"Young People We Care!" – Making a difference in Zimbabwe
7 June 2007
Seventeen-year-old Martha grew up in an era of HIV and AIDS and lives with the effects of the disease every day.
Like many young people in Zimbabwe, she took care of her parents before both
succumbed to AIDS-related illnesses.
Martha is still grieving, but, thanks to her voluntary work for an innovative
DFID-supported programme, she now has a reason to feel optimistic.
Young People We Care! (YPWC) trains young people to help members of their own
community whose lives have been affected by HIV and AIDS. As well as providing
practical day-to-day help, it offers emotional support that is no less valuable.
Getting the community on board
Focusing on how communities can help themselves from within, YPWC has unlocked the potential of local youths to lend an enthusiastic
hand to their neighbours. It is an approach that community
leaders, teachers and parents have heartily endorsed. "YPWC has helped youths to become responsible
community members," says one headmaster.
Volunteers pay regular visits to
homes in which the parents are chronically ill or the children have been
orphaned. Duties range from carrying out household chores to helping with
homework and playing games. When asked what he does with the children, "I make
them laugh" was the reply of one volunteer.
Hands-on help
A key part of the volunteers’ work is to bring material benefits to the people they visit. They do this by encouraging members of the local community to donate food, seeds, and money for school fees. This ensures that poor households - in particular those headed by children - do not descend into deeper poverty.
The volunteers also play an important role at funerals, in a departure from the tradition that young people and children be excluded from the formal grieving process. One of their tasks is to make Memory Boxes, which commemorate the deceased by gathering together their belongings in a single box. For surviving family members, these can prove a source of great comfort.
Young people – part of the solution
Many of the
young people involved in YPWC have said that, as a result of their work, they now understand more about responsible
sexual behaviour. In fact, some of those taking part have even said that
they would only marry a fellow YPWC volunteer!
Florence and Joseph, who work in Mutasa district, agree on how
YPWC has helped them: "We have gained a lot since we joined - we
now know how to support affected families and other young people who need us. We
have also gained a lot of confidence and feel we are making a difference."
The volunteers of Young People We Care! are bringing help, and hope, to those around them, and are feeling the great benefit of this to their own lives. Martha is now eager to discuss her plans for the future. "I want to help other orphans and vulnerable children," she says, "and to take care of the sick. Someday I will be married to a supportive spouse, and our children will be YPWC volunteers!"
Key Facts
- DFID supported this programme from 2001-2006 under a £20 million sexual reproductive health programme.
- Of the 5.6 million children in Zimbabwe, 1.6 million are orphans. 57% of these orphans are 10 years or older.
- The appeal of YPWC has been far-reaching and attracted the support of other donors, including
UNICEF, as well as the
- YPWC is currently being implemented by 15 non-governmental organisations throughout Zimbabwe, with approximately 4,000 young volunteers.
- The programme has also been replicated in other countries in the region, such as Malawi, Zambia and Swaziland.
