Switzerland aims to improve health and psychosocial outcomes for adolescents and young people infected with HIV through support to the Zvandiri peer-to-peer programme. Peer interventions positively influence HIV testing rates, treatment uptake, retention in care and viral suppression. This programme is integrated within and seeks to strengthen the public health system. SDC will partner with Africaid, the primary government partner for this approach, and support Africaid’s ambitions to expand the model to Zambia.

01.11.2021 - 31.10.2025

African Risk Capacity Programmes in Zambia and Zimbabwe

01.11.2021 - 31.10.2026

This programme will contribute towards strengthening national systems for disaster preparedness through support to drought insurance premiums and capacity building. Switzerland is thus consolidating its engagement in climate change mitigation and disasters risk reduction with the aim to sustainably minimize risk to loss of lives and assets for vulnerable men and women. The Africa Risk Capacity, a specialized agency of the Africa Union, will implement this programme. 

Enabling development through landmine clearance in the Sengwe Wildlife Corridor

01.11.2021 - 31.10.2023

Switzerland will contribute to achieve Zimbabwe’s 2025 landmine-free deadline by supporting a demining operation in the Sengwe Wildlife Corridor. The project implemented by APOPO seeks to return 84% of the remaining suspected contaminated area to local communities which will be used for agricultural development, ecotourism, and conservation, as well as to provide mine risk education so that food security is enhanced, general wellbeing is improved, and accidents are avoided.

Rural Resilience in Southern Africa / R4 Initiative

01.07.2021 - 30.06.2025

The R4 Rural Resilience Initiative for Southern Africa enables smallholder farmers’ adaptation to climate risk through improved resource management, insurance, livelihoods diversification, microcredit and savings. Through R4, Switzerland has become a credible and trusted partner in resilience building and its learnings have fed into policy dialogue. The emphasis of this final phase is on strengthening government and private sector, as well as the gender approach.  

Urban Food Security and Resilience Building programme

15.10.2020 - 31.10.2024

Drawing on learnings by Switzerland in rural areas in Zimbabwe, this program addresses food insecurity in 3 secondary cities through a contribution to a World Food Programme initiative that combines humanitarian and resilience building solutions. Focused on the latter, this contribution provides food insecure urban people a comprehensive support including skills, finance and market linkages aimed at more gainful agriculture. It also supports the coordination and strengthening of related stakeholders, including policy makers.  

O3+ Our Rights, Our Lives, Our Future

01.10.2020 - 14.09.2025

This project uses targeted interventions in post-secondary educational institutions in Zambia and Zimbabwe to improve access to sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) among 18-24 year-olds. Working with UNESCO and Ministries of Higher and Tertiary Education, the project brings Switzerland’s lengthy experience in the HIV/SRHR field to bear by targeting an often neglected cohort of young people with tailored interventions to reduce HIV infections, unintended pregnancies, and gender-based violence. 

RPSA COVID-19 Response

01.05.2020 - 31.12.2020

SDC will provide to Zambia, Lesotho, Tanzania, Zimbabwe and Mozambique urgent assistance to support health facilities to cope with COVID-19 pandemic. In Zimbabwe, it will also help the food aid delivery system by increasing distribution points so that safety conditions are respected. By Investing in a strong COVID-19 response as a first mover, SDC safeguards its previous investments and long-term development outcomes in these countries. 

Strengthening institutional capacity for treatment and care for HIV/AIDS patients

01.01.2020 - 31.12.2023

Ruedi Luethy Foundation (RLF) uses a nurse-led and doctor-supervised approach to provide comprehensive care and treatment to HIV patients. Through its Newlands Clinic Training Centre (NCTC), human capital in Southern Africa for Opportunistic Infections/Anti-Retroviral Therapy (OI/ART) management is strengthened and mortality due to AIDS related illnesses is reduced. RLF is a pillar of best practice in HIV management and care and the single biggest contributor to Swiss visibility within the local context. 

Safeguard Young People – Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights

01.01.2020 - 30.06.2023

The UNFPA Safeguard Young People programme contributes to the reduction of HIV infections and improved sexual and reproductive health and rights of young people (aged 10-24) in eight Southern African countries. It supports the adoption, domestication and implementation of regional policies and helps increase young people’s knowledge, skills, agency, and equitable access to integrated HIV/SRHR services. The SYP leverages one of Switzerland’s 15 priority multilateral organizations to achieve the Swiss goal of wide regional impact.

Menstrual Health Management (MHM)

15.09.2019 - 31.12.2021

Despite being the majority, young people have the worst HIV outcomes. Evidence-based, demographic and context-adapted responses are essential if ending AIDS by 2030 is to be attained. Proposed is a population level study to determine the impact of a comprehensive community based package of HIV services with a nested sub-study on Menstrual Health Management (MHM). Even though it is often neglected, MHM is crucial for women’s social inclusion, health and gender equality

Strengthening Agro-biodiversity in Southern Africa (SASA)

01.09.2019 - 31.12.2023

While governments have regional and national seed policies favourable to commercial certified seed production, these are restrictive on farmers’ seed systems that are diverse and resilient. The project capitalises on Swiss regional experiences on supporting seed systems in Southern Africa. This will include the empowerment of civil society, farmers’ organisations and governments in developing inclusive agricultural policies that ultimately contribute to sustainable use of agricultural biodiversity and improved well-being of smallholder farming communities.

Accountability in Health & Agriculture

01.07.2019 - 31.12.2024

While governments have translated regional policies on Food Security and Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) into national policies, these are poorly implemented and the public lacks capacities to act effectively upon them. The project will improve the accountability and gender responsiveness of public resource management and complement the ongoing Swiss funded projects in ensuring that policy/advocacy work developed at national, regional and global levels is disseminated and implemented by relevant SADC and governmental institutions.