The Sunday Mail
Emmanuel Kafe
When Mavis Gunhu (36) lost two babies- first in the year 2012 then in 2015- she attributed their deaths to witchcraft.
The babies died before reaching four months.
Unbeknown to Gunhu, both babies had succumbed to HIV related illnesses.
It all started in 2011 when Gunhu fell pregnant, but was unaware that she was HIV positive.
“Our first child died at four months in 2012 and I gave birth to the second in 2015.
“He developed symptoms and complications similar to those we had seen on the first child and also died at four months,” she recently told The Sunday Mail.
“I thought we had been bewitched.”
Taking advice from friends, Gunhu went to Nyazura Clinic where she tested HIV positive.
“I realised that my two babies could have succumbed to HIV. My husband knew he was HIV positive, but was too ashamed to speak to me about it.”
Her third pregnancy was different.
Village health workers (VHWs) educated her on how to protect her child from infection during birth and post- delivery.
Village Health Workers at work
Even if she already knew her status, the VHWs encouraged her to get tested for HIV and commence treatment.
In 2021, she gave birth to an HIV-free baby.
Another woman, Edina Jani (34), of Nyazura in Manicaland Province, had five stillbirths.
She, too, was unaware of her HIV status.
Jani only took an HIV test after a VHW told her to do so and immediately started taking ARVs.
“I now have my first child and she is HIV free.
“All my babies would die at birth or soon after giving birth,” she said.
“Our VHW advised me to adhere to my treatment, and I have been doing so.”
The community clinic in Nyazura runs a Prevention-of-Mother-to-Child-Transmission (PMTCT) initiative, which is being facilitated by VHWs and other nursing staff.
The PMTCT initiative is supported by the Family Aids Caring Trust (FACT) through their Children Tariro programme.
The programme seeks to educate women, especially those on ART, to adhere to their medication through help from VHWs.
The PMTCT program has so far benefitted more than 57 HIV positive women, who have formed a women’s club at the satellite clinic.
Women in this community trust VHWs.
Those interviewed said they owe their health and that of their children to VHWs.
They added that VHWs sacrifice their time to offer health education and basic services to communities that lack quick access to health centres.
One of the women, Norah Mapasi, explained how VHWs educate her on the importance of knowing her status, treatment adherence and Gender-Based Violence (GBV) prevention.
“VHWs form a critical backbone of the country’s public health system in rural areas. “They provide a crucial link to hospitals and health clinics for people who often stay long distances from health facilities,” she noted.
VHWs continue to play a pivotal role in disseminating vital HIV and Aids information to women and young girls, as they complement Government’s drive to achieve an Aids-free generation.
Some VHWs in the Chipinge and Makoni districts of Manicaland Province said they were optimistic of an Aids-free generation, if all people were educated on the issue.
Mrs Violet Shiripinda, a Village Health Worker at Nyazura Clinic
Mrs Violet Shiripinda, a VHW at Nyazura Clinic, said women were now knowledgeable about PMTCT issues.
This, she said, has resulted in lesser children being born HIV positive at the clinic.
“We have about 57 women under our programme here at Nyazura Clinic and they are all HIV positive. All their babies were born HIV negative and this just shows how effective the PMTCT programme has been,” she revealed.
Added Ms Shiripinda: “The other good thing is that of all these 57 women who are HIV positive and on ART, only one has a high viral load. This shows that they also appreciate that adherence is key.”
Programmes for PMTCT of HIV include antenatal HIV testing and counselling; avoiding unintended pregnancy; provision of appropriate antiretroviral (ARV) regimen for mothers and new-borns, and support for safer infant feeding options and practices.
Mrs Sarah Makondora who is a VHW in Chikore, Ward 17 of Chipinge district, is excited that women who partake in PMTCT deliver HIV negative babies.
Mrs Sarah Makondera, Chikore Village Health Worker in Ward 17, Chipinge District
“We commend the programmes that are being initiated by FACT in this community where we educate women, especially those who are HIV positive, on how to have HIV-free children,” she said.
“Recently, we engaged about 30 pregnant women who were HIV positive in our village and we educated them on all steps they should take. I am happy to say 30 women delivered HIV-free children. Through this programme, it is possible for the country to achieve an Aids-free generation.”
Acting Sister-in-Charge at Nyazura Clinic, Sister Julia Sharaunga, said VHW remain important as far as health in rural communities is concerned.
“VHW help to ensure that HIV positive mothers adhere to their medications through the Children Tariro initiative. They have been teaching them how to maintain their viral load, drug adherence and many other issues,” she said.
Through the same initiative, some health workers and nurses have also managed to offer GBV training and counselling services to those who would have been abused at home.
Ms Delia Chimedza, programme manager of Children Tariro and DREAMS
FACT Zimbabwe programmes manager for the Children Tariro initiative, Ms Delia Chimedza, said their goal is to ensure that the country attains an Aids-free generation through supporting caregivers and children in HIV burdened areas.
“We also intend to strengthen community clinical linkages that facilitate treatment care and support to HIV positive children and their beneficiaries through the 95-95-95 UNAIDS goals.”
Zimbabwe has adopted the ambitious 95-95-95 UNAIDS goals of containing and controlling the HIV epidemic by 2030.
National Aids Council (NAC) chief executive officer, Dr Bernard Madzima, said containing and controlling the HIV pandemic by 2030 is possible if people adhere to their treatment.
“The target is to ensure that 95 percent of the people who are HIV positive know their HIV status by 2030; 95 percent of those who are HIV positive are on ART and 95 percent of the people who are HIV positive are virally suppressed by 2030,” he emphasised.
Zimbabwe is one of the countries hardest hit by HIV in sub-Saharan Africa.
To date, nearly 1, 4 million people are living with HIV in Zimbabwe and more than 80 000 of these individuals are children under the age of 15.
