by Sofia Mapuranga

An emerging organisation, committed to helping young women, has embarked on an initiative to empower female students as a way of reducing the spread of HIV. Sofia Mapuranga found out more.

Real Opportunities for Transformation Support (ROOTS) aims to help young women and girls towards greater control over their sexual and reproductive health and rights. Young women, especially those in tertiary institutions, are vulnerable to HIV infection due to poverty and lack of information. Taboos around opening discussing issues around sexual health add to the problem.?

Gamuchirai Kujeke is the communications manager of ROOTS. “We believe that the starting point is economically empowering the young women because poverty drives them to engage in behaviour that places them at risk of contracting sexually transmitted infections.”

She said the initiative would see more than a thousand young women benefit from the organisation’s interventions.?

Said Kujeke: “Starting next week, we are going to start training some of the young women on how they can make money through initiatives that are not capital intensive.”?

She revealed that the organisation would start training sessions in the Midlands province first.?

“Young women should be educated on how they can engage in income generating projects for improved livelihoods even at tertiary institutions,” she said, adding that the organisation had targeted Midlands because of reports of an increasing number of cases of students engaging in risky sexual behaviour.?

She explained that because some of the students couldn’t properly manage their finances, they used up their finances at school and then ended up dating older men for money.?

ROOTS would provide young women with the support they needed to set up small business clusters, under the guidance of experienced mentors.?

“So far, we have managed to establish two clusters: one in Chitungwiza and another one in Murehwa, but we are optimistic that, by the end of the year, we will have established at least three clusters in each province to ensure that we cater for all young women regardless of their geographical location or educational background,” said Kujeke, adding that the initiative was not restricted to tertiary institutions.?

The organisation takes a leading role in market surveys and project development, and the young women are supported with management, accounting and leadership skills.?

“Individuals with thriving projects undergo a three-month incubation phase. After that, they are monitored for a year and continue to get technical support from their cluster mentor,” said Kujeke. She said the organisation had trained 100 young women who were now eligible to get their initial capital injection to kickstart their business projects.?

Said Kujeke: “Each person will be eligible to the loan, which we hope will see them become successful young entrepreneurs. The idea is not to give them money, but the skills and expertise to properly manage and generate wealth.”?

Villagers living along the Tokwe Mukosi dam basin have accused troops and police harassing and intimidating them for resisting eviction.

The soldiers and police deployed by the government ostensibly to relocate livestock belonging to flood victims, are allegedly force-marching villagers out of the area to clear the way for the dam construction.

Despite the presence of the army, some villagers have vowed to stay put, arguing that they will only leave the area after receiving compensation from the state. Some are claiming they have been beaten up and threatened with death for refusing to leave.

“We are not at war and we are asking why the government deployed these troops,” said one villager. “The soldiers have brought more harm than good. When we saw them, we thought they were going to help us relocate our livestock, but to our surprise they are beating us up and harassing innocent civilians.

The villagers’ spokesperson said they were not resisting relocation but were simply demanding compensation from the state before they left. “Some people here were given huge sums of money as compensation so we are saying we should also get that money.

“I have no money to start a new life and where does the state expect me to get the cash to construct new houses let alone send the children to school?” he said.

Masvingo provincial administrator Felix Chikovo confirmed the deployment of the army and police. He dismissed reports by the villagers that the uniformed forces were harassing them.

“Soldiers and policemen deployed in the area are only assisting in the relocation of livestock and anyone intimidated or harassed by them should report to us,” said Chikovo. “It is a lie by villagers that they are being harassed.”

Chikovo however confirmed that, despite the dangers posed by the floods, some families were still refusing to be relocated.

The villagers also claimed that hundreds of their livestock had gone missing since the security forces arrived in the area.

Those that still have animals are selling them for a song. A chicken is going for as little as $1 and goats for less than $20 each.

The government has so far relocated about 1,600 people and at least 4,000 are still waiting to be moved.

Heavy floods hit Masvingo province this rainy season resulting in hundreds of homes along the Tokwe Mukosi dam basin being submerged in water. Thousands of people were displaced. Women, the elderly and small children were the most affected.

The government has since declared the Tokwe Mukosi humanitarian crisis a national disaster. Thousands of displaced people are staying at Chingwizi area in the Nuanetsi ranch awaiting proper allocation of farming plots.

Aid for the flood victims has been pouring in, but there are fears that the donated goods might be abused. Masvingo provincial affairs minister Kudakwashe Bhasikiti has assured the nation that all the donated goods would be accounted for.

by Clayton Masekesa

Raised in a community that looks down upon women entrepreneurs, members of Chigodora HIV and AIDS Prevention Organization (CHAPO) in Mutare South, speak about their shattered dreams in the hope that one day society will recognize their valuable contribution. CLAYTON MASEKESA reports.

Based at Chitakatira business centre, about 20km south of Mutare, a group of 20 dedicated women conduct HIV and AIDS awareness programmes, run early childhood classes, operate a restaurant and manage home-based care initiatives.

All members of the group, which includes former sex workers who have transformed their lives, each paid an initial $100 registration fee. They used the money as capital for the establishment of the crèche and restaurant business.

The Chitakatira Early Child Development Centre, established in 2010 is headed by Ruth Muwani, 40, who graduated with a Diploma in Early Childhood Development from Marymount Teachers’ College. Her assistant, Lucy Ndawana, 25, is also a trained ECD teacher.

Voluntary testing

Muwani is the group’s chairlady. The crèche is registered by the Ministry of Primary Education has this year enrolled 46 children aged between four and seven. The centre also runs a feeding scheme for vulnerable kids from the surrounding community and offers home-based care initiatives to HIV positive people.

The women use part of the proceeds from their various businesses to support their families. They also assist at the HIV voluntary testing and counselling centre at the nearby Zimunya Clinic.

