Why youth participation is crucial to MSF’s work in Mbare, Zimbabwe

He does not carry this responsibility alone.

Thompson is a member of an adolescents advisory committee that is an integral part of the Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) adolescent and youth sexual and reproductive health program in Zimbabwe. Together with a small group of peers, Thompson helps MSF respond to the real needs of adolescents — including sexual and reproductive health, mental health, and general medical care — in Mbare and two other Harare suburbs, Matapi and Epworth.

Young people in Zimbabwe are often feel discouraged from seeking essential sexual and reproductive health services due to stigma, fear of judgment, lack of confidentiality, and limited youth-friendly spaces. Through this adolescents advisory committee, young people are not just patients but active partners in shaping adolescent-friendly care. Their input has helped improve services and ensure they are relevant, appropriate, and meet the needs of young people. 

Centering adolescents to meet their needs

Launched in 2024, the 12-member adolescents advisory committee reflects the diversity of Zimbabwe’s youth: teen mothers, young people who formerly used drugs, young sex workers, and students. This allows for perspectives that mirror the realities faced by adolescents across the country.

Beyond formal meetings, members engage with other organizations, share their experiences, and use social platforms like WhatsApp to update peers and mobilize young people during outreach activities.

“We are the voice of young people in the project,” says Thompson. “As young people and members of this community, we know the hotspots. We are best placed to advise MSF.”

The committee acts as a bridge between clinics and the community, ensuring adolescents understand that services are free and accessible, and dispelling the misperception that people must pay to access MSF services. 

The Mbare clinic offers all key HIV services under one roof — including testing, counseling, treatment initiation, viral load monitoring, and psychosocial support — while the Matapi and Epworth youth hubs are peer-led, less medicalized spaces offering social interaction, internet access, group health education, and HIV screening and testing. 

A game-changer for youth seeking care

The project has become a game-changer for adolescents in the communities involved, allowing them to receive timely, stigma-free care that suits their realities, while encouraging long-term adherence to treatment. For example, one of the committee’s key recommendations was the introduction of after-hours activities to reach adolescents who could not attend daytime sessions. Since then, more young people have been able to access services.  

“We are the ears of MSF,” Thompson says. “We inform them what works and what does not.”

For adolescents like Yvonne, a patient at Mbare Adolescent Friendly Clinic, the impact is visible. She speaks confidently about her health and future, something she attributes to the supportive environment at the clinic.

“We collect our medication without supply issues,” she explains. “While waiting, we receive health education and have time to play games. The staff are friendly, and the volunteers understand our needs.”

Beyond HIV care, the clinics offers several other services as part of the health package for adolescents.

“We get pads, contraceptives, condoms, and treatment for other illnesses, even those not related to sexual and reproductive health,” she adds. “I feel free to visit the clinic anytime.”

Nelson, now 22, began accessing services in Mbare in December 2023. Born HIV positive, he previously received medication from another facility.

“In other clinics, you are mixed with everyone — different ages, different needs,” he says. “Here, we have a clinic of our own. And the services are free.”

What stands out most to Nelson is the peer support offered by the program: “This clinic makes it easier for adolescents to support each other because we meet here.”

For Mirabelle Gavi, serving on the committee strengthens her advocacy work on sexual and reproductive health, youth empowerment, and substance use.

“Speaking out on issues without services is meaningless,” she says. “People will not take you seriously.”

Mirabelle, who is also a junior member of parliament and former junior mayor, is in her final year at Epworth High School. She regularly refers peers and community members to MSF services, and raised concerns about Solani, a hotspot area in Epworth that peer educators were not reaching. MSF responded by deploying outreach teams.

“That made me feel proud, happy, and honored to be part of the committee,” she says. 

Tangible results in youth health care access

In 2025 alone, MSF-supported services at three sites in Mbare, Matapi, and Epworth recorded 10,622 adolescent consultations — a significant increase from 2024 and 2023, which saw 8,481 and 7,907 consultations, respectively. Adolescents aged 15-19 accounted for the largest share in 2025, with 4,732 consultations.  

During the same period, MSF worked with trained peer educators and advisory committee members to help identify where young people frequent and where support is most needed. Through this outreach initiative, the team reached 24,475 adolescents in the community, and 25,943 more in health facilities through. 

To further strengthen community participation, MSF also introduced suggestion boxes and patient feedback surveys. Committee members review and discuss this feedback with MSF teams, helping to guide decision-making and improve services.

Currently, MSF is supporting adolescent-friendly services in three locations: the nurse-led, fully medicalized Mbare Adolescent Friendly Clinic; the peer-led Matapi Youth Hub, supported by a nurse and social worker from Mbare; and the peer-led Epworth Youth Center, supported by a nurse and a social worker three days per week.