Project profile — Simba Utano: Equality and Dignity for Girls and Young Women in Zimbabwe

• Zimbabwe (100.00%)

• Basic Health: Basic health care (12220) (20.00%)
• Population policy and administrative management:
Population policy and administrative management (13010) (40.00%)
STD control including HIV/AIDS (13040) (40.00%)

• Gender equality (principal objective)
• Environmental sustainability (cross-cutting) (not targeted)
• Participatory development and good governance (not targeted)
• Trade development (not targeted)
• Biodiversity (not targeted)
• Climate change mitigation (not targeted)
• Climate Change Adaptation (not targeted)
• Urban issues (not targeted)
• Desertification (not targeted)
• Children's issues (not targeted)
• Youth Issues (not targeted)
• Disaster Risk Reduction(DRR) (not targeted)
• Indigenous Issues (not targeted)
• Disability (not targeted)
• Nutrition (significant objective)
• ICT as a tool for development (not targeted)

This project aims to improve the health of adolescent girls and young women at risk of HIV in priority districts in Zimbabwe. Based on the concept of Simba Utano, which means “health is power” in the Shona language, the project increases knowledge of sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) and HIV prevention among vulnerable adolescent girls and women, as well as their families and communities. The project also works with health service providers and others to build their capacity to provide quality, gender-responsive services and to build a supportive environment to strengthen HIV response in the project area. Project activities include: (1) establishing networks of trained peer educators/community leaders to provide information about SRHR and HIV prevention; (2) training health workers on gender-transformative and adolescent-responsive SRHR and HIV approaches; (3) training health facility managers and health officials on integrated SRHR and HIV services; and (4) enhancing knowledge management of SRHR and HIV response in order to strengthen HIV response.

The expected outcomes for this project include: (1) increased utilization of sexual and reproductive health (SRH) and HIV services by vulnerable adolescent girls and young women in priority districts of Zimbabwe; and (2) enhanced integration of SRHR and HIV services and policies for vulnerable adolescent girls and young women in priority districts of Zimbabwe.

Results achieved as of the end of the project (February 2024) include: (1) delivered information sessions to 6,746 young people (5,508 women and 1,238 men), providing information and guidance on sexual and reproductive health rights; (2) produced a training tool kit on gender-transformative and adolescent-responsive sexual and reproductive health care services aimed at facility-based health care providers; (3) trained 430 community health workers (343 women and 87 men) on delivering gender-transformative and adolescent-responsive sexual and reproductive health services; (4) organized community awareness activities that engaged 1,051 parents and caregivers (768 women and 283 men) to better understand the impact of harmful social norms; (5) organized targeted sessions for 594 religious, traditional, and community leaders (215 women and 379 men) to better understand the impact of harmful social norms; and (6) engaged 958 young men and adolescent boys in gender-sensitive awareness activities to better understand the impact of harmful social norms.

• Proactive disclosure