It is with great joy and pride that we announce that SAfAIDS is the new host for our MenEngage Zimbabwe network. SAfAIDS is a non-profit organisation established in 1994 with a mission to be a Centre of Excellence that promotes effective and ethical development responses to Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights, HIV (including a focus on preventing transmission from mother to child) and TB through advocacy, communication and social mobilisation.
SAfAIDS is a regional organisation implementing and supporting national programmes in Lesotho, Malawi, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. With its vast experience in regional programming aimed to ensure that people in Africa realise their sexual and reproductive health and rights and are free from the burden of HIV, TB and other related developmental health issues, we believe that the mission of SAfAIDS aligns with MenEngage Africa’s mission to achieve gender equality, promote health, reduce violence and question the structural barriers to achieving gender equality. Thus, we are excited to have the organisation take on the role of Secretariat for the Zimbabwe network!
Since its appointment as the Men Engage Zimbabwe Secretariat, SAfAIDS has conducted an inception meeting for the country network. The meeting was attended by 23 local and international civil society organisations working in Zimbabwe for the review and adaptation of the global MenEngage Alliance Memorandum of Understanding into the country context. A Steering Committee was established through a transparent online voting process as part of a collaborative decision-making body inclusive of representatives from women’s rights, children’s rights, youth and LGBTI (lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans-gender and intersex) organisations. The Zimbabwe network will be launched in the first quarter of 2017, with various activities that seek to promote women’s and children’s rights through positive engagement of men and boys being featured at the launch.
The focal point for the network is Musa Hove, the Country Co-ordinator. Go on and send him a welcome note at musa@safaids.net. And for more details on the network, find out more on http://menengage.org/regions/africa/zimbabwe/.
Prior to SAfAIDS taking over the reins, the role of Secretariat was fulfilled by Padare, a pioneering men’s forum on gender equality, which started in 1995. We are truly grateful for their work and leadership of the network. It has been a great journey and we wish Padare well in its continued role as a men-led organisation championing gender equality in Zimbabwe.