My Sexual Health My Right

Tanzania-Zanzibar is divided into two islands which are Unguja and Pemba and these islands have a total of five (5) regions and eleven (11) districts with a total population of One Million Eight Thousand Eighty-Nine Hundred Seventy-Three (1,889,773) due to the statistics of the Census held in August 2022.

On the part of the island of Zanzibar, there has been an interaction of adolescent and young women from different places, a situation that leads to an increase in the collapse of morals with many of them getting involved in the epidemic of drug use.  This situation leads many  to be at high risk of contracting infectious diseases as well as reproductive health problems.

 The biggest challenge that leads to all this is that many adolescent and young women aged 18 - 35 lack proper education about the importance of their health, including reproductive health, the effects of drug use and various infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis.

According to the 2020-2022 IBBSS the HIV prevalence among adolescent and young women aged 18 - 35  who sell sex in Zanzibar is 19.3% while the prevalence of HBV is 2.2%; HCV is 1.6%; and Syphilis – 3.1%. The highest HIV prevalence was found among 20-24 year olds (25.7%), followed by 30-34 year olds (23.9%), and those 35 years and older (19.2%). The lowest HIV prevalence was among the youngest age group, 15-19 years (3.9%). HIV prevalence was higher among people who sell sex who started selling sex at older ages.

Adolescent and young women aged 18 - 35  who sell sex in Zanzibar report multiple risk behaviours for HIV and SRHR acquisition / transmission. In the 2020- 2022 IBBSS the majority of adolescent and young women aged 18 - 35  who sell sex reported having one, two, three or four clients on their last day of sex work (29.3%, 23.9%, 24.6% and 22.2% respectively). The median number of sex clients served on the last day of work was two. The majority of people who sell sex (63.7%) reported having more than 10 sexual partners in the past month, with 21.3% reporting 31 or more.

It is upon this factors, ZAYDEO which is adolescent and young women aged 18 - 35 in Tanzania Zanzibar, want to use this grant to address the sexual reproductive health challeges.Z

ZAYDEO will address the above challenges with the following solutions:

The mission shall be is to uphold the voice of adolescent girls and young sex workers in Zanzibar (18 - 35) and connect for the Sexual Reproductive health rights services uptake of sex workers including those using drugs.

Project goal shall be:

To expand and promote access of Sexual Reproductive Health Right services in a safer environment without stigma and discrimination basing on sex, gender, risky behavior , race, country of origin among Sex Worker Community.

Specific objectives are

• To Enhance safe environment against health and SRHR related rights violations affecting 
• To empower the society that understands, promotes and protects the health and SRHR related human rights of adolescent girls and young women sex worker in Zanzibar
• To promote, advocate and support for improved community health service delivery system that is accessible to sex worker in Zanzibar

STRATEGIC INTERVENTIONS AS PER OBJECTIVE

OBJECTIVE ONE: TO ENHANCE SAFE ENVIRONMENT AGAINST HEALTH AND SRHR RELATED RIGHTS VIOLATIONS AFFECTING SEX WORKER COMMUNITY.

INTERVENTIONS SHALL INCLUDES

• Conduct mapping and assessment to understand the reality life of sex worker in Zanzibar.
• Awareness sessions on mental health issues of life skills, safety & security and family planning, SRHR and HIV of Sex worker
• Conduct paralegal training to adolescent girls and young women sex worker leaders that is linked to access in Health and SRHR related Human Right Services
• Campaigns for the rights and dignity of SW, access to justice and linkages to other services.

OBJECTIVE TWO: TO EMPOWER THE SOCIETY THAT UNDERSTANDS, PROMOTES AND PROTECTS THE HEALTH AND SRHR RELATED HUMAN RIGHTS OF SEX WORKER IN ZANZIBAR

• Map out non-SW Community support groups and build capacity for them to support adolescent girls and young women sex worker leaders to have adequate knowledge of their health and SRHR related services in their local hotspots
• Support SW community members to conduct session with focus to the following stakeholders (parents, guardian, religious leaders, community leaders and influential in different hotspots)
• Mentor community psychosocial counsellors to provide mental health at community level where adolescent girls and young women sex worker leaders congregate.

