Partners in Zimbabwe
Click on a partner below to find out more about their work improving the lives of children affected by HIV & AIDS in Zimbabwe.
ACT Zimbabwe
Marondera District in rural Zimbabwe, about 50 km from the outskirts of Harare, has a HIV prevalence rate of 16.5%. Such a high prevalence rate means that the repercussions of sexual violence extend far beyond the initial harm of an attack.
Egmont Partner, the AIDS Counselling Trust (ACT), aims to reduce the number of new HIV infections caused by sexual violence, not just by providing victims with increased access to treatment, but also by addressing the problem of violence against women. ACT’s project officers will engage thousands of men and boys across the region to challenge their perceptions of gender roles and the rights and protections that women have. This project builds on ACT’s previous work that has seen an increase in the number of men accompanying their partners to HIV testing services, ante-natal care and prevention of mother-to-child transmission treatment clinics, as well as a reported decrease in domestic violence. ACT will for the next three years be working with two other Egmont Partners, Wild4Life and Youth Care Advocates (YAZ), each completing their own activities whilst providing learning opportunities for one another through training and observation.
| Egmont & ACT |
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| Started working together in 2007
16,473 people helped 9 projects funded Grant level - Core |
| Impact Areas |
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Chiedza
Chiedza works in the South District of Harare where just under half of all secondary school-age children do not attend school, either because they are engaged in a form of child labour or because their care givers cannot afford the school fees. Although these fees may be relatively small, the poverty and lack of economic opportunities that persist in the Zimbabwean capital have made it impossible for many families to send all of their children to school.
Chiedza’s project is focussing on improving the livelihoods of 175 primary and 100 secondary school children through educational and income support. All of these children will be supported with school fees, equipment and uniforms, to allow them to attend school without the fear of being turned away. To ensure that these children have a more stable homelife, the project will also work with their caregivers to identify new potential sources of income. By training them in basic financial literacy and business skills, the project will aim to significantly improve their incomes. Chiedza will also be offering vocational learning opportunities to 60 out-of-school youth, to ensure that they are able to find employment.
| Egmont & Chiedza |
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| Started working together in 2015
2,717 people helped 4 projects funded Grant level - Core |
| Impact Areas |
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Community Development & Empowerment Organisation (CDEO)
In the Nyanga District of Manicaland Province, more than 1 in 10 of the populace is HIV+. While the majority of HIV+ Zimbabweans are now enrolled on treatment regimes, those in rural areas and particularly affected by the economic collapse, are often unable to travel the long distances to collect their antiretroviral medication. Many are caring for orphaned and vulnerable children, leaving household budgets stretched and family nutrition poor.
The Nyanga Community Development Trust (NCDT) works across four wards promoting treatment adherence. They provide sexual health training to adolescents to help prevent the spread of HIV as well as establishing structures between communities, leaders and health agencies to facilitate easier access to treatment. They also provide business training to households with HIV+ members so that they can afford the cost of transport to clinics and meet their basic needs.
| Egmont & CDEO |
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| Started working together in 2018
7,369 people helped 4 projects funded Grant level - Core |
| Impact Areas |
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Matabeleland AIDS Council (MAC)
Matabeleland AIDS Council (MAC), work in the Matabeleland South District which – at 18% - has the highest HIV prevalence rate of any district in Zimbabwe. As a result, many parents and caregivers across the district have succumbed to AIDS-related illnesses, leaving many vulnerable children in the care of already struggling relatives.
Matabeleland AIDS Council (MAC) works with vulnerable children and adults affected by HIV, either as a result of being infected themselves or through their family members. The project will support 200 vulnerable children through the provision of school fees and equipment. Another 100 children will benefit from a school feeding programme. MAC will also be working to support the parents and guardians of these children through economic programmes such as a fisheries project. Many of these parents are themselves HIV+, and so MAC will be supporting 240 of them through community refill groups, groups set up to help HIV+ individuals more easily collect their life saving medication.
| Egmont & MAC |
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| Started working together in 2016
9,946 people helped 5 projects funded Grant level - Core |
| Impact Areas |
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Restless Development
In a country suffering one of the most severe AIDS epidemics in the world and where 60% of the population is under 24, reaching young people in Zimbabwe with information about how to avoid transmission of the disease is critical in reducing the prevalence of HIV.
