically prevented sex workers from seeking healthcare by creating safe, non-discriminatory spaces where they can access services and information without fear of stigma.

As Bubi continues to battle an HIV epidemic concentrated around mining communities, the NAC key populations programme is proving to be a critical tool in reaching those most at risk, reducing new infections and ensuring vulnerable women are not left behind in Zimbabwe’s fight against HIV and Aids.

The programme complements Government efforts to end Aids by 2030. It aligns with national HIV prevention and treatment strategies, such as the Zimbabwe National HIV/Aids Strategic Plan (ZNASP-2015-2020) and the National Population Implementation Plan 2019-2020, which aim to achieve epidemic control.