OBJECTIVE THREE: TO PROMOTE, ADVOCATE AND SUPPORT FOR IMPROVED COMMUNITY HEALTH SERVICE DELIVERY SYSTEM THAT IS ACCESSIBLE TO SEX WORKER IN ZANZIBAR

• Advocate to the government for scaling up delivery of integrated HIV and SRH services at community level
• conduct sensitization and demand generation for increased uptake of prevention services among adolescent girls and young women sex worker by using both online and physical outreach
• support distribution of preventive commodities (condoms, family planning services)
• support referral to other related HIV and SRH services (prevention and treatment)
• sensitize adolescent girls and young women sex worker on stigma and discrimination which shall increase uptake of HIV and SRHR related services
• Conduct awareness campaign of family planning methods among adolescent girls and young women sex worker in their hotspots
• Develop and distribute after printing SRH services prevention messages for adolescent girls and young women sex workers.

 

The solution will direct reach 1500 adolescent girls and young women are sex workers and the following are the results:

• More and well safe environment against health and SRHR related human rights for 1500 adolescent girls and young women are sex workers Community in Zanzibar
• Enhanced knowledge to the society that understands, promotes and protects the health and SRHR related services of all including 1500 adolescent girls and young women are sex workers  Community.
• Improved health service delivery system that is accessible to all and respects, promotes, protects human rights especially for persons infected or affected by SRHR issues. 

ZAYDEO is a young sex workers led organization which has gain experience to operate in zanzibar Tanzania for more than five years. The following are the strength which prove our ability to deliver the solution.

On delivering services to young sex workers; ZAYDEO has managed to conduct community meetings with more than 800 SW discussing different topics like Human Rights, Social Behavior Communication Change information related to HIV, SRHR, STI, Methadone services including making referrals to correlated services

At Advocacy level ZAYDEO has participated in Gender Based Assessment at national level and amplify the voice of SW to access; participated in Global Fund Funding Request of 2023; attending IBBS interviews.

In networking; ZAYDEO is active member of KVP Forum Zanzibar, Tanzania SOGIE Coalition. The benefits that are perceived to be associated with network are plentiful such as increased access to information; expertise and financial resources; increased efficiency; a multiplier effect, which increases the reach and impact available to SW community; solidarity and support; and increased visibility of SW issues, best practices, and underrepresented groups.

On side of safety and security networking have perceived benefits are such risk mitigation, reduced isolation, and increased credibility, particularly for developing NGOs. 

800 Adolescent girls and young women who are sex workers

The solution is innovative because:

1. Nature of Zanzibar is islamic religion in nature where adolescent girls can meet in nearby sheikh venues. These venues we normally use them to empower community. So we will use the same strategy to empower community without any interference.

The impact goals are

- Improved tendency of adolescent girls and young women to access SRHR services in their local areas.

- Reduction of SRHR risky behaviror

- better family SRHR health

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The implementation of above activities will have the following tangible output and outcome that will have impact on the problem.

SW areas have mapped

Targeted Adolescent and young SW are aware of mental health and SRHR services

Adolescent and youngPeers well equipped with SRHR  literacy skills

Trained Adolescent and young SW on Human Right

Trained Adolescent and young SW are able to redress violations within the justice systems

Health care providers at community level have skills to provide friendly services

Developed documentation report

Adolescent and young SW have been economically support and are able to adhere on service uptake

SW hotspot leaders have skills to empower important stakeholders in their local areas

Psychosocial counsellors have stigma and discrimination knowledge with mental health skills

HIV and SRHR with drug abuse services is available in comprehensive content

More risky hotspot are identified for increase uptake of services

Condom and SRHR preventive commodities are available to SW hotspots

SW are aware of friendly referral mechanism

Decrease risk behavior and self stigma among Adolescent and young SW

Adolescent and young SW are able to attend STI services

Adolescent and young SW are aware of family planning and overdose for those using drugs

Adolescent and young SRHR targeted messages in place

Gender based desk is able to capture GBV in SW hotspot

SW have knowledge on HIV and SRHR risk related behavior

SW using drugs have linked to nearby Methadone clinic

12 Full time staff and 20 volunteers

5 years

ZYDEO normally consider diversity when implementing different programs. 

Diversity for us means the practice or quality of including or involving people from a range of different social and ethnic backgrounds and of different genders, sexual orientations. while Equity, inclusion and Learning is the process of acquiring new understanding, knowledge, behaviors, skills, values, attitudes, and preferences.