District Initiatives on HIV/AIDS – Zimbabwe

The project adopts priority strategies and interventions identified in the National Strategic Plan on HIV/AIDS and the National AIDS Policy. It proposes modalities of assisting districts in implementing community level interventions that prevent the transmission of HIV infection, particularly among young girls and adolescents and mitigate the socio-economic impact of the epidemic.

"Zimbabwe faces a worsening AIDS epidemic with over 1.8 million people infected with HIV infection. It is estimated that over 1,200 die of HIV related illnesses every week with over half of new cases occurring before the age of 25. In some areas, 20% of girls aged between 15 and 19 years and 40% of women aged between 20 and 24 years are infected."

The aim of the project is to support national efforts, as articulated in the National AIDS Policy and the National Strategic Framework on HIV/AIDS, in fostering and enhancing community responses by utilising the district and the community as the focus of implementation of HIV/AIDS prevention initiatives. In line with national priorities, this project identifies six major areas of focus. These are; advocacy, prevention of HIV infection among youths and adolescent girls, institutional capacity building, orphan support, care and support and micro-financing of women projects.

The project established 25 corners for youth sexual and reproductive health services in Harare, Bulawayo and Mashvingo in 2002. Health workers in both areas were trained to support the youth corners.

The project activities include:

• orphan-care support
• youth and adolescent initiatives
• care and support of people living with HIV/AIDS
• micro-financing initiatives
• advocacy
• institutional capacity-building activities
• monitoring and evaluation

Development Issues
HIV/AIDS, Health, Youth

This Project is part of the Southern African Youth (SAY) Initiative. SAY is a sub-regional HIV and AIDS initiative through which the United Nations Foundation (UNF), the United Nations Fund for International Partnership (UNFIP) and UNAIDS seek to support and scale up HIV and AIDS interventions among the youth of southern Africa.

SAY comprises nine independent projects located in eight of southern Africa's most severely affected countries, as well as a sub-regional technical support project (Telling the Story). Through the work of UN country teams, SAY aims to catalyse innovative and expanded national responses to the HIV and AIDS epidemic to meet the needs of the youth in southern Africa, especially girls, who are most vulnerable to HIV infection.

The Zimbabwe project objectives are

• Mitigate the impact of HIV and AIDS through the provision of orphan care programmes
• Empower young people on interventions against HIV/AIDS
• Provide micro-financing services
• Increase institutional capacities at the district level to respond to HIV and AIDS among youth

Partners
UNF/UNAIDS