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Health Matters with Tinashe Rufurwadzo
Chipo (not real name) had lost all hope to live but gained confidence and rekindled the desire to pursue her hopes and dreams after coming into contact with a Community Adolescent Treatment Supporter (CATS) at Gweru Provincial Hospital late last year.

Chipo’s story was one of abuse, depression and hopelessness until she came in contact with Africaid through the USAid-supported DREAMS initiative.
She is the last born in a family of four, and she lived with her father and stepmother in Kwekwe. Her biological mother died when she was young as a result of HIV-related illnesses.

She contracted HIV at birth.

Chipo’s growing up was characterised by ill health and her father was not willing to take her for HIV testing and counselling.

She only learned about her status at the age of 10, when her maternal grandmother who lives in Gweru took her for HIV testing.

Despite her grandmother’s attempts to get her treatment, her abusive father and stepmother often denied her access to medication as he believed in traditional medicine. Eventually, Chipo could not take the abuse and fled from Kwekwe to join her grandmother in Gweru.

Chipo was depressed and this affected her social life and adherence to medication. She developed suicidal tendencies and told believed that she had no reason to live.

Health care workers at Gweru Provincial Hospital noted Chipo’s high viral load and linked her to a CATS at the facility for enhanced care where she received daily mobile message alerts and weekly home visits.

Chipo was excited to meet the CATS who are complementing Zimbabwe’s national efforts to achieve epidemic control by increasing the number of children, adolescents and young people living with HIV on antiretroviral therapy (ART), as well as providing subsequent support for those on treatment.

She was invited to a support group where she met other adolescents living with HIV who come together to share their experiences. This was such an experience for Chipo and she is now attending the meetings regularly.

CATS at Gweru Provincial Hospital referred Chipo for other services under the DREAMS initiative. Funded by the US President’s Emergency Plan for Aids Relief (PEPFAR), through USAid and the US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), DREAMS is an ambitious partnership to dramatically reduce HIV infections among adolescent girls and young women.

The goal of DREAMS is to help girls develop into Determined, Resilient, Empowered, AIDS-free, Mentored and Safe women.

Chipo was referred to Youth Advocates Zimbabwe (YAZ), a DREAMS partner in Gweru which is supporting adolescent girls and young women with economic activities.

She enrolled in courses on metal fabrication, financial literacy, and entrepreneurship.

She defied all odds by choosing a trade which is mostly male dominated. This is a clear indication of the determination she now has after all the support she has been receiving from CATS.

“I feel empowered and I’m confident in myself, at least I have a skill. Now I regard myself as someone with a career and something to do to earn a living,” said Chipo

She is currently attached to a local metal fabrication company in Gweru where she is sharpening her skills. Chipo is using the income she is earning from the attachment to do Mathematics lessons as she intends to sit for public examinations later this year.

She now has big dreams of becoming an engineer. The Chipo who had lost all hope has drastically changed to become a determined, resilient and empowered adolescent girl.

“Chipo’s story shows the importance of young people in supporting their peers to cope with their HIV status and continue to pursue their hopes and dreams,” said Ms Nicola Willis, Executive Director of Africaid.

“It shows the important role CATS can play in ensuring that adolescents and young people living with HIV don’t progress quickly to Aids. The multi-sectoral approach to supporting adolescents living with HIV also proved to be effective in Chipo’s case.”

Africaid is implementing the DREAMS initiative with the goal of improving the uptake of HIV testing services among adolescent girls and young women. In October last year, the organisation scaled up its Zvandiri model of differentiated service delivery for children, adolescents and young people in other districts in Zimbabwe with financial and technical support from PEPFAR through USAID and Management Sciences for Health (MSH).

Tinashe Rufurwadzo is the Communications Officer at Africaid Zvandiri.