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Arts Correspondent
Jibilika Dance Trust (JDT) has kicked off a new season of the award winning youth HIV and Sexual Reproductive Health awareness program dubbed “Step Up 2 HIV”.

The programme is expected to run for eight months. According to the JDT director, Nyaradzo Nhongonhema the programme is meant to empower youths through health programmes and dance. “The Step Up 2 HIV project mobilises and engages young people through popular youth music and dance in HIV prevention, sexual reproductive health, Gender, Drug abuse and advocacy campaigns in schools and communities,” she said. Jibilika will be partnering with other PEPFAR supported organisations such as AFRICAID, FACT, OPHID, SAFAIDS, ITECH, WEI and ZACH in implementing the programme in Makoni, Chipinge, Mutare, Mazowe, Gweru and Bulawayo. Jibilika is making songs and videos to attract the attention of the people living in different parts of the country.

“Jibilika will use its creative appeal to mobilise and engage young people and our partners will be providing various services such as counselling, testing, male circumcision and related services.

“In an effort to make a broader appeal the project will develop multimedia toolkits such as songs and videos to reach youths around the country,” said Nhongonhema. The programme with renewed support from the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR)’s DREAMS programme and has been themed Amplified seeks to make louder noise and impact through its innovative youth culture model.

The project started in 2013 following the successful hosting of the Jibilika Dance Festival the previous year under the theme Step Up 2 HIV. The initiative went on to impact on thousands of youths in four provincial towns of Harare, Mutare, Bulawayo and Masvingo. In 2013 the project won an award at the Zim Hip Hop Awards for the Best social impact. Jibilika Dance Trust is a decade old youth run non-profit organisation which seeks to mobilise and engage young people in positive social actions through popular youth culture. The project also provides young people the opportunity to use their own art, media, communication styles and ideas to make a difference in their homes, schools, and communities