Africaid is a community based organisation in Zimbabwe which, through its Zvandiri programme, provides community based prevention, treatment, care and support for children and adolescents living with HIV.
It started in 2004 when a group of HIV positive children in Harare wanted to establish a support group where they could share experiences and develop skills for growing up with HIV. The group was named “Zvandiri” by Amanda, a 14 year old girl, at the first support group meeting in 2004. She wanted to say
“I am a child with HIV, but accept me as I am.”
Today, Amanda is a mother, young woman and role model to HIV positive children and adolescents across Zimbabwe.
Eight years later, this one support group has grown in to the “Zvandiri” programme – a community based programme which provides prevention, treatment, care and support services for children and adolescents with HIV, which is integrated within the clinical care provided by government and private clinics. Zvandiri aims to support the Ministry of Health and Child Welfare in the provision of comprehensive care through ensuring a robust continuum of care between the clinic and the community. Most importantly HIV positive children and adolescents are at the heart of the programme, taking the lead in designing, implementing, monitoring and evaluating all of Africaid’s programmes and activities.
This work has relied on the tremendous support from the Ministry of Health and Child Welfare, Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare, Ministry of Education, Sports, Arts and Culture, the National AIDS Council, Harare City Health Department, the clinics and staff we collaborate with and of course, our funding partners over the years
