A new lease of life for Zimbabwe’s HIV-positive prisoners - Peer support has been pivotal to inmates taking responsibility for their health
in 2015, his reaction was disbelief, even though he knew this could happen in his line of work, which occasionally involved having unprotected sex.
“I found it hard to accept that I was HIV positive. It just felt so unreal to me. I was in denial and decided to ignore that I needed antiretroviral treatment. I was not ready to deal with the shame and the stigma from my family and society.”While in prison, he saw several inmate peer educators disclosing their HIV status and urging others to get tested and seek treatment early. He noticed the peer educators appeared healthier than he was. His health had seriously deteriorated.
Nationally, the Zimbabwean government has joined the efforts of The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and Aids toward the 95-95-95 target, ensuring that by 2025 a total of 95% of people living with HIV know their status, 95% of those who know their status are on treatment and 95% of those receiving treatment have had their viral load suppressed.
“That is how we have managed to increase the number of prisoners coming forward for testing,” said Mudyano. “We also identify prisoners who show symptoms that are HIV related and urge them to get tested. After diagnosis, we offer antiretroviral treatment so that we suppress their viral load. “Some years ago, I was behaving irresponsibly, disregarding my health. I now have a better understanding and responsibility for my sexual and reproductive health from the educational health talks we have in prison, and l take my medication daily,” said Mazvita.
“I was told l had more chances of not transmitting the virus to my baby if l stopped breastfeeding and gave baby formula instead. There is no provision for baby formula in prison, and I cannot afford to buy it. I can only adhere to medication. So I breastfeed and hope for the best,” she explained. The ZPCS works with partners such as the United Methodist Church, which occasionally donates foodstuffs; Voluntary Service Overseas , which offers health interventions; the National Aids Council of Zimbabwe and Zimbabwe Network of People Living with HIV to ensure that inmates’ needs are met.
“Trained inmate peer educators act as the bridge between fellow inmates and nurses in prison institutions by referring their peers for HIV services, closely monitoring their peers who receive any HIV service from the clinic, and providing cell-based care to chronically ill inmates. As a result, there are very rare cases of bedridden inmates because peer educators play a critical role in encouraging inmates to present themselves to their clinics.
These initiatives have not been without difficulties. In the past two years, the emergency of Covid-19 slowed progress and interrupted the implementation of planned activities in prisons because of lockdown measures to reduce the spread of the pandemic. In addition, limited financial resources also affected the VSO’s ability to extend programmes to all prisons in Zimbabwe.
In addition, the ZNNP+ Manicaland coordinator, Moses Chananauka, said disregarding sexual orientation by prisons leaves inmates open to sexual abuse and at risk of contracting HIV.
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