Tag Archives: HIV and AIDS

Advocate Mudenda salutes Community and Village Health Workers

Speaker of Parliament, Advocate Jacob Mudenda

BY MUNYARADZI BLESSING DOMA

The success which the country enjoys in its HIV and AIDS response is greatly attributed to the dedication of Community and Village Health Workers, who tirelessly to deliver various services to the people, Speaker of Parliament, Advocate Jacob Mudenda has said.

Advocate Mudenda said Community and Village Health Workers confidently deliver health policies with regards to HIV, hence the country enjoys the results of such dedication.

He said this on Friday in his key note address during the National AIDS Council (NAC), Parliamentarians HIV and AIDS Sensitization Workshop which was held at the New Parliament Building.

“We have seen how these workers are dedicated, dedicated walking on foot, walking on foot from village to village.

“How I wish many of us would be inspired, the majority of us want to be supervised but these men and women are on their own, carrying out government policies, trying to uplift the communities among whom they work as far as healthcare is concerned.

“I don’t know how they were trained, but what I can I tell you from those I have met is that they have confidence in their implementation of the health policies regarding HIV,” said Advocate Mudenda.

He also revealed that the country’s HIV response has been a huge success, showing resilience in the face of numerous challenges.

Advocate Mudenda said Zimbabwe had managed to achieve the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) 95-95-95 targets.

The targets aim to ensure that 95 percent of people living with HIV know their status, 95 percent of those diagnosed with HIV are on antiretroviral therapy (ART) and 95 percent of those on ART achieve viral suppression.

Advocate Mudenda further revealed that these milestones speak to leadership commitment, the dedication of health professionals, the effectiveness of public health policies, and the strong partnerships the country has forged with civil society, international donors and development partners.

“It is critical to note that these successes were anchored on a robust legislative, policy and institutional framework. “At the heart of this health response was the robust primary healthcare system which has been the cornerstone of delivering HIV-related services to communities across the country.

“It is through this network of clinics, health centres, and importantly, Community and Village Health Workers that who have been able to expand access to HIV testing, treatment and care.

“These workers are the frontline soldiers for many Zimbabweans seeking healthcare delivery, particularly in rural areas where access to medical facilities is constrained.

“Community Health Workers have played a pivotal role in demystifying HIV, promoting voluntary counselling and testing (VCT), providing treatment adherence support and acting as a bridge between the healthcare system and the community.

“Without them, many of the most vulnerable populations would have been left behind.

“Yet, despite their critical role, we are faced with the worrying challenge of high staff attrition rates among healthcare professionals.

“Nurses, doctors and community health workers are increasingly leaving the country in search of the perceived greener pastures,” he said.

The Speaker of Parliament revealed that there is a deficit of 16 000 Village Health Workers, against a national target of 30,000.

He also revealed that according to the Zimbabwe Health Workforce Investment Compact, (2024 – 2026), Zimbabwe faces a need-based shortage of 57,573 health professionals and specialists.

“This attrition threatens the sustainability of the HIV programmes and other related healthcare imperatives. “However, it is encouraging that the Second Republic led by the visionary President Cde. Dr. E.D. Mnangagwa is putting in place effective skills retention measures to contain the situation.

“As such, health personnel that continue to shoulder on must be celebrated for their dedicated patriotism,” added Advocate Mudenda.

 

Organisation uses soccer to engage adolescents on critical health issues

Happy Ncube (second from left) with her colleagues

BY MUNYARADZI BLESSING DOMA

Grassroot Soccer, an organisation which was established over 20 years ago and has reached more than 18 million young people in over 60 countries, using soccer to address several health challenges.

The organisation which works through partnerships says it uses soccer as the hook because it’s the most popular and accessible sport in the world.

Adolescents have been helped in areas which include HIV and AIDS, sexual and reproductive health, maternal health, mental health and gender based violence.

Happy Ncube, Partnerships Program Manager at Grassroot Soccer, further added that Africa where they have several successful projects, has the most engaged fan base.

“Soccer is a powerful tool that can teach many important life skills: resiliency, hard work, courage, trust, and teamwork.

“We use soccer games, metaphors and frameworks to engage young people around the most critical health challenges in their lives and teach them life-saving health skills.

“The GRS approach fuses soccer, health, role models, fun, and inspiration to drive meaningful and positive behaviour change,” she said.

She added that the power of soccer is used to equip young people with the much needed life-saving information, services, and mentorship they need to live healthier lives.

Ncube also revealed that GRS was founded in 2002 by Dr Tommy Clark and teammates Kirk Friedrich, Ethan Zohn, and Methembe Ndlovu.

It is said Tommy and his teammates had witnessed the devastating effects of HIV while playing professional soccer together in Zimbabwe.

“After watching friends die of AIDS, Tommy and his teammates recognized that soccer; a positive force in the community; could be used to engage adolescents to stop the spread of HIV,” added Ncube.

She added that over the past 20 plus years, the organisation has evolved to take an integrated approach to adolescent health, recognizing the interconnectedness of young people’s most pressing health challenges such sexual and reproductive health, HIV/AIDS, gender-based violence, and mental health.

“GRS looks at adolescent health issues in an integrated way; the relationship between HIV treatment and depression.

“Since 2002, we have grown from an initial cohort of 14 trained GRS Coaches to a global network of more than 13,000.

“We’ve reached more than 18 million young people in over 60 countries. GRS reached over 4 million youth in 2022 with health and life skills programs and services through our unique in-person SKILLZ interventions, digital platforms, and SKILLZ Magazines,” she revealed.

She added that locally “we are working through partners covering the whole of Zimbabwe.”

It was also revealed that through community-based organisations, international none governmental organisations, national and local governments, they have managed to reach more adolescents.

Ncube also revealed that through their interventions, GRS participants are three times more likely to test for HIV and get on treatment, resulting in 20 times fewer new HIV infections.

“GRS female participants are two times more likely to use modern contraception, resulting in 2/3 times fewer unintended pregnancies, unsafe abortions, and maternal deaths.

“GRS male participants are 10 times more likely to undergo voluntary male medical circumcision (which reduces HIV transmission), resulting in 11 times fewer new HIV infections.

“GRS achieved a 96 percent reduction in clinically significant depression symptoms amongst youth living with HIV who completed GRS’s Coach-led group therapy in Zambia.

“After completing GRS’s new mental health-enhanced sexual and reproductive health program in South Africa, female program participants were 24 percent more likely to identify local sources of support for challenges with mental health and alcohol.

“MindSKILLZ participants in Kenya demonstrated a 48 percent reduction in stigmatizing beliefs about mental health,” she added.