Their restaurant has become one of the busiest at the business centre, where it offers traditional dishes that have become popular with customers.

In a world where men normally rule the roost, these women say that despite playing a major role in assisting their families, their efforts have gone unnoticed since the group was formed.

“We have not been receiving support from the male community. Some of them have become jealous of our successes. Many women want to join us, but they are being discouraged by their husbands,” said Muwani.

Funding challenge

Because the group includes three former sex workers, some men believe it is a group of prostitutes. “We are a group with professional women. Yes, there are ladies who were commercial sex workers, but now they have reformed and are empowering themselves through our projects,” explained Muwani. “It is sad that we are losing respect with some males who think that we are a group of prostitutes and we are there to influence their wives. We are saying time is flying and others are being empowered while some men are denying their wives a chance to succeed in life,” she adds.

However, despite such a successful story, the women say they still look at the future with uncertainty as funding for further development of their centre is a big challenge.

“Our desire is to see our businesses grow so that we are able to support as many people as possible . But the biggest challenge is to get additional funding,” said Anna Huruwa, the group’s Treasurer and is charge of the restaurant.

“We are having challenges from the banks that are refusing to give us loans to expand our business. We are therefore calling for banks to empower us through the loans and we know that as women we will deliver,” she said.

“We need to have an additional space for our restaurant and we have plans to establish a bottle store. We are considering having another class for the growing numbers of children in the pre-school, but both projects need additional capital. Also there is need for training of people who manage the various initiatives,” Huruwa added.

Love people

Josephine Mukoko, who is in charge of the home-based care givers, says the group is raising awareness about HIV and AIDS. “There are condoms at the clinic, but some people are still shy about getting them there, so we are encouraging them to come to the home-based carers to get them,” she said.

“To be a carer you have to be a strong person. You must also be able to love people and you must be able to keep information confidential. Older carers are particularly respected and trusted and the community likes to talk to us,” she added.

“There are eight home-based carers in our group and since our training and work in the local community, people’s attitudes about HIV have changed. Before, if a household had an HIV positive member, the neighbours would stop visiting and saying hello. There was a stigma attached to the disease,” Mukoko said.

by Sofia Mapuranga

Government should partner civil society organisations and implement a comprehensive and coordinated approach to help families affected by floods in Tokwe Mukosi.

The Communications Manager of the Zimbabwe Red Cross Society, Takemore Muzuruse, said the country was ill prepared for disasters and government should use the expertise and experience of local and regional NGOs to alleviate suffering.

Addressing journalists at the Quill Club in Harare, Muzuruse called on government and civil society organisations to collaborate and identify intervention strategies based on their specific areas of specialty.

“There is no co-ordination in how government and NGOS are assisting the flood victims. Government is doing one thing and civil society something else instead of coming together and implementing practical interventions that benefit the affected families,” he said.

Mistrust rife

He said there was a lot of mistrust on either side, with politicians viewing CSOs as potential rivals bent on influencing and meddling in politics, while civil society did not trust the sincerity of government.

“It is important for politicians to understand that our work as CSOs is to complement government,” said Mazuruse. “Government does not have the capacity to deal with the myriad of challenges affecting flood victims. There are NGOs whose area of specialty is psycho-social support. Why not partner them and give the victims the support that they need.”

Pathias Paradzayi Bhongo, a consultant and lecturer in the department of isaster and risk management at Bindura University said Zimbabwe had the potential to deal with problems of this magnitude.

“The only challenge is that our interventions in Tokwe Mukosi as government and CSOs are disjointed. Partnerships are important,” he said.

Sibusisiwe Dube, a Media researcher from the Media Monitoring Project of Zimbabwe said the free flow of information was vital to such cooperation.

“Community radio stations are important and this is why we have been advocating for them to be licensed. Communities can be warned of upcoming disasters such as these through radio,” said Dube.

Villagers in Makoni district are facing food shortages as aid agencies are pulling out, citing financial constraints.

Villagers told The Zimbabwean that the situation was “dire” and appealed for urgent government intervention.

They said the only maize they could get was being sold for $12 a bucket by some business people. They said the money was far beyond their reach because they were not employed.

“We can`t afford to buy maize at such a price. We are poor and we need government support. We have planted maize but we have not harvested yet so we need to be cushioned until harvest time,” said Mike Chingaira, a smallholder farmer.

Makoni rural district council chief executive officer Edward Pise confirmed that Makoni was facing food shortages and appealed for government help.

Pise said aid agency Plan International, which had been helping villagers, pulled out in February.

“Hunger is with us. Plan International has been assisting us but has pulled out citing resource constraints. Fifteen of the 39 communal wards are the most affected,” said Pise.

He said they were pinning their hope on maize, which was imported by government, but said it was taking long.

“They promised us aid, but we have not received anything yet,” he said.

According to the United Nations World Food Programme (UNWFP), as many as 2.2m people – a quarter of the rural population – are now in need of food assistance. This follows last year’s poor harvest caused by factors such as erratic weather patterns and high seed and fertiliser prices.

WFP had planned to be assisting 1.8m at this stage of the lean season (the period before next month`s harvest when most rural families have exhausted their own-produced food stock) but can only reach 1.2m people owing to funding challenges.

In a move aimed at addressing the sexual and reproductive health challenges of women and girls affected by the Tokwe Mukosi flooding, a group of young women from Harare are mobilising for sanitary wear to donate to the flood victims.

Dubbed “Surviving Tokwe Mukosi: Surviving the month”, the initiative is co-ordinated by a group of young women who are beneficiaries of a SAfAIDS training program entitled Young Women First.

Over 3, 000 families have been living in tents at Chingwizi and Nuanetsi Ranch in Masvingo since January after their homes were swept away by the flooding Tokwe-Mukosi Dam.

The families are living under the temporary shelters while waiting to be allocated land for resettlement.

