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Talent Gore-Herald Correspondent

Glenda Garawiro (27)’s journey with HIV began in 2008 at the tender age of 12, after the loss of her mother and elder sister to the virus.

Diagnosed during a period of profound grief, she was thrust into a world of stigma and discrimination while she tried to figure out what was really happening in her life.

“One of those deaths was due to the HIV pandemic. When l got tested at 12 years of age in 2008, I did not understand much about being HIV positive and why people used to call me by such names like ‘Maragado’,” she said.

Maragado is medication normally administered to psychiatric patients.

As fate would have it, again I lost my younger sister in 2011. I was so hurt by these deaths to the extent of contemplating giving up.

“At the age of 15, grief got me to always ask myself why and how I was the one in such a sorrowful situation.”

Her father’s own struggles with the disease and her failure to adhere to medication further complicated her situation. Glenda recalls how she defaulted on her medication from 2011 to 2014.

It was only in 2015, when her vigilant uncle Robert discovered that she was not adhering to her medication regime that Glenda’s path began to change.

“My father had tested positive to HIV, unfortunately, he did not take his medication and that influenced me to also default on taking my medication, thinking that it was right since my father had done the same. From 2011 right up to 2014 I was not taking my medication,” revealed Glenda.

“After my uncle discovered that I was not taking my medication, he said I needed to go back to the hospital and be re-initiated into treatment.”

In addition, in 2016, she was invited to join a support group at her local clinic, where she was introduced to an organisation named Zvandiri.

By January of the following year, she had undergone training with their Community Adolescent Treatment Supporters (CATS) programme.

The support and education Glenda received through AFRICAID-Zvandiri helped her gain a better understanding of her status and the importance of taking medication consistently.

This newfound knowledge empowered her to overcome the hurdles she had faced for years.

“As a CATS member, I was exposed to more information pertaining to HIV and Aids and began to understand myself and my status more,” she said.

“The exposure and getting more information about HIV and Aids made me understand more about my past and what had transpired in my life. I had suffered the loss of my mother and elder sister in one year, 2008, one after the other.”

Navigating life with HIV, particularly as a young woman, came with its share of challenges as Glenda encountered significant stigma and discrimination, which impacted her self-esteem and mental health.

“The stigma led to depression and suicidal thoughts, but participating in support groups and counselling helped me cope and build resilience,” she shared.

Glenda’s experience underscores the critical role of comprehensive sexuality education and support systems in managing HIV.

Director of Aids and TB in the Ministry of Health and Child Care, Dr Owen Mugurungi said the Determined, Resilient, Empowered, Aids-free, Mentored and Safe (DREAMS) initiative and CATS programme were some of the interventions the country had come up with to address challenges being faced by young women.

DREAMS is an ambitious project that seeks to promote antiretroviral treatment adherence while reducing HIV among adolescent girls and young women in 10 sub-Saharan African countries.

The initiative also seeks to empower young women with vocational skills trainings, financial literacy, sexual and reproductive education, and protection services from gender based violence while reducing their vulnerability.

Despite the country achieving its 95-95-95 HIV/AIDS goal, Dr Mugurungi said HIV remained a public health threat that requires concerted efforts by various sectors to truncate it and coast towards epidemic control.

The target means at least 95 percent of those living with HIV are aware of their status, 95 percent of those are on ART medication, and 95 percent of those on medication now have the virus suppressed, meaning they are no longer infectious.

The HIV/AIDS pandemic remains critical in sub-Saharan Africa, with UNAIDS establishing “95-95-95” targets to optimise HIV care in the region.

“We have made significant progress towards the 95-95-95 target and should revolutionise and scale up prevention services towards key populations such as the adolescent girls and young women (AGYW),” he said.

Dr Mugurungi said issues around education, empowerment and resilience can help protect girls from HIV.

“We need Aids mentored, resilient and empowered women who can make a difference in our country. Clear policies can also help reduce vulnerability among young girls.

“HIV continues to be more prevalent among women, of the over 1, 2 million people living with HIV in Zimbabwe, 750 000 are women. Young people between 15 and 24 years who are living with HIV are 111 192 as at last year, while those from 1 day old to 14 years are 75 000,” he said.

According to the National AIDS Council (NAC), the HIV infection rate among young women and adolescents remains high due to factors like early marriage, gender-based violence and economic disparities.

HIV incidence is highest in females aged between 15 and 29 years.

NAC chief executive Dr Bernard Madzima said the organisation had been addressing these issues through tailored prevention strategies and support programmes, including peer-led models and comprehensive sexuality education.

“Incidence is high in females 15-29 years and among the 15-19 years the incidence among females is 7.3 times higher than the male counterparts and the key drivers of HIV are multiple concurrent partnerships, low-risk perception, age mixing, incorrect and inconsistent use of condoms and low Prep (Pre-exposure Prophylaxis) use,” Dr Madzima said.

He said NAC was working hard to ensure effective community involvement in HIV prevention among adolescents.

“Integration of SRHR programmes in HIV response and reproductive health is the way to go and NAC is working hard to educate the girls in schools, colleges and universities about sexual life skills. Those out of school are reached through Sister to Sister programmes,” said Dr Madzima.