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Fungai Lupande-Mashonaland Central Bureau

Adolescents living with HIV, who thought they were struggling alone and felt misunderstood by society pushing them into isolation, have found solace and strength in each other as they navigate stigma.

The Community Adolescents Treatment

Supporters (CATS) programme, being implemented by the National AIDS Council, has become a safe space for these teenagers as they get a deeper understanding of their condition.

No one is better qualified to understand what someone is going through except someone sharing a similar experience.

The CATS programme has provided a platform for these youths to share their experiences openly and honestly and also what they are going through while encouraging each other. Munyaradzi (22) is the only child in a family of seven who is living with HIV.

Dealing with stigma at the family level and unanswered questions of “why me” became a hurdle that Munyaradzi could not tackle alone.

His parents died when he was young, and he was left in the care of an aunt.

He was put on antiretroviral drugs (ART) at an early age without knowledge of what the drugs were for, resulting in lack of medication adherence.

“I knew my status when I was 14 years old, and it was difficult to accept when all my siblings are HIV negative,” he said.

“Up to now, my siblings are not close to me because of my status. I am appealing to families in similar situations to accept each other because HIV is not the end of the world.”

At one point, Munyaradzi was given his cutlery, plate, and bedroom.

He joined support groups in 2016 and ended up in the CATS programme at Shamva District Hospital.

Mary (22), who is also living with HIV has made sure that her two children are HIV-free through compliance with the Prevention of Mother-To-Child Transmission programme.

She does not want her children to go through the stigma she went through.

Mary, who was born HIV-positive, was heartbroken after discovering that her sibling born after her was HIV-negative.

She is the seventh born, and the eighth child tested negative for HIV after the mother complied with mother-to-child prevention treatment. “This was not easy for me to accept, and my question was, ‘Why me?’ I grew up sickly, and in 2015, when I was in Form 3, I tested positive,” she said.

“My father died in 2008, and my mother did not allow me to visit relatives during school holidays due to stigma. I became a stranger to my siblings.”

Through counselling, Mary accepted her condition and joined a support group.

Following a failed marriage with an HIV-negative husband, Mary adhered to treatment during pregnancy with her first child, who was HIV-negative.

She met her second husband through the CATS programme and their four-month-old baby is also HIV-negative.

“I did not want my children to experience what I went through, and I had to make sure I take prevention of mother-to-child transmission medication seriously,” she said.

“I urge families to stop discrimination based on HIV status. I encourage people to know their status and adhere to treatment. The CATS programme gave me a new lease on life and a sense that we are on this together.”

Speaking at a training session in Mvurwi, Mr Shephard Zanamwe, the District AIDS Council for Shamva, said CATS was a peer educator advocacy group.

He said research by AFRIAIDS through their Zvandiri programme revealed that several adolescents were not adhering to ART medication.CATS is a model under the differentiated service delivery programme which brings together health facilities and community activities. The CATS members meet monthly at a health facility, giving feedback on their home visits.

“They check on adherence through pill counting, offer counselling, and refer cases to health facilities. This programme has managed to reduce viral load among adolescents living with HIV,” he said.

“CATS also mobilise youths who are not aware of their status so that they are tested and placed on treatment and care.”

Using the combination prevention approach, NAC is engaging communities on stigma and treatment literacy to ensure the success of the CATS programme.

Mr Zanamwe said guardians and parents of CATS members were invited to sessions to discuss disclosure, stigma, and discrimination.

He said reducing stigma and discrimination created a conducive environment for people to seek treatment and other HIV services without fear.“Most of the CATS members are due to mother-to-child transmission way back when high efficacy medicine was not available,” he said.

“We aim to reduce mother-to-child transmission to less than five percent by 2030. However, a key driver of new HIV infections in Shamva includes drug and substance abuse.”

Violence against girls and young women in Shamva is also contributing to new HIV infections.

Mr Zanamwe said the SASA model (Start Awareness Support Action) programme was trying to address the issue of gender-based violence in Shamva.

He said more young women were infected compared to men due to intergenerational relationships. According to UNAIDS 2024 estimates, 2.1 million paediatric AIDS-related deaths have been averted between 2000 and 2023 globally through PMTCT programs.

NAC provincial manager, Mr Edgar Muzulu said out of the 111 000 people living with HIV in Mashonaland Central seven percent were children.

He said Shamva was in second position in terms of prevalence rate after Bindura, and the provincial prevalence rate stands at 10.35 percent. He said the elimination of mother-to-child transmission was one of the combination prevention approaches due to several women missing out on the PMTCT program.

Mr Muzulu said gender-based violence was also one of the key drivers of new HIV infections in Shamva.

Zimbabwe has made great strides in the elimination of mother-to-child transmission through access to ARVs, safe childbirth and appropriate infant feeding.