According to the 2014 UNAIDS Gap Report, Zimbabwe has the fifth highest HIV prevalence in sub-Saharan Africa at 15%. 1.4 million Zimbabweans are living with HIV, including 170,000 children, equating to 4% of the global total.Sexual violence continues to be systematic and unrelenting. Zimbabwe fails to take seriously or prevent and prosecute widespread discrimination against women. Discrimination b
ased on social conditioning and gender stereotyping can be addressed through education and measures to ensure equality and respect for women’s human rights. However, because there are no honest or consistent discourses about s*xual, efforts to adjust the cultural mindset about them has proved difficult. “Supergirls of Zimbabwe” will lead such a conversation in a safe space. Women and girls are powerful peace-builders whose capacities have been largely unrecognized and under-resourced. Our project will focus on young women aged 16-20 since the emphasis will be put on the developing peer-to-peer discussion with young Zimbabwean women from Mutare and Bulawayo. The concluding three-day conference will be in Harare, consisting of plenary sessions with the NGOs, round-table discussions, planning and sharing of future training plans, and arranging details of the follow-up activities (social media platform for the participants to share and promote their future activist endeavors). This will help to inspire discussions about r**e and violence against women, AIDS and STIs, feminism, family planning, consent, relationships, and having a healthy mindset when it comes to s*x, all of which will help provide a more nuanced understanding about physical/mental health related to s*x and interest for peer-to-peer discussions.