Said one of the co- ordinators of the initiative, Anna Sango: “The cost of sanitary wear is high. Most women and girls end up using unhealthy items such as cow dung, tissue paper, leaves and newspapers during their menstruation.”

She said because women and girls affected by the floods had other pressing challenges, it was highly likely that the challenge of sanitary wear would not be considered as important.

“We realised that the women are experiencing problems regarding how to deal with their menstrual cycle and affording sanitary wear during this very difficult time. Because this it is something that they can not openly express, we decided to come up with this intervention as a way of assisting them,” she said.

Sango said since last week, the young women were mobilising for sanitary wear donations from as little as a single packet of pads, cotton wool and tampons as a means of assisting the women and girls.

“One realises that because of their living conditions, it is very difficult for women and girls experiencing their monthly menstruation cycle to experience the usual privacy,” she said.

“This is why there is need to donate sanitary wear to fill in this gap.”

Sango said donations, especially in the form of sanitary wear are welcome because ‘there is no limit to how much the group is mobilising”.

“We are appealing to Zimbabweans to donate towards this cause. If we could only spare a thought for those in need and save a dollar to donate to the affected women and girls, I am sure that together we can touch a life.”

Zimbabwe is one of the best world producers of cotton but the costs of sanitary wear is beyond the reach of many especially among rural girls and women.

A pack of 10 pads costs at least $1, 20 and a 250-gramme pack of cotton wool costs $1, 50.

Last year, legislators and several organisations from the women’s movement joined forces, campaigning for free sanitary wear.

The deputy minister of agriculture, representing Goromonzi North constituency, Paddy Zhanda implored the then finance minister, Tendai Biti to assist in the provision of free sanitary wear. He argued that rural women were engaging in unhygienic practices such as using tissue paper, newspaper and cow dung during their menstruation.

The YWF Programme is a SAfAIDS initiative that is co-ordinated by the Students and Youths Working on Reproductive Health Action Team that seeks to mobilise and empower young women, through the provision of support that leads them to reclaiming their sexual and reproductive health and rights.

The YWF program provides a platform to raise awareness of SRHR issues and to speak on behalf of young women and girls at continental level, linking them with countries, regionally and Internationally.

It provides them with the opportunities to access platforms such as the African Union, UN Women, and UNGASS.

The programme is being implemented in Malawi, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Those wishing to donate can get in touch with Anna or Clara on the following numbers:

+263 772 973 636

+263 778 228 467

The United Nations Children’s Fund last week donated goods worth millions of dollars to the Women’s University in Africa (WUA) to support the introduction of a post graduate diploma in Child Sensitive Social Policies.

The donation included a vehicle, borehole and water reservoir tanks, a generator and a media centre with computers and electronic information.

Hope Sadza, the founder and Vice Chancellor of the WUA, said students struggled to study because of frequent power outages and water challenges.

Speaking at the handover ceremony, Unicef country representative Reza Hossaini emphasised the importance of educating women. In January the WUA in partnership with Unicef introduced a post graduate diploma in Child Sensitive Social Policies.

The programme seeks to provide a practical long-term solution to the lack of expertise in children’s issues at national level in Zimbabwe and the region.

The diploma will equip students with skills and expertise on how to research, analyse, monitor and evaluate public policy in order to strengthen democratic governance and solve children’s challenges.

The focus is on imparting skills and expertise to apply basic human rights principles to the design of proposals for advancing children’s rights. Zimbabwe’s new Constitution acknowledges children’s rights stating that it is the duty of the state to ensure the adoption of policies and measures that guarantee and preserve their best interests.

Manicaland, Midlands and Chitungwiza provinces recorded the highest number of people who defaulted on tuberculosis treatment, according to the health ministry.

In his National TB Control Programme overview, the Deputy Director in the AIDS/ TB Programmes, Charles Sandy, said although there was considerable improvement on the treatment outcome, the number of defaulters called for more research.

Manicaland recorded nine percent of TB patients who defaulted on treatment as of the third quarter of 2013 while Midlands and Chitungwiza recorded five and four percent respectively.

“The national target is below two percent. Matabeleland North is doing well because it recorded a decline from three percent to two percent and Harare and Bulawayo are doing well on this indicator,” said Sandy.

Zimbabwe is one of the 22 high-burden TB countries, accounting for 80 percent of new cases in the world annually.

The proportion of all TB patients tested for HIV was 61 percent, of whom 78 percent were HIV-infected, according to statistics released by the Population Services International. Challenges to TB control are multifaceted, ranging from socio-economic factors, limited access to convenient TB diagnostic centres and lack of sensitive and rapid TB tests.

Sandy said there were a number of gaps that needed urgent redress in the fight against TB in Zimbabwe. “Stigma, knowledge, attitude, demand and rights are some of the gaps that need to be addressed to ensure that government and implementing partners’ interventions realise the intended goals,” he said.

Commenting on what Chitungwiza referral hospital was doing to follow up on the patients who were defaulting on treatment, an official who spoke on condition of anonymity said they had failed to locate the defaulters.

“We tried making follow ups on the defaulters on the addresses that they had given, but it could be that they moved to other locations or they deliberately gave us wrong addresses,” he said.

A new study by Canadian researchers from the University of Toronto, linked the rise of TB in Zimbabwe during the socio-economic crisis of 2008-9 to widespread food shortages.

A senior author of the study, assistant professor Michael Silverman, said the study established that TB in Zimbabwe was associated with the national economic decline.

“Zimbabwe may have been predisposed to TB due to the presence of a large HIV-positive people who were particularly vulnerable to the effects of food shortages, which led to malnutrition and further damage to already weakened immune systems,” said Silverman.

by Regerai Tukutuku

Hunger and starvation have tightened their grip at the Chingwizi holding camp where more than 3,000 people displaced by the floods along the Tokwe Mukosi basin are now living.

