Volunteers in Zimbabwe work to support young people on issues affecting health and wellbeing.
Volunteers in Zimbabwe are based in either Harare or Chimaninani district.
Supporting health initiatives
Zimbabwe has some of the highest rates of HIV in the world. Rates are in decline, but for young people these rates are not falling fast enough. Sexual health information is not reaching young people early enough – or at all. Restless Development projects address this problem directly.
Volunteers increase understanding of sexual health among communities where they work – specifically with young people. Activities include delivering HIV and AIDS sessions in school, training teachers and nurses in youth friendly services, and providing information and services to in and out of school youth on HIV and AIDS.
Volunteers also support the activities of AIDS action clubs to help raise awareness, provide information on family planning, and support young people to make clinic appointments.
Helping people to provide for themselves and their families
Life can be hard for young people in Zimbabwe. There is a lot of pressure to drop out of school early to help provide for their families, yet opportunities are few and far between, with some resorting to commercial sex work as a means of survival.
Restless Development run projects that work to improve the opportunities for young people to earn a decent living and provide a stable income for themselves and their family. This includes helping young people develop proposals for income generation projects, and planning and helping to deliver careers fairs.
Living in Zimbabwe
All volunteers in Zimbabwe stay with host families. Food is provided and will be local. A common dish is sadza, a stiff maize meal which can be rolled into a ball and dipped into meat, sauce, gravy, sour milk, or stewed vegetables.
