Zimbabwe: Ministry of Gender and Youths: Sexual & Reproductive Rights (SRHR) including GBV,HIV and AIDS-Zhombe and Silobela Community

The Ministry came with this project to improve the health quality of people in the areas of Zhombe and Silobela. Its purpose was mostly to empower youth to access health facilities on the issues that has to do with SRHR, GBV, HIV and AIDS. The people of Silobela and Zhombe were ignorant in those issues of which they were being indirectly and directly affected by them. Child marriages were so high leading to many school .The Ministry came up with a strategy of how to get rid of such a situation. The Local Government introduced both educational and enjoyable furniture’s such as DSTV, Plasma, DVD player and netball balls etc. These furnishers were introduced near clinics so that people will interested in having fun but most importantly seeking health facilities and knowledge from peer educators specifically trained on those issues of SRHR,GBV,HIV and AIDS.

This project was set out to address issues to do with Sexual and Reproductive Rights including GBV and HIV/AIDS. It aimed at improving communities and   empowering them to understand sexuality and negotiate for safe sex, to get treatment early, referral pathway for survivors of SGBV .This project also aimed at   empowering communities so that they can be able to make informed decisions with their lives. Be in a position to be a “brother’s/sisters keeper” in the communities. This project was also designed to keep the youths busy to avoid idleness, to keep a healthy body and mind. The project was not limited to youths only, there were some women who were not allowed to go for community empowerment by their husbands and this became a great opportunity for them to benefit as they access health facilities at the clinic.

The project has benefited about 10 000 people directly whereas 6000 are women and 4000 are men. Those who benefited indirectly counted up to 18 000 where women are around 12 000 which 66% and 6000 men which is 34%. The Ministry has a gender specific allocated amount of $2 500.00 to skills training for child mothers as well as girls who are selling sex. The Ministry also allocated $1000 which was contributed in cash or kind by partners’ organisations to venues, facilitators, transports, YFLs and IEC materials. The total budget for the project was $3500.00. The Ministry had output and outcome tracking which was done through physical visits to check progress, client survey, direct observation of sessions, checking visitors for Youth Friendly Centres, change stories ,reports and registers. On measuring the impact of the project, on relevance, effectiveness, sustainability and change and accountability they based beneficiary group reviews, survey questionnaire/Direct interviews, time series analysis (pre/post examination), client survey as well as reports and documentation.

The Ministry also used a method of holding quarterly meetings whereby different stakeholders shared their progress reports and deliberating in topical issues such as SGBV and other in the district. The women and girls were also given a platform to lead public forums such as festivals and commemorations so that they can be able to showcase their potentials and being responsible. It also empowered women in economic businesses and to track change on their economic status they had to conduct dialogues with the women in business ,sharing the challenges they are facing and the strategies they have employed to, overcome them.

Some of the challenges the Ministry faced includes resistance from other members thinking that the information they are disseminating will transform their youths into an uncontrollable generation and turn them into people who wants to be more experimental with things. The project also faced resistance from most men fearing that it came to break their marriages. To overcome these challenges, the Ministry had to continuously conduct various awareness campaigns until people came to a realisation that this project was meant to safe guard their communities and not to destroy them. The men were convinced when they were told that the laws and acts such as the Domestic Violence Act are not discriminatory, they protect both men and women. This project also faced challenges like dependency syndrome of communities on donor funding, lack of transport for frequent monitoring and poor internet connections facilities for Youth Friendly Centres (YFC) and this affected the project’s sustainability.

Lorraine Moyo a young commercial sex worker says “I now know how to wear a condom in a manner that it will not burst. I can now confidently negotiate for safer sex after a condo holder training. I wish if these meetings supported by Plan International continue. I still need to know more about behaviour change.” Some of the pastors in the districts saw it as a good practice and they suggested if sex education can be taught in churches. Teaching youths on how to condomise and negotiate for safer sex to avoid unwanted pregnancies. The communities also suggested that if possible the police and the village heads should be introduced to know about the program and how it is uplifting their youths on issues of SRHR, GBV, HIV and AIDS. The project can be replicated by increasing Community Based Structures and scale up establishment of YFCs. It can also be sustained by involving the community from the onset. Training them to be less depended on donors so that if the donors withdraw, they will be able to continue with the program.