It has emerged that the food donations that have been pouring in were damaged due to poor storage facilities at the holding camp, leaving the villagers with nothing to eat.

Despite the serious food shortages at the camp, the villagers have vowed to stay put until government fulfils all its promises to them. Mwenezi district administrator Stanely Chamisa said the situation at the holding camp was deplorable, as food had run out. Chamisa said that about 30 tonnes of donated food was damaged by damp and wasn’t fit for people to eat. “We are now managing the food rations because the food we have cannot sustain the villagers any longer,” he said.

In an effort to ease the hunger problem, the government is planning to hurriedly remove the villagers by allocating them a hectare of land. However, this has not gone down well with the flood victims who have vowed to stay until they are given four hectares of land as initially agreed.

“We are not going to leave this camp until we are given compensation and the promised four hectares of land,” said Bright Mutumbe. “The government promised us four hectares of land in addition to compensation, and we are prepared to die here if all our concerns are not addressed.”

Masvingo provincial administrator Felix Chikovo confirmed the impasse between the villagers and the government.

“We will keep on persuading them to leave,” said Chikovo. Government sources said that a high-powered ministerial delegation had visited Chingwizi this week to try to convince the villagers to leave.

It has also emerged that the government has no money to pay the villagers in compensation. At least $21mis required to pay compensation to the flood victims.

Heavy rains pounded Masvingo province this year, resulting in thousands of villagers living along the Tokwe Mukosi basin being affected by floods.

by Pamenus Tuso

When Portia Mucharemba and other ward 19 villagers in Shurugwi were relocated from their homesteads and farming plots in 2000 to pave the way for the Anglo-Platinum Unki Mine, their world seemed to have collapsed.

Mucharemba and other farmers were settled in the area in 1982 during the first and orderly phase of the government’s resettlement programme. Until their relocation from the area, the farmers had been surviving thanks to an old irrigation scheme left by the previous white owner of the farm.

“This irrigation scheme, though dilapidated, has been supporting our families since the time we were resettled in the area. In 2000, Unki Mine moved us to a new place and built us modern houses, but this compensation meant nothing because we were deprived of our source of income,” said Mucharemba in an interview with The Zimbabwean.

Last week, however, the mine handed over a modern, overhead irrigation system to the farmers, which will benefit 107 farmers, including 35 young people and 35 women.

The Shungudzevhu irrigation project has cost $550,000 and covers 21 hectares. It draws water from a nearby dam, whose wall was rehabilitated by Unki Mine, which also bought pumps.

“The youths and women have got their own portions of land, which they manage on their own. We also have the main committee, which oversees the general operation of scheme,” explained Joseph Dendere, the scheme’s chair.

This year, the farmers have already planted a variety of cash crops, including maize, potatoes and beans.

“Following the establishment of this scheme, most of the youths here have now ventured into serious farming. They used to spend most of their time either gold-panning or looking for employment at the mine,” said Evans

Ndlovu, youth chair at the scheme. This year, young farmers have planted around three hectares of potatoes and are expecting around $5,000 from the crop.

Sibusisiwe Dera, the women’s chair, said following the commissi-oning of the new irrigation scheme, the lives of women in the area had changed for the better. “In terms of efficiency and output, the new irrigation is very effective. We are now able to venture into cash -crop farming, such as butternuts and tomatoes,” she said. “

Dera said the lifestyles of many women had changed overnight, as they could now afford to send their children to school, to buy clothes and some luxuries.

According to Dendere, the scheme is expecting to harvest 70 tonnes of maize this year. Dendere added that by getting young people involved, they hoped crime rates would drop.

“On top of involving vulnerable people, we plan to draft more youths into the project so that they are not idle – something that can make them think of committing crimes,” he said.

61-year-old Melisa Huruva has been a resident of Shurugwi’s Ward 17 since birth, but her last 13 years in the mining district have been marked by hunger. None of her surviving four children have work, and she is also responsible for eight grandchildren.

Farming was the widow’s only source of livelihood, but erratic rainfall over the years left her without decent crops and still with mouths to feed.

“In a few weeks’ time, we will start harvesting our crops. That will mean more food for me and my grandchildren and money for them to re-enrol at primary school because they had dropped out,” said Huruva.

Another project beneficiary, widower Tukunda Bere said that in homes close to starvation, there were always tensions and conflicts. The project had brought peace to many households in the area.

“We now have hope for an exciting life in this community. The project has also shown those who were without hope that life can be sweeter, because everyone involved in the project now looks forward to adequate food and cash from sale of surplus,” said Tonderai Nyika, another beneficiary.

Speaking at the handover ceremony last week, Unki board chair July Ndlovu reaffirmed his company’s commitment to economic empowerment for the communities where his company operates. Ndlovu added that the mine would continue making checks to ensure that the efforts didn’t die.

“We are committed to making sure that the lives of the people in the areas where we operate are lifted up. The wish is to make sure that the presence of the mine is felt in all the 14 wards of Shurugwi district. This project may be the first, but it won’t be the last,” he said.

Over the years, Unki has made other contributions towards helping the needy. The mine came to the aid of Gweru provincial hospital last year by constructing a casualty ward with modern emergency treatment facilities. The mine donated tens of blankets to the same institution, and also constructed a modern hospital incinerator at Shurugwi district hospital.

Unki reduced by more than 95 per cent the incidence of home deliveries by constructing a mother’s waiting shelter at Chironde clinic in Shurugwi. In Gweru, Isolation Hospital, Mkoba 1 Clinic and Mkoba Polyclinic were refurbished.

Recently, the platinum mine also joined the corporate world in assisting victims of the Tokwe-Mukosi floods through a donation of blankets and fuel worth $60 000.

A serious health hazard is looming at Arda Transau where villagers who were relocated from Chiadzwa by Anjin Investments have been without access to clean water after the Zimbabwe National Water Authority disconnected the company for non-payment.