Restless Development works in Matabeleland South Province, where the HIV prevalence rate is 18%. There are many issues facing young people in these communities, the lack of opportunities and social cohesion can lead to young women entering into sex work, vastly increasing their chances of infection. Restless Development works by finding young people within these communities that can be peer mentors. They help to distribute information on how to avoid HIV, sexual reproductive and health rights and on how their peers can work towards achieving a sustainable income. Restless Development are also working with 30 young people to secure vocational courses and business skills training to increase their economic opportunities and therefore reduce their vulnerability to exploitation.
| Egmont & Restless Development |
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| Started working together in 2007
8,125 people helped 8 projects funded Grant level - Core |
| Impact Areas |
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Rafiki Girls Centre
Rafiki started as a small church group in 2003, training unskilled young women to become housemaids. It is now a thriving education centre, supporting women aged between 17 and 25 who have lost their parents to AIDS or are particularly vulnerable as a result of a lack of education.
Each year around 100 girls are given the opportunity to take vocational courses, equipping them with the practical skills to achieve financial independence. They can choose from classes in hotel & catering, interior design, tailoring, beauty, early childhood development and nurse-aide training. 82.5% of previous students have gone on to further education or employment. Rafiki also offers HIV & AIDS education both for the young women who are in training and the wider community. Staff encourage the young women to go for testing regularly and provide counselling and support for those who are HIV+.
| Egmont & Rafiki Girls |
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| Started working together in 2006
1,283 people helped 9 projects funded Grant level - Strategic |
| Impact Areas |
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Wild4Life
Across Zimbabwe, accessing medical services is difficult: there are only 1.6 physicians and 7.2 nurses to every 10,000 people. In poorly serviced rural areas where healthcare facilities are many miles from most communities, securing medical treatment and undergoing HIV testing is difficult and costly.
Wild4Life are improving the medical services that are available to people in the rural Binga communities through a range of programmes. They will be undertaking training with hundreds of village health workers and clinicians to improve the level of medical knowledge that is accessible to people and help to bring medical advice to the doors of those living in rural communities. Wild4Life also undertakes community outreach programmes to reach the most isolated community members with important messages on how to prevent HIV & AIDS, and provides vital medicine to those already infected. Wild4Life will also be working with Youth Advocates Zimbabwe (YAZ) and the AIDS Counselling Trust (ACT) for the duration of their three year project, utilising the national Youth Helpline that is operated by YAZ and introducing gender norms training with the help of ACT.
| Egmont & Wild4Life |
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| Started working together in 2018
29,061 people helped 3 projects funded Grant level - Core |
| Impact Areas |
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Youth Care Advocates (YAZ)
The growing usage of mobile phones represents an opportunity to reach younger generations in isolated communities with information and advice on how to avoid HIV and other STIs, increase access to healthcare services and treatment through referrals and ultimately reduce young people’s vulnerability to HIV.
Youth Care Advocates (YAZ) has been supported by Egmont to deliver an advice and counselling service through the use of SMS and mobile internet services. Young people are able to sign up to a confidential, free-of-charge counselling service enabling them to receive individual advice and information on HIV and healthcare services that they can access. This service enables young people to manoeuvre the complex network of HIV treatment options and receive support and advice that many may fear turning to their family and friends for. YAZ are hoping to reach at least 40,000 young people over the course of their three year project. For the duration of this project, they will also be working with Egmont Partners Wild4Life and the AIDS Counselling Trust (ACT) to help them use the Youth Helpline and better link helpline users to services that meet their needs.
| Egmont & YAZ |
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| Started working together in 2016
41,949 people helped 5 projects funded Grant level - Core |
| Impact Areas |
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