We are ZVANDIRI!

We are delighted to share with you that the Government of Zimbabwe’s Private Voluntary Board has approved our request to change our organisational name from Africaid to Zvandiri. This name change is the result of a series of consultations and strategic planning with our Board, staff and young people.

Our journey began in 2004 when a young girl Simbisai told us that ‘HIV medicines alone are not enough’. Simbisai and other children and adolescents wanted safe spaces where they could come together to learn and grow as young people living with HIV, with integrated support for their mental health and psychosocial well-being. The first support group was named ‘Zvandiri’ by a young girl Amanda who also designed the logo.

Over the years, that first Zvandiri support group has evolved in partnership with the Government of Zimbabwe, young people and our funding partners into an evidence-based, differentiated service delivery model supporting 96,000 children, adolescents and young people living with HIV. Led by 3000 Community Adolescent Treatment Supporters (CATS), Young Mentor Mothers (YMMs) and Young Mentor Dads (YMDs), Zvandiri has been adopted and scaled across Zimbabwe and has now been replicated in 10 countries in the region.

Programme and research data confirm improved HIV, mental health, SRH and protection outcomes for adolescents supported by Zvandiri. 18 years later, that first Zvandiri support group has become the name for everything we do and aspire for, embodying our story, purpose and vision. So it seemed only fitting to formalise this by adopting Zvandiri as our organisational name. We have of course kept our logo – the same story and message – but have updated the design. As part of this process, we have updated our website to reflect our name change and story. We really hope you enjoy it .

You can watch a short video about Zvandiri and  also find our annual report here

We thank everyone who has played such a huge role in supporting this          re-branding process and our journey over the last 18 years, from Government, our partners and, most of all, the young people of Zvandiri whose story and vision lives on in this next chapter.