Over 400 households have been relocated in recent years to make way for mining activities.

Villagers told The Zimbabwean that they had resorted to unprotected sources such as wells and streams. The diamond mining companies pledged to assist the villagers with the provision of clean water, education and food until they are able to sustain themselves.

But villagers said Anjin had reneged on all its promises - especially on the provision of clean water and food rations.

“We have been with water for a long time because Zinwa disconnected us long back owing to non payment of water by Anjin,”said Misheck Mupunzi (33).

“Access to clean water is a basic human right,” said Charity Mwamuka who was pushing a wheelbarrow with a 25-litre bucket of water.

Anjin constructed a water purification centre and handed it over to Zinwa to supply villagers with water while they pay for the service.

The most affected by this crisis are women who are forced to walk long distance in search of water for domestic consumption. “We don’t know whether government knows that we are suffering here. Anjin should honour its pledge to supply clean water,” said another woman who declined to be named.

The Minister of State for Provincial Affairs Manicaland province, Chris Mushohwe, told Vice President Joice Mujuru on her recent tour of Mutare that one of the major problems facing the province was of villagers who had their water supplies disconnected after Anjin failed to service its debt for bulk water to Zinwa. He said a meeting with stakeholders had been scheduled to resolve the matter.

Zinwa public relations officer, Tsungirayi Shoriwa, said he was yet to receive a response from the catchment manager.

In Zimbabwe, 1.2 million people are living with HIV, and there are around 100,000 new infections every year. Despite this, some sex workers are having unprotected sex - and taking antiretroviral drugs afterwards to cut the risk of infection. RUZVIDZO MANDIZHA investigates.

“Let me tell you the truth about why many of us don’t use condoms,” says Sheila, who has been a prostitute in Mufakose slum for six years. We don’t have money, and when you meet a client who offers to give you more money than you usually get, you have sex without protection even when you don’t know his HIV status.”

Sheila says she and other prostitutes can go to a clinic the next morning to get emergency anti-retrovirals, drugs that suppress the virus, if taken within 72 hours of infection.

“We use this medicine like condoms,” says another sex worker, Pamela. “It is intended to be used in emergencies. For example, it is given to victims of rape if their attacker is thought to be HIV-positive, or to medics who have been pricked by a potentially infected needle.”

Some clinics will only give clients one course of PEP a year. They worry that if they hand the drugs out too freely, prostitutes will stop using condoms altogether.

This hasn’t stopped Pamela using PEP four times in the past year.

“I didn’t go to the same clinic where I got the first PEP tablets. I went to a different clinic where they don’t have my records and lied that I was forced into unprotected sex,” she says.

She didn’t finish the full course because of the side-effects. “You feel bad, like vomiting, dizziness, and generally you just feel sick,” she says. “So I stopped taking them.”

Experts at the Aids Council of Zimbabwe say there is a place for anti-retrovirals among sex workers, but only when used in the right way.

“We know that despite fairly high rates of condom use in many sex-work communities, we still have very high rates of HIV so we need additional tools as well as what’s already happening,” says one expert, adding that emergency use of PEP was not the best approach

Instead, says the Council, it would be better for prostitutes to take a type of anti-retroviral designed to be taken before exposure to HIV, known as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP).

These are taken daily, and contain fewer drugs than PEP, so there are fewer side-effects. But Dr Chiura, a specialist in HIV and AIDS related illness, says “they must be used as part of a wider package, including regular HIV testing to make sure that the patient is on the correct medication”.

There are plans to run a pilot programme with sex workers in Zimbabwe to see if it could be practical for them to use PrEP as an extra layer of defence.

“Condoms are the single most effective way of preventing HIV, sexually transmitted infections and pregnancy,” says Chiura. “PrEP is not a silver bullet that will suddenly take away all those other issues.”

Silenjongo Trust, a group of HIV-positive women in Bubi district in Matabeleland North, has embarked on a cattle fattening project aimed to assist orphans and elderly widows in the district.

The trust has already bought six beasts with the assistance of a local non–governmental organisation as well as using its own financial resources accrued from other projects – that include market gardening, poultry, candle making and sewing.

“We have decided to diversify into fattening cattle. We have already bought six beats which we are going to pen-fatten. After three months we are going to sell the beasts and buy more cattle,” said Sicolekile Sibanda, the vice chairperson of the trust, which has one male and 25 female members.

Sibanda said they bought the cattle for $500 each but when fattened each beast is expected to fetch more than $1,000, depending on the weight.

“We have already secured a contract with a Bulawayo abattoir for the supply of the cattle. We do not want to deal with middle buyers who are short-changing rural farmers by buying cattle at low prices and reselling the beasts at astronomical prices to private abattoirs. We have engaged stakeholders such as Agritex and the Ministry of Small to Medium enterprises so that they can assist us in marketing the beasts,” she said.

The group has already constructed cattle feedlots that can accommodate close to 100 beasts.

Silenjongo is currently paying school fees for three orphans at Hawuke primary school. The trust has also built two homesteads for two elderly women.

Silenjongo, which means “hope” was started in April 2005 with the aim of raising funds to assist HIV positive women in the area.

by Thabani Dube

Southern African countries have pledged to work together to fight malaria through the Regional Network on Roll Back Malaria Partnership.

Lieutenant Colonel Kaka Mudambo leads Zimbabwe’s contribution to the initiative. “The involvement of uniformed defence forces in the fight against malaria in the region is very important. Operations by soldiers are mainly confined to border areas where malaria is rampant. So they can spread the disease back to their bases and the community at large if they are not trained on defence against malaria,” he said during the recent ‘Race Against Malaria 2 Campaign’ that ended in Angola on World Malaria Day – April 25. It covered Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana, South Africa, Zambia and Namibia.

