Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights Campaign for Mobile Populations in Zimbabwe

Beitbridge and Chirundu were selected based on the heavy traffic of people leaving and entering the country through these ports of entry to South Africa and Zambia respectively. This results in an increased risk of exposure to unsafe sexual practices due to transactional sex and sex work. Through networking and collaboration with other implementing partners along the transport corridors, this project intended to raise awareness on SRHR, MCPs, and the risk of HIV infection.


Literature review and audience research findings informed the campaign's SRHR materials production process. These included SRHR posters, a brochure, and a z-folder entitled "Sex Workers are Human Beings Too"(See Related Summaries below). To enhance understanding, these materials were translated into the vernacular languages, Shona and Ndebele. The campaign also used existing materials that were developed by Action IEHDC and its regional partners such as the television drama "Matlakala's Story", the 2 film series "Untold Stories" and "Love Stories in a Time of HIV and AIDS", and a short booklet called "You Haven’t Met Joe"(See Related Summaries below).


The community dialogues are integral to the campaign and much of the dialogues are based around the content and issues dealt with in the mass media edutainment dramas and Public Service Announcements (PSAs). The specific objectives of the dialogues are to:

• Stimulate dialogue and debate on SRHR issues.
• Shift the social norms, attitudes, and beliefs of mobile populations with regards to SRHR.
• Increase knowledge of SRH services in their communities.
• Enhance the knowledge around contraceptive use (for dual protection, safer sex, sexually transmitted infections) and where to obtain sexual and reproductive health services.
• Develop skills and self-efficacy and the ability to discuss safe sex, contraception, and condoms with partners, parents, and other adults.
• Increase the number of young people who seek sexual health services including HIV Counseling and Testing.
• Increase condom use by sexually active young people.

The community dialogues are led by trained facilitators. A community dialogue is an interactive participatory communication process of sharing information between people or groups of people designed to reach a common understanding and workable solution. Unlike debates, dialogues emphasise listening to deepen understanding. They develop common perspectives and goals and allow participants to express their own views and interests. Action IEHDC trained a sizeable number of dialogue facilitators and each facilitator received a Community Dialogue Toolkit (See Related Summaries below). Facilitators mobilise groups of 20 to 30 people among mobile populations, primarily long distance truck drivers, commercial sex workers, and young women. Facilitators also register the group members on the dialogue register and select a secretary to capture the feedback during dialogues. Participants also send feedback via SMS to Action IEHDC.

The programme was monitored and evaluated to assess progress towards meeting the objectives and to measure whether desired outcomes and impacts have been achieved. Monitoring of activities also informs ongoing work and indicates areas where greater focus is required. In addition, a process evaluation will be conducted to assess how the programme was implemented and what strategies could strengthen implementation and inform future programming.

Click here to access the Action IEHDC: Monitoring Plan for Community Dialogue in Beitbridge and the Action IEHDC: Monitoring Plan for Community Dialogue in Chirundu.

Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights, HIV/AIDS, Mobile Populations

The project was part of a regional initiative implemented in collaboration with Soul City Institute for Health and Development Communication. According to Action Institute, population mobility and migration contribute to the phenomenon of concurrent sexual partnerships, which is one of the main drivers of the HIV epidemic in Southern Africa. Because migrants and mobile workers are regularly separated from their permanent partners, they are more inclined to engage in short or longterm sexual relations with other partners. The programme goals are in keeping with international and regional calls to accelerate HIV prevention and to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) – most particularly MDG 3, MDG 4, MDG 5 and MDG 6. All these MDGs include aspects of SRHR or overlapping areas such as child health.

The project is informed by research done by Action into the SRHR among mobile populations in two of Zimbabwe's border areas, Chirundu and Beitbridge. Click here to download the report "Zimbabwe Research Report on HIV Prevention Among Mobile Population".