Visit to the Tariro Project

I’ve been hearing about the Tariro Project ever since I got to Africa University.  Tariro is the Shona word meaning “hope”, and the project is a service project of the Faculty of Health Sciences at Africa University, serving people living with HIV/AIDS and their caregivers.  It’s been in operation for about a year, with offices at Old Mutare Mission within a mile of campus.  The program lasts for about 15 weeks, and is on its third cohort of participants, cohorts ranging in size from 15-18.



The song leader, and Violet, the director of Project Tariro, greeting the DSWC Mission Team

In this project, clients come to the site twice a week (once a week now that it’s crop season and there are more farming duties).  They learn better gardening/farming practices from an agricultural specialist, spend time sewing sanitary pads and infant diapers from old t shirts, and do sewing and bead work that they can sell to earn a little money.  Even more importantly, they support each other emotionally.  They laugh, sing, and are encouraged to be consistent about their anti-retroviral medications.

Project Tariro participants dancing for the DSWC Mission Team

The DSWC mission team visited the Tariro Project last Friday.  Graduates of the earlier cohorts came to participate.  The DSWC group was warmly greeted with song.  There was time together for singing, dancing and prayer.  The lyrics of one of their songs spoke of praising God “for as long as we live”, which especially poignant when sung by people living with HIV/AIDS. 

Some of the Project Tariro participants I talked to

We were served refreshments and had time to interact with some of the Tariro participants individually, and to buy some of their crafts.  The DSWC group had brought a small mountain of old
t shirts to give, and a prayer blanket for the group.  One of the DSWC people talked to the Tariro folks about how we have been covering them in prayer.  The whole experience was very moving.  I have made myself a promise to return to the Tariro Project by myself on a regular day to learn more about how they spend their time.  Expect to see another post about this project later on!

Project Tariro participants singing a song about the vegetables they've grown