Mudambo urged SADC leaders to allow health service providers to move freely across borders so that the battle against malaria and other killer diseases could be won.

Joseph Mberikunashe is Zimbabwe’s national Malaria Control Manager. He said the central areas of the country were almost free from malaria but prevalence was still high in border areas - hence the need to work closely with neighbouring countries in elimination strategies. “Last year we signed the Zam-Zim Malaria initiative with Zambia and the Mo-Zi-Za - which includes Mozambique and South Africa - to coordinate our efforts,” he said. Mberikunashe said the Global Fund had pledged to support the cross-border malaria initiatives, while the International Organisation for Migration had agreed to assist with resource mobilisation to target immigrants. Cuba has also pledged to assist fighting mosquitoes in the region at larvae level, before they mature.

Success story

According to national statistics, Zimbabwe managed to reduce malaria morbidity from two million cases annually in the early 2000s to less than 350,000 cases per year in 2011. Deaths declined from an average of 3,000 to less than 300 a year during the same period.

The Botswana chief health officer, Setshwamo Mokgweetsinyama, told The Zimbabwean his country had managed to reduce the incidence of malaria from 42/1000 in the 2000s to 0.23/1000 in 2013 using local resources.

Join forces

“In 2014 we have had a slight increase in incidence due to heavy rains. We have been funding our own malaria programmes and we welcome the new Global Fund’s system that allows us to apply for assistance,” he said, adding that an extreme shortage of healthcare givers had been a major challenge to the health services.

“As malaria knows no borders or boundaries it is important for SADC countries to join forces and fight the disease from all angles,” he said.

Botswana has passed the Abuja declaration to allocate 15 percent of national budget to health, with some 17 percent of the budget being allocated to health. They have also surpassed the millennium development goal target to stop and reverse malaria.

Zambia has managed to reduce the incidence of malaria from 120/1000 in 2011 to 17.2/1000 in 2013. “We are combining community-based initiatives and activities where we target the vectors through distribution of long-lasting treated nets and in-door residual spraying of mosquitoes. Pregnant women and children under five are targeted with malaria services free of charge,” sad the southern province health minister, Daniel Munkombwa.

Major problem

Community healthcare givers have been trained for the diagnosis of malaria using rapid test kits where they treat positive patients and register to keep records.

But in Malawi malaria is still a major problem across the country, with children and pregnant women being hardest hit. The national director of the malaria control programme, Doreen Ali, said they recently introduced Health Surveillance Assistants - who are community members trained and employed by government to work on malaria programmes.

“We call them small doctors in the village and they also run small clinics. Communities also participate in construction of the clinics and health programmes but government provides the drugs, bicycles and nets,” she said.

In South Africa the disease is no longer regarded as serious. Military Health Services leader Colonel Warren Hendricks said the incidence was going down. “About 60 percent of malaria is imported. We have very good surveillance systems that can dictate where, when and why malaria is emerging. We are working together with other countries in the region to eliminate the disease,” he said.

He said malaria usually peaked during festive holidays when people went to rural areas and mining activities. “When they come back they import malaria to free zones. Both military and national malaria programmes are funded by the government and standby teams are always on alert to intervene. We are also investing in raising awareness,” he said.

Thousands of villagers displaced by the Tokwe Mukosi floods have been living in appalling conditions in Chingize holding camp since January.

Last month, with their children strapped on their backs, many walked 130 km to Ngundu Growth Point to demonstrate against government neglect. Since then, food aid and other donations have been withheld and they have been accused of trying to tarnish the image of President Robert Mugabe and Zanu (PF).

“All the people linked to organising the demonstration and those who participated are being victimised and denied relief food aid. They are starving,” said a villager who refused to be named for fear of victimisation.

Silas Mudowa, a villager at the holding camp, said politicisation of food aid had become a common thing. “We demonstrated with the intention of making sure that government paid attention to our cause,” he said. “Our concerns were genuine but to our surprise we are now being labelled sell outs and supporters of opposition political parties - just for expressing our views through the demonstration.”

Masvingo Provincial Affairs minister, Kudakwashe Bhasikiti, denied punishing anyone over the demonstration. “We are giving assistance to these people without discrimination and those peddling such lies are just ungrateful,” he said.

Last month former prime minister and leader of the opposition, Morgan Tsvangirai, was barred from visiting Chingwizi. Bhasikiti said if Tsvangirai had anything to offer to the flood victims he should channel his donations through government structures.

Government has unsuccessfully tried to persuade the flood victims to leave the camp and take up one hectare plots of land – but villagers have refused to leave the camp before being paid compensation. They also say government had promised them four hectare plots.

Bhasikiti had to take to his heels recently after the angry villagers threw stones at him when he tried to explain that government does not have any funds to compensate the flood victims.

by Tonderai Saharo

Amid the gloom of life among victims of the Tokwe Mukosi dam floods housed in tents at Chingwizi camp, some enterprising individuals have come up with novel ways of earning a living.

Jaison Chiveza, 39, has brought together a group of 65 women and men into sewing and knitting club, with the objective of making uniforms for the new Chingwizi school.

Chiveza is a trained tailor who operated a sewing shop at Gunikuni shopping centre in the Mukosi resettlement area. On February 16 he found himself living in a tent at Chingwizi after rising dam waters displaced his village 7b

His family is part of the nearly 3,000 families now resident in the sprawling camp tucked in the eastern corner of Mwenezi district bordering triangle sugar estates some 200km south of Masvingo city.

There is little if any activity in the camp, with both men and women wandering around the supply tents where donated food and other items are kept in the hope of landing some piece work. Others lounge in the tents and or in the shade of trees watching the sun rise in the east and go down in the west while waiting for bits of information from government on its plans for their future.

Children play with paper balls in the dusty open patches and along the roads that cut through the maze of tents.

