Published by the government of Zimbabwe
Bulawayo Bureau
1 April 2008
Harare — THE Zimbabwe National Family Planning Council has started training community based distributors on family planning methods and related issues, an official said yesterday.
In an interview, the ZNFPC manager for Bulawayo, Mrs Ennety Mudzimwa, said the council has trained several community-based distributors in family planning methods, counselling, sexually transmitted infections, reproductive health in a bid to build their capacity to provide accurate information to the people in the communities they live in.
"We have trained some of them on various family planning methods, sexually transmitted infections, counselling and HIV and Aids. They will also be able to distribute contraceptives in their respective communities.
"There will also be refresher courses to ensure that they are fully equipped with knowledge on family planning methods and other issues related to it," she said.
The International Planned Parenthood Federation is funding the training programme.
Mrs Mudzimwa was, however, not in a position to say how much money would be spent on this programme.
She said the council was pleased with the number of people being tested for HIV at its voluntary counselling and testing centre at Mpilo Central Hospital.
"We are very pleased with the number of people who go to the clinic to be tested for HIV, particularly the youth. Fortunately, our clinic is located in a central location and also near an opportunistic infections clinic so that we can refer those who are HIV positive for further management," she said.
Some Zimbabweans still shun being tested for HIV although it is no longer a death sentence due to the life-prolonging antiretroviral drugs.
It is also important for people to know their HIV status so that they can take adequate steps to either maintain their HIV negative status or to ensure that they live positively if they are HIV positive.
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