I Am Not Afraid Of Anything. I Am Empowered!
In Zimbabwe, girls and young women dare to dream of a brighter future
The outlook can seem grim in sub-Saharan Africa, where adolescent girls and young women between the ages of 15 to 24 are particularly vulnerable to HIV. They represent 10 percent of the total population, but account for about 25 percent of all HIV infections. The odds are stacked against these girls and young women.
Hope not lost … but found through the DREAMS initiative
Hope came five years ago when Zimbabwe was selected as one of 10 sub-Saharan African countries to participate in an ambitious program sponsored by the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief through USAID’s, Determined, Resilient, Empowered, AIDS-free, Mentored, and Safe (DREAMS) program. DREAMS, true to its name, supports Zimbabwean girls and young women who are at risk of HIV, giving them the opportunity to dream and become self-reliant.
“I am not afraid of anything. I am empowered!” says 16-year-old *Ngoni, one of the participants.
But this was not the case two years ago. When Ngoni was only 3 years old, her father died, and her mother abandoned her. She went to live with her grandparents and five orphaned cousins in Gweru, a small town in central Zimbabwe. Gweru was once renowned as a thriving farm community, but now, because of the country’s economic crises and drought, conditions are bleak.
By the time Ngoni reached her adolescent years, she grew rebellious. She started selling and taking drugs, drinking, and missing school to hang out with friends at brothels. “Using drugs would reduce the stress,” says Ngoni.
She constantly argued with her grandparents, who struggled financially to support their six grandchildren. Her grandfather took his frustrations out on Ngoni and his wife by physically and verbally abusing them. Being an orphan, school delinquency, and gender-based violence put Ngoni at high-risk for HIV.
Restoring relationships
Life changed for Ngoni in 2018 when her grandmother heard about Pathways, one of USAID’s DREAMS programs. Her grandmother attended an introductory meeting and decided to join the Pathways program. The program gave her the support that she needed to help put Ngoni on a better path.
Pathways is a community-based program, implemented by a group of dedicated local organizations, that recognizes that communities know the challenges they face and, therefore, hold the solutions to these challenges. As the Shona proverb says — Muzivi wenzira yeparuware ndomufambi wayo, meaning the one who knows the road is he who has traveled on it before.
In Zimbabwe, DREAMS is implemented through various international and local partners. Each offers different services that collectively address the challenges girls face. Participants also receive regular monitoring so that, as their circumstances change, they are directed to programs that will best meet their needs.
Ngoni received assistance with school fees, and she and her grandmother were referred to two other Pathways partners, Childline and Musasa, for counseling to help them work through the trauma caused by abuse and domestic violence.
Ngoni and her grandmother enrolled in Sinovuyo, a 14-week course that teaches parents and caregivers good parenting and communication skills. Sinovuyo means “we have happiness,” an appropriate name for a program that strengthens the relationship between the caregiver and the child. Ngoni’s grandmother acquired the skills she needed to positively shape her grandchildren’s health, education, and emotional development.
“Children need love, and when they are given love, they are able to show who they really are, and they can do better in school when we give them love and not anger,” says Ngoni’s grandmother.
“I was always stressed from taking care of my grandchildren,” she explains. “At Sinouyo, I learned how to take care of them in a better way, without anger. I was taught that children need to be thanked, they need to be listened to, and they need to be given a chance to show what they can do to contribute in the home. I also learned that when children make mistakes, we must give them another chance.”
The Sinovuyo sessions had a significant impact on Ngoni and empowered her to refuse a relationship with an older man who promised to buy her clothes and other gifts. Many adolescent girls in Zimbabwe are seduced into relationships with older men because they see it as an escape. Ngoni proudly declares, “I am not going to indulge in sex as I know the risks. I will wait until the right time.”
Girls’ club
Ngoni joined two girls’ clubs at school. The first educates girls about reproductive health and HIV. The second is a savings and loan club, where she learned entrepreneurial, financial, and market-based skills. “I now have the skills to start my own business,” says Ngoni.
Through this coordinated network of partners, Ngoni has learned how to express her emotions and solve problems in a positive way, improving her relationship with her grandparents. She has also learned how young people are vulnerable to HIV and how to make better choices. “I am very thankful for Pathways, and they have helped me in a very hard time in my life.”
Ngoni dreams of becoming a journalist and mentoring other girls who have lived the nightmare she once lived.
“I want to write about girls like me because I want to help other girls like me who are also in the same situation,” she says, “and to show them that they can get out of these bad situations.”
*Not real name.
DREAMS has been successful in Zimbabwe at empowering over 420,000 young girls and women who are vulnerable to HIV. The $60 million U.S. Government initiative began here in 2016. In 2019, DREAMS provided services to 184,811 at-risk adolescent young girls and women between the ages of 10 to 24. It is estimated that HIV incidence among these two groups in Zimbabwe has been reduced by 44 percent in DREAMS districts, achieving the highest reduction in the region.
Want even more girl-powered inspiration? Check out the new film
Shaina, which premiered this month on YouTube with USAID’s support.
About the Author
Jennifer Curle is the Development and Outreach Coordinator for USAID’s Mission in Zimbabwe.