Chiveza decided to do something to lift his spirits and the hopes of those willing to work for themselves and carve new lives in the virgin bush. “I went to the authorities the headmen and eventually the district administrator and told them it will be important for us to start a sewing club to sew uniforms for schools surrounding us,” he said.

“We came together into a group of 65 people. Only three have sewing experience. We also managed to source 13 sewing machines,” he added. Twenty-five members are experienced knitters who are already doing jerseys as winter fast approaches , while others are undergoing dress-making training.

The biggest challenge facing the group is the lack of materials to enable full production. They need t five knitting machines, a sewing machine for each member and solar panels for the operation of electrical machines.

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Contrary to government claims that Non Governmental Organisations were shunning Chingwizi flood victims, it emerged this week that the NGOs have so far spent close $3 million in both material and financial assistance amid reports that some of the donations might have been misappropriated.

The government through Masvingo provincial affairs minister Kudakwashe Bhasikiti had alleged that NGOs were not doing enough to help the flood victims displaced early this year following floods that hit Masvingo province.

According to documents seem by The Zimbabwean NGOs and other corporates have so far spent a staggering $4 million in assisting the victims.

Contrary to government claims that Non Governmental Organisations were shunning Chingwizi flood victims, it emerged this week that the NGOs have so far spent close $3 million in both material and financial assistance amid reports that some of the donations might have been misappropriated.

The government through Masvingo provincial affairs minister Kudakwashe Bhasikiti had alleged that NGOs were not doing enough to help the flood victims displaced early this year following floods that hit Masvingo province.

According to documents seem by The Zimbabwean NGOs and other corporates have so far spent a staggering $4 million in assisting the victims.

NGOs alone have spent over $3 million with the Zimbabwe Red Cross Society alone having contributed about $1 million.

Some of the NGOs that have contributed in giving assistance to the victims include Care International, Action firm, the Zimbabwe Red-Cross Society, UNICEF, among others.

Takemore Mazuruse Zimbabwe Red-Cross Society spokesman confirmed that his organisation has so far spent over $1 million adding that the figure is increasing each day since the organisation is also helping those allocated plots to build decent accommodation.

“We have so far spent close to over $1 million alone as I speak the figure is increasing each minute because there is work that is going on,”said Mazuruse.

Some of the NGOs are involved in the construction of toilets, provision of water and other basic human needs.

“Tokwe Mukosi flooding was declared a national disaster that is why we are pouring in money in the programme, “added Mazuruse.

According to confidential documents shown to the Zimbabwean so far over 2,000 organisation have either donated either in cash or in kind to assist the flood victims. It also emerged this week that some of donated items might have been misappropriated.

Sources privy to the goings on at Chingwizi said that some of the money or donations were allegedly misused by government officials currently stationed at the holding camp.

“There have been no transparency in the distribution of donated food and so far no one has benefited from cash donated by some of the organisations, “said the source.

“There is need to establish a committee to audit all the donated goods and cash because there is strong suspicion that some of the goods were either diverted to other areas or converted to personal use by some officials”, said the source.

However Masvingo Provincial Affairs Minister Kudakwashe Bhasikiti dispelled rumours of abuse of donations which has reportedly resulted in some NGOs withdrawing their assistance.

“All the donations made through my office are open to inspection by anyone especially people and organisations who donated some of the items,” said Bhasikiti.

Meanwhile the government has made a passionate plea for food donations at the holding camp as inmates might starve to death.

Masvingo Provincial Administrator Felix Chikovo this week said that all warehouses where food was usually kept are now empty.

“We have nothing to give the flood victims because we no longer have food to feed them,” said Chikovo.

In related story some NGOs are scaling down operation with some contemplating moving out of the country due to financial problems and uncontrolled political interference on their operations.

Sources in the NGO sector confirmed that most NGOs were either scaling down their operations or pulling out of the country citing the unconducive political environment.

Some of the organisations understood to scaling down operations include Action firm, Zimbabwe Peace Project, Youth NGO forum, among others.

Zimbabwe’s maize production is still far below the country’s consumption figures, says the Commercial Farmers Union President, Charles Taffs.

Failure by government to come up with agricultural policies that work in the interest of growers would condemn the country to continue importing maize for local consumption, he said. Taffs expressed concern at the huge shortfall between this year’s crop output and the required tonnage to feed the country.

“We are still in distress. Close to 1,3 million hectares of maize were planted during last farming season . But 50 percent of that was planted after December 15, which is too late to realise a decent crop,” he said.

Zimbabwe has for close to 14 years faced grain shortages and it has had to rely on imports to meet the annual human and livestock demand of an estimated 2,4 million metric tonnes.

Taffs urged government to give productive farmers security of tenure to ensure that they have access to financial capital from local institutions to enable them to boost crop production.

“Every single farmer in the country is insecure. The land has been taken from the commercial sector and it has not been given to anybody else. It belongs to the state. People have access to it at the discretion of the State and it can be taken away from them at any time,” he said.

He also urged government to come up with agricultural policies that supported land utilisation as a way of boosting crop production. “Crop diversification has shrunk over the years and farmers are mainly planting maize, tobacco and cotton. We are all aware that cotton is in distress and it is now 50 percent of where it was,” he said.

Taffs said although there had been a huge expansion in small-scale tobacco production, the price for the golden leaf had fallen because the farmers produced a single type of tobacco, which was of poor quality and had no market internationally.

“There is need for us to come up with the basic orderly marketing strategies and agricultural policies where we can demand positions and policies that are in favour of growers,” he said.

According to a recent report by the CFU, about 7,000 farms with title deeds measuring over 11 million hectares have been gazetted for resettlement. By September 2005 only 186 farmers had been paid compensation. Very few additional payments have been made since then.

