Title: Case studies. Zimbabwe: 'I have the knowledge and skills to help'.

POPLINE Document Number: 281955

Author(s):

Babcock P

Source citation:

Network, 2004;23(3):18-19.

Abstract:

In Zimbabwe, Hebron Gotora’s workday officially ends at 4:30 p.m., but it is often later than 6:00 p.m. when he navigates his bicycle down the bumpy dirt road to his home in the community of Chihota. His dedication and pride as a community-based distributor (CBD) of contraceptives for the Zimbabwe National Family Planning Council (ZNFPC) is evident. Seemingly everywhere, people seek him out for advice. Gotora has been a CBD worker for nearly a decade, taking family health services beyond clinic walls to the doorsteps of people in the community. But his job was recently expanded to include the more holistic approach of providing information about HIV/AIDS, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), HIV voluntary counseling and testing (VCT), referrals to VCT services, access to prevention of mother-to-child transmission services, and much more. “With my new role, I feel renewed,” Gotora, 39, and a father of three, said in a recent interview with the Advance Africa project, supported by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). “Now I can assist many people.” (excerpt)

Keywords:

Zimbabwe
Progress Report
Community-Based Distribution Workers
Contraceptive Distribution
Community-Based Distribution
HIV Prevention
Counseling
HIV Testing
Integrated Programs
Sexually Transmitted Disease Prevention
On-The-Job Training
Developing Countries
Africa, Southern
Africa, Sub Saharan
Africa
Community Workers
Health Personnel
Delivery of Health Care
Health
Distributional Activities
Program Activities
Programs
Organization and Administration
Nonclinical Distribution
HIV Infections
Viral Diseases
Diseases
Clinic Activities
Laboratory Examinations and Diagnoses
Examinations and Diagnoses
Sexually Transmitted Diseases
Reproductive Tract Infections
Infections
Training Programs
Education