Online Reporter
Michelle Musandinyoze, [email protected]
THE National Aids Council (NAC) has extended its HIV/Aids mitigation programming to training institutions in Matabeleland North Province, where it is targeting combating the spread of the deadly virus among the youth as part of measures to ensure Zimbabwe is free from the pandemic by 2030.
The agency held its Provincial Stakeholder Engagement meeting in Bulawayo last Friday, where NAC’s programme officer, Ms Sibongile Shumba, said they have successfully implemented three programmes.
These include: condom programming, youth programmes for youths in school/out of school, and those in tertiary institutions, all aimed at spreading knowledge on HIV/Aids.
“A total of 1 541 students in tertiary institutions accessed HIV/Aids services, and 4 970 students were taught comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) this year,” she said. “HIV programming has been a key strategy, and these include scaling up gender-transformative and social norm-changing interventions and implementing combination prevention interventions.”
Ms Shumba also said pregnancy had been a significant factor, with a total of 194 primary and secondary school female learner dropouts, highlighting a specific vulnerability faced by girls in the region.
However, NAC successfully recorded a total of 1,786 youths reached with services in the second half of last year. Other interventions include programmes such as the “Sista to Sista” initiative in Binga, Bubi, Hwange, Lupane and Umguza Districts, targeting adolescent girls and young women aged 15 to 24 years.
“The model aims to raise girls’ awareness of issues related to sexual and reproductive health, empower them with necessary information to make informed sexual decisions, delay sexual debut, facilitate positive behaviour change and promote health-seeking behaviour,” said Ms Shumba.
“The model also aims to increase the demand for family planning, sexually transmitted disease screening (STI) and treatment, and other HIV prevention services among adolescent girls and young women (AGYW).”
NAC has said that challenges faced include a lack of NCD consumables, a lack of a vehicle stationed at Nkayi and Bubi Districts, long distances to clinics, poor network coverage in some wards across the province, high teenage pregnancies, and poor road networks to sites due to rains, which affected programming.
This year, NAC has said it plans to support the existing targeted models being carried out in districts and also support social-contracted organisations that are doing the “Brother 2 Brother” programme in Tsholotsho.
“NAC will support quiz competitions, conduct co-ordination meetings, commemorate World Aids Day, support OPC with advocacy meetings with chiefs and PDC meetings, and MoHCC with OI/ART monitoring visits and PHT meetings, and support and work with partners in commemorating events such as the African Child and Condom Day commemorations,” said Ms Shumba.
Bongani Ndlovu