“Only a handful of farmers were compensated and this was during the Zimbabwean dollar era where the value of that money was not equivalent to the value of the property,” said Taffs, adding that there was need for confidence building to ensure growth in commercial agriculture. “Policy inconsistencies discourage both local and foreign direct investment and the breakdown of the rule of law and the obvious lack of property rights keeps investors away,” he said.

by Sofia Mapuranga

People living with HIV (PLWHIV) in urban areas are appealing to the government to allocate them residential stands because they are being discriminated against by their landlords because of their HIV status, reports SOFIA MAPURANGA.

PLWHIV in suburbs such as Budiriro, Chitungwiza, Glen Norah, Mabvuku and Glen View told The Zimbabwean of some of the challenges they face at the hands of their landlords, some of whom even give them timetables to use the toilet.

“I am not allowed to use the toilet any time that I want because my landlord believes that because of the water challenges, I may not be able to perfectly clean the toilet,” said Getrude Mukanga from Chitungwiza.

“She prefers that I use the toilet first thing in the morning and she ensures that I clean it thoroughly before she allows her family, especially her children, to use it.”

In December 2012 The National Aids Council reported that an estimated 1,2 million people were living with HIV. Zimbabwe is one of the few African countries that has over the years managed to reduce the HIV infection rate by 50%.

But PLWHIV face a myriad of challenges, including lack of access to quality and affordable treatment, social services, basic healthcare, education and other socio-economic rights.

Institutionalised stigma

Emmanuel Gasa, the Executive Director of The AIDS and Arts Foundation, said government should put up policies to guard against discrimination of PLWHIV. “The problem in Zimbabwe is that we now have institutionalised stigma and the systems are not conducive for those living positively,” said Gasa. “There should be cluster specific allocation of accommodation. We will take this with reservations because it can also be used by others to discriminate against people living with HIV,” he added.

He urged young people to open up and reveal their status as a way of dealing with stigma and discrimination saying such a move would ensure a responsible future generation who are able to stand up for what they represent.

Fair share

“In other countries such as South Africa, young people who are living with HIV are open and they get their fair share of resources based on their status,” he said, adding that poverty and discrimination of PLWHIV has remained a major challenge in Zimbabwe and lack of accommodation affected their well-being. The national housing backlog is estimated at 1,2 million applicants, a figure government says could soar if a proper survey was conducted.

Gasa urged government to come up with interventions and ensure that PLWHIV were allocated affordable residential stands. Trymore Chiswa, who resides in Glen Norah, said the discrimination suffered at the hands of her landlord is affecting her children who are restricted to their two rooms and are not allowed to interact with the landlord’s children. “The assumption is that my children are living with HIV because they are not allowed anywhere near my landlord’s children although as children, they would want to play together,” she said.

Affordable

Chipo Vhiriri, 39 from Budiriro urged government to address accommodation challenges for PLWHIV saying that because the majority of them were living under difficult circumstances, they should be allocated affordable accommodation as stipulated in the new Constitution.

“Local Government Minister Ignatius Chombo last year set up timelines and said he would avail residential stands for urbanites but to date, nothing has materialised,” she said.

No progress

“Government should seriously reconsider the plight of PLWHIV because we are sometimes forced to disclose our status because of the circumstances that we are living under, something which is being used against us in the long run.”

Chombo last year revealed that government had engaged a Chinese firm, Henan Guoji, to build 10,000 low-cost houses in a move aimed at curbing the scourge of homelessness in cities and towns. However, to date, there is no information regarding the progress of the project. Efforts to get a comment from Chombo were futile as his mobile was not answered. Chapter 28 of the Constitution obliges government to ensure the provision of adequate shelter to its citizens.

Mabvuku resident, Chanise Mhosva said she was not allowed to get water from the borehole sunk by her landlord. “The borehole is kept under lock and key and we are not allowed to get water from it. My landlord said she is not comfortable because she fears that she may contract diseases if we use the same well,” she said.

Lois Mazikana, a social worker in Budiriro said PLWHIV faced a lot of challenges and the majority of them were indirectly forced to disclose their status. “We have witnessed a lot of cases where people who are living with HIV are cornered to disclose their status. We offer them support on how they can best integrate into society, regardless of their circumstances,” said Mazikana.

She said PLWHIV need support and should not be discriminated against based on their status. “The majority of them cannot afford to own houses and they should be allocated affordable residential stands so that they are better positioned to lead decent lives,” she said.

Mabvuku residents have been hit by another deadly diarrhoea outbreak which has infected more than 900 people with women and children being the worst affected.

This was revealed from our community monitoring report for the week ending Saturday the 21st of June by our ward coordinators. Mabvuku Poly Clinic recorded 530 cases with Mabvuku Satellite Clinic recording 372 patients by midday Thursday last week and the situation indicates that more people are still trickling at the health centres for medical check-ups.

A quick survey conducted revealed that the outbreak emanates from the inefficient supply of clean water and the use of unprotected water sources by residents.

Residents suspect that the outbreak emerged after municipal water supply resumed last week in areas that had not been receiving municipal water for more than eight months which could be attributed to rusting infrastructure.

CHRA is in possession of records of some people who have been treated of diarrhoea at Mabvuku Clinic which were randomly collected from houses in different areas in the suburb. Meanwhile Council clinics are giving chlorine tablets to treat the “dirty” water supplied to them by the municipality, a scenario which could be an indicator that the Municipality acknowledges that the water being supplied to residents is not safe.

Efforts to get information and comments from the Public Relations Department of the City of Harare were fruitless as their phones went unanswered and recent correspondence with the department head Mr Leslie Gwindi has failed to bear positive fruits pertaining access to public information.

In previous months, we reported that Diarrheal outbreaks were becoming endemic in Mabvuku, a statement which was solidly refuted by the City officials. We will continue to conduct community monitoring on health and publish our findings for purposes of saving lives of innocent residents which continue to be compromised by inefficient service delivery.