A visit to Lesotho
Zvandiri facilitators, Loyce (left) and Auntie Eliza (third from left) in Lesotho with representatives from Baylor Clinic and members from the Teen Club.
Loyce Maturu a CATS member had a chance to share her story with her peers from another country in Southern Africa. This meeting was a share and learn platform for both Zimbabwe and Lesotho, during this meeting issues that came out mainly bordered around lack of adolescent activities, participation as well as stigma thus affecting their confidence.
Secure the Future, Bristol Myers Squibb Foundation is supporting Teen Clubs in Lesotho and Zvandiri in Zimbabwe and this was an opportunity to bring teens from both countries together. Africaid was asked to share its teen-led approaches with HIV positive teenagers attending the Teen Club in Lesotho so that they may also integrate similar approaches within their programmes.
Eliza(middle) with the adolescents enjoying their lunch
The three day learning and sharing workshop was held in Maseru and was developed through consultation between staff at Zvandiri in Zimbabwe and Baylor’s Centre of Excellence in Lesotho.
This brought together two facilitators from Zvandiri, Aunt Eliza and Loyce (counsellor and youth respectively) together with a team of 15 people from Baylor Clinic and the Teen Club. Loyce met with other HIV positive teens and young people in Lesotho and managed to share different approaches used in Zimbabwe.
Eliza with Sam “I have learnt from Loyce that I can fight stigma.”
The teens in Lesotho are so enthusiastic to take up the different approaches with much interest on the CATS model as they feel they have to help their peers in the community to cope well with their HIV status as well as other challenges associated with those living with HIV.
Feedback after the visit reported that the team in Maseru was so inspired by the way Loyce presented herself with so much confidence and how well informed she is about her HIV status.