MILLICENT HUNGWE
The Determined, Resilient, Empowered, AIDS-free, Mentored, and Safe (DREAMS) program, run by the National AIDS Council (NAC), is not only keeping girls in school but is also creating much-needed employment in rural communities like Chibwedziva High School in ward 6 under chief Masivamele, Chiredzi District.
Thanks to DREAMS funding, the school has been able to employ two workers to manage its income-generating projects.
One of the workers, Tatenda Albert Serima, expressed gratitude for the initiative, “We are happy with the DREAMS program, it has created employment and helped us change our family’s living conditions.
“We work on 3.5 hectares of land, planting mealie cobs, vegetables, beans, and tomatoes for resale.
“The school projects include green farming, poultry farming (layers), egg selling, and goat farming.”
The school, once dependent on government feeding schemes, is now self-sufficient producing excess food like eggs, goats, vegetables, and grains, which are sold to support school operations and used for school feeding schemes.
According to the NAC District AIDS Coordinator Peter Nyakudya, these developments are the result of DREAMS sponsoring school fees for 31 students at Chibwedziva.
“This support freed the school to focus on sustainable growth, which includes livestock farming, recently, the school sold 30 goats and still has 65 remaining, all managed through its internal projects,” he added.
“NAC, working with the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, identifies schools with high dropout rates and supports them by covering school fees, uniforms, stationery, and exam costs,” the coordinator explained. “The goal is to create an AIDS-free generation through education and empowerment.”
In Chiredzi District alone, over 1,000 girl learners have benefited from the DREAMS program.
Deputy Head Benjamin Machwaire credited the program with increasing enrollment at the school.
“We’ve seen a huge rise in the number of girls coming to school. DREAMS has removed the financial barriers that once stood in their way,” he said.
NAC Teacher Mentor, Passmore Rima told the press that DREAMS program is proving to be more than an HIV prevention strategy it’s a catalyst for employment, education, and economic empowerment in communities that need it most.
