In May 2026, Tonata PLHIV Network conducted four AGYW conferences across the Zambezi Region, reaching 119 out-of-school girls in Kabbe North, Linyanti, Kongola, and Katima Rural constituencies. Held in flood displacement camps, remote rural villages, and peri-urban settlements, the conferences created structured spaces for young women to speak openly about HIV, gender-based violence, sexual and reproductive health, and the social conditions shaping their vulnerability.
Many of the participants did not know their HIV status, citing fear of confidentiality breaches by health workers as a key barrier to testing. Knowledge of PrEP and PEP was limited, and access even more so. GBV was consistently reported but rarely through formal channels, with participants citing fear of retaliation and concern for their marriages. At the Kongola conference, a traditional leader opened the proceedings and affirmed his role as a community health focal person—reflecting Tonata’s broader approach of embedding local leadership within community health outreach. In Bukalo, PLHIV spoke openly about their treatment, challenging peers to remain adherent, while also calling out a persistent myth that ARVs cause infertility—a misconception Tonata’s mobilizer addressed directly on site.
The conferences generated clear, community-driven demands: integrated HIV testing and CECAP screening at future outreach events, male engagement programming on alcohol and GBV, and advocacy for social protection schemes to reach remote communities. These voices now directly inform Tonata’s follow-up programming across Zambezi. These conferences demonstrate what becomes possible when community health programming meets people where they are—in flood camps, remote villages, and underserved constituencies where formal health systems rarely reach. Through dialogue, Tonata’s field mobilizers create the conditions for young people to speak honestly about their lives, fears, and needs. The issues surfaced are the direct evidence base driving Tonata’s advocacy, shaping its programming, and reinforcing why community-led outreach remains irreplaceable in Namibia’s HIV and GBV response.