Women and AIDS Support Network (WASN) is committed to enhance women leadership in rural communities through its trainings with Support Group members of women and girls living with HIV. On the 1st to 3rd of July 2020 WASN conducted trainings at Musita and Masuka clinics, in Gokwe South District, on the 8th and 9th of July at St Theresa’s Mission Hospital in Chirumanzu District with a maximum of 50 people per day. WASN through these trainings teaches women and girls to be able to influence and guide in their communities. WASN is creating a pool of empowered women and girls who are able to demand justice, equality and equity in their communities and society at large.
Violence against women and girls is on the increase. Physical and sexual violence increase women’s and girls’ vulnerability to life threatening, debilitating injuries, HIV and AIDS and other Sexually Transmitted Disease and even death. WASN is raising awareness on Gender Based Violence against women girls through its educational trainings with the Support Group members.
WASN is promoting Sexual, Reproductive Health and Rights for women and girls. Rural women who are poor and with no education are least likely to be empowered within their household and are often unable to access Reproductive Health as well as other forms of health care. WASN is therefore addressing the gaps by reaching out to hard to reach areas empowering and educating the women on access to services in their communities from different services providers. To reduce re-infections and spread of Sexually Transmitted Diseases, WASN is distributing male and female condoms to Support Group members. WASN procured 12 000 Male and 6 000 female condoms from Zimbabwe National Family Planning Council (ZNFPC).In some areas there is high demand for Female condoms especially with the female sex workers. WASN is doing awareness raising to its Support Groups by encouraging them to live a healthy lifestyle by screening cancer at the nearby hospitals and clinics as these services are offered for free especially to people living with HIV and AIDS.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, WASN distributed fliers and posters to the communities in Shona, Ndebele and English teaching people on hygiene, prevention and care on COVID-19 information. WASN ensures continuity, progress and effectiveness of its work by providing bicycles to Community Facilitators to ease movement for far to reach or where there is no network to communicate by phone. So far WASN distributed two bicycles to Musita and Masuka Community Facilitators in Gokwe South District.
