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Report of the FCTZ information sharing workshop on HIV and AIDS and farm communities
Farm Community Trust of Zimbabwe (FCTZ)
March, 2006

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Executive Summary
Zimbabwe has one of the highest HIV infections rates in the world. It is estimated that 24, 6% of the adult population is infected by the virus. Since HIV/ AIDS was identified in the country over 20 years ago, several response initiatives have been put in place at various levels throughout the country, yet the problem remains. The situation is worse in former large-scale farms and rural informal settlements where there have been limited response initiatives. Former large-scale commercial farms were over the years considered private properties and as a result they were left out of mainstream development for many years.

FCTZ is committed to the prevention and mitigation of HIV and AIDS and care for the infected and affected in former large-scale commercial farming areas and rural informal settlements. In its contribution to fight against the virus and the disease, FCTZ implements the following programmes under the Health and HIV/AIDS Programme: Training of farm health workers and community volunteers in Home Based Care; Establishment of Youth Drop In Centres, Peer Education and Networking with other organizations. FCTZ is contributing to the national HIV and AIDS agenda by enhancing access to HIV and AIDS prevention, mitigation and care programmes by vulnerable communities in former large-scale commercial farming areas.

It is estimated that the spread of HIV and AIDS is higher in former large-scale commercial farming areas and mines than any other sections of the Zimbabwean population. National HIV and AIDS statistics show that 34.9% of the people infected are people staying in farms or mines compared to 28,1% and 20.9 % of people living in towns and rural areas respectively. The HIV and AIDS situation of commercial farming communities is characterized by the following:

• Development initiatives by pass these areas despite the burden of the disease.
• Poor distribution of health care centers (and other social services) to respond to the health demands
• Low levels of income and limited livelihood opportunities that lead farm workers to resort to negative coping strategies.
• Low levels of education and limited access to information about the virus and diseases exposes the communities to more infections everyday

It is against this background that FCTZ held a workshop on HIV and AIDS and Farm Communities to bring together stakeholders operating in farm communities to discuss HIV and AIDS and come up with a holistic plan on HIV and AIDS for farm communities.

One of the major issues raised during the workshop was that there was need to put in place effective, standardized and locally accepted structures to fight HIV and AIDS in farm communities. The workshop observed that there were few players who were implementing HIV and AIDS programmes in farm communities. It was noted that national HIV programmes were not reaching commercial farming communities due to a perceived "migrant" nature of communities in former large-scale commercial farms. The subdivision of former large-scale commercial farms after the fast-track resettlement programmme is said to have created a heavy work load for e National AIDS Council (NAC) which highlighted that it was failing to effectively implement programmes in these area.sThere were calls to involve People Living with HIV and AIDS (PLWHAs) in programmes that affect them in their areas.

The workshop noted that players implementing HIV and AIDS programmes in farm communities were not well coordinated. For example players are not clear what a Home Based Care (HBC) kit should comprise of.

It was highlighted that a sectoral policy on HIV and AIDS for the agriculture industry which was being developed by GAPWUZ should be prepared with the involvement of all stakeholders in the agriculture industry. One of the gaps identified was that stakeholders were generally not aware of the roles and responsibility of NAC and hence implementation of some programmes suffered.

It was pointed out about 95% of farm children are not registered.

The workshop recommended the formation of a Working Group (WG) on HIV and AIDS for farm communities. The WG, which would meet quarterly to discuss HIV and AIDS in farm communities, would comprise all the organisations which attended the workshop.

The WG should perform some of the following tasks:

• To come up with terms of reference for the WG
• To identify gaps in current HIV and AIDS interventions in the operational areas
• To liaise with the Ministry of Health and Child Welfare, National AIDS Council (NAC) and other organisations to fight against HIV and AIDS in farms
• To work with NAC to review the National Policy on HIV and AIDS
• To facilitate the process of post-test counselling in former large-scale commercial farms and rural informal settlements
• To sensitise relevant authorities, ministries through working with NAC on the need to carry out research on HIV and AIDS in former large-scale commercial farms and informal settlements.

It was therefore generally agreed that the government, private sector and NGOs must cooperate to improve the quality of life of people, especially vulnerable groups.

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