Zimbabwe

Empowering Young Women In Zimbabwe to Overcome HIV

Pangaea researchers have led the development of SHAZ! (Shaping the Health of Adolescents in Zimbabwe) – an HIV prevention intervention and research study in Zimbabwe that empowers adolescent female orphans to avoid sexual risk behaviors by improving economic opportunities and linking them to life skills-based HIV education and clinical care. 

In 2009 the research team received a new grant that is enabling the SHAZ! team to add 650 HIV+ young women to the program, called “SHAZ! For Positives”, all of whom will be linked to clinical care and then randomly assigned to the combined economic (vocational training, guidance counseling and a micro-grant) and life skills intervention compared to the life skills intervention alone.

As a resource for others in the field, Pangaea is pleased to be able to make available the SHAZ! Facilitator's Guide in two forms -- the first focused on primary prevention for participants who are HIV negative and the second on secondary prevention and improved/positive living for infected individuals. The SHAZ! Life Skills curriculum aims to provide Discussion Group Facilitators with ideas and information that guide discussion around communication, relationships, reproductive health, sexuality, HIV/AIDS information and prevention, confronting the reality vs risk, strategies for negotiating and violenceagainst women. This guide prepares adolescent girls and women to take action to protect themselves and promote their own health.

Strengthening Health Systems for HIV and Maternal and Child Health

In 2010 Pangaea is laying the organizational groundwork for an ongoing program in Zimbabwe aimed at reducing HIV and maternal, child and infant morbidity and mortality by working with public and private partners to strengthen and integrate health systems at the district level.  

Pangaea’s partners on the project will include Africa University, University of Zimbabwe, and the Chitungwiza Hospital Opportunistic Infection Clinic. The project leadership team will include Pangaea CMO Dr. Dennis Israelski, VP for Programs Dr. Megan Dunbar, Dr. Nancy Padian of Pangaea/UC Berkeley, Dr. Gerard Kadzirange of University of Zimbabwe, Dr. Abigail Kagwende and Dr. Jonathan Pfumojena of Africa University, Dr. David Katzenstein of Pangaea/Stanford, and Dr. Chris Seebregst, PhD of Pangaea/Jembi International.

After organizational activities are complete, Pangaea’s short term programmatic efforts will include a review of the codified and promulgated strategies of the Ministry of Health and other relevant government agencies to summarize the data and strategies that are in print, as well as identifying gaps in needed data and barriers to implementing, replicating and scaling up national strategies, with a strong focus on improving the health of women, infants and children.  Pangaea will also be establishing one-year pilot clinical programs through the Chitungwiza Hospital and Opportunistic Infection Clinic and other selected sites in Mutare.