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Project Report: SRHR for young people living with disabilities
Zimbabwe is one of the five countries hardest hit by HIV and AIDS globally with 1.3 million people estimated to have the disease . There is an urgent need to help the most vulnerable members of society: children at risk. It is estimated that nearly 15% of all children under the age of 15 have lost one or both parents, and more than 20% of 15-year-old children are orphans. Although there are dedicated local childcare workers responding to the needs of vulnerable children, they face numerous challenges to provide better care. Of these, the most common and critical problem is limited access to the training, support and resources needed to effectively care for children.
People with disabilities are often excluded from sexual, reproductive, and neonatal healthcare (SRH), including HIV and AIDS prevention and support, as it is assumed that they are not sexually active and not at risk of infection. Some counsellors are unable to test people with visual or hearing impairments for HIV, as they cannot sign the consent forms or communicate with the counsellors unless the testing centres provide sign language interpreters. There are also barriers to communicating basic health information, for instance, radio is not accessible to people with a hearing impairment, billboards cannot be seen by people with a visual impairment, and the abstract and often sophisticated healthcare messages cannot be understood by people with intellectual disabilities. Physical access and attitudes of health workers are other hindrances for young people with disabilities seeking HIV services such as voluntary counselling and treatment.
In view of this situation Viva Network Zimbabwe determined to implement a program especially to reach out to children living with disabilities with intervention that are designed to reduce their vulnerability to HIV. The program also seeks to help them access health services and to support them to claim their rights to health.