NAC moves to tackle HIV
CHENGETAI MURIMWA
The National Aids Council (NAC) says it is stepping up its HIV programs to deal with new infections and sexual transmitted infections as work on the rehabilitation of the Harare Chirundu Highway gains momentum.
It is anticipated that there will be an influx of sex workers in search of business from road construction workers.
The rehabilitation of the highway ,which started in March this year, is expected to take 18 months to complete.
The high way connects Zimbabwe, Mozambique and South Africa with Zambia, Democratic Republic of Congo and Tanzania.
“While the re-construction of the road is a good thing as it will create employment for men and women in the province, it will come with a lot of challenges as a lot of people will be flocking to the province to provide different services. We have to scale up our HIV awareness programs so that we protect the road construction workers as well as the community in Mashonaland West, “ NAC Mashonaland West Programs Officer Davison Mambudzi said.
He also said young women and girls in the province are also vulnerable.
“We have young girls who use the highway when going to school, they are exposed as they will be targets to these road construction workers and they need to be protected so we will be strengthening our programs,” Mambudzi said.
He added: “We will also be carrying our workplace awareness campaigns so that we leave no one behind”.
Mambudzi said the truck drivers who pass through Mashonaland West have always been a key population and they have been carrying out awareness campaigns.
“We have a lot of truckers that pass through and they have become part of our vulnerability and we make sure that we take care of them by equipping them with the necessary knowledge on HIV as they are in transit,” Mambudzi said.
