Zvandiri

What Zvandiri does

Zvandiri is a Zimbabwe-registered Private Voluntary Organisation (PVO 09/2007), founded in 2004 by young people living with HIV and headquartered in Harare. The organization connects children, adolescents, and young people living with HIV with trained peer counselors known as Community Adolescent Treatment Supporters (CATS) and Young Mentor Mothers (YMMs) to deliver psychosocial support, adherence counseling, mental health screening, sexual and reproductive health guidance, and caregiver engagement across all ten provinces of Zimbabwe. Zvandiri's core technology is Zvandiri Connect, a youth-centered digital health platform built on Dimagi's CommCare system that integrates case files, screening tools, counseling content, referral pathways, and follow-up reminders into a single application for peer providers. The platform is deployed across nine provinces and 480 sites in 43 districts, equipping 950 peer counselors to support more than 60,000 beneficiaries.

Zvandiri's service portfolio extends beyond the CATS/YMM cadre to include the Wakakosha self-stigma intervention (using Inquiry-Based Stress Reduction, co-developed with Beyond Stigma and funded by ViiV Healthcare), the Walking in My Shoes caregiver toolkit, and the Thrive95 systems-strengthening framework — an 8-pillar, 38-standard architecture adopted by 14 African governments to scale and sustain peer-led HIV services. The model has been evaluated through cluster-randomized controlled trials showing reductions in virological failure among adolescents, and a cost-effectiveness decision-analytical model (Magenah et al 2025), with peer-reviewed publications in PLOS ONE, Lancet, BMJ, Frontiers, and AIDS & Behavior.

The organization is funded through a mix of government grants (Zimbabwe Ministry of Health and Child Care, National AIDS Council, Zambia Ministry of Health), international development funding (UNICEF, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation), and pharmaceutical partnerships (ViiV Healthcare). Services are delivered free to beneficiaries. The peer-led model has been adopted in 14-15 African countries, with the recent francophone expansion into Cote d'Ivoire via EGPAF and PNLS signaling continued geographic growth, and Executive Director Nicola Willis was awarded an Ashoka Fellowship in 2026 in recognition of 20+ years of leadership in peer-led HIV support.

Name

Zvandiri

Legal name

Zvandiri

Website

https://zvandiri.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Zvandiri is a Zimbabwe-registered non-profit that connects children, adolescents, and young people living with HIV with trained peer counselors (CATS and Young Mentor Mothers) to deliver psychosocial support, adherence counseling, and mental health screening, operating in all 10 provinces of Zimbabwe with its model adopted across 14-15 African countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Adolescent HIV Peer Support Services

NAICS

Individual and Family Services (6241), Child and Youth Services (62411), Social Assistance (624)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Maternal, Newborn, Child & Adolescent Health (MNCAH) NGOs (HLAJAKAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Maternal, Newborn, Child & Adolescent Health (MNCAH) Partnerships (HLAJAOAG), Youth Mental Health, Counseling & Wellbeing (Education-Linked) Nonprofits (BPAGADAK)

Keywords

• HIV peer support
• Adolescent HIV care
• Psychosocial counseling
• Treatment adherence support
• Digital health platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Harare

HQ country

Zimbabwe

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Government Grants and Support: Financial support from the Government of Zimbabwe through the Ministry of Health and Child Care and the National AIDS Council for programme implementation in Zimbabwe.
2. International Development Funding: Funding from international donors including Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) supporting implementation in countries like Zambia.
3. Pharmaceutical Company Partnerships: Support from pharmaceutical companies including ViiV Healthcare for specific programmes like Wakakosha and operational activities.
4. UNICEF Support: Technical and financial support from UNICEF Zimbabwe for the Young Mentor Mother programme expansion.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Zvandiri connects children, adolescents, and young people living with HIV with trained peer counselors (Community Adolescent Treatment Supporters and Young Mentor Mothers) to deliver psychosocial support, treatment adherence counseling, mental health screening, viral load monitoring support, TB prevention, sexual and reproductive health services, and caregiver engagement. Services are delivered through health facilities, home visits, support groups, and the Zvandiri Connect digital platform across 15 African countries, with the model adopted in 14+ countries via the Thrive95 framework.

Product overview

Zvandiri is a peer-led support organisation offering an integrated portfolio of products and services for children, adolescents, and young people living with HIV. The core offering centres on Zvandiri Connect, a digital health platform built on Dimagi's CommCare system that provides integrated case management for trained peer counsellor cadres (CATS and YMMs). Supporting the digital platform are evidence-based programmes including the Wakakosha self-stigma intervention and the Walking in My Shoes caregiver toolkit. The Thrive95 Framework serves as a systems-strengthening standard adopted across partner countries to scale peer-led HIV services. Together, these products enable delivery of psychosocial support, mental health screening, adherence counselling, and referral services at scale across 15 African countries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Zvandiri Connect Youth-centred digital health platform built on Dimagi's CommCare system that provides integrated digital case management for peer counsellors (CATS and YMMs), combining tools, counseling workflows, screening tools, referral pathways, and follow-up reminders in a single application, deployed across 9 provinces supporting 950 peer counselors and 60,000+ beneficiaries.
• Community Adolescent Treatment Supporters (CATS) Programme Trained peer counsellor cadre of young people living with HIV who provide psychosocial support, adherence counselling, mental health screening, viral load monitoring support, and mentorship to their peers across health facilities and communities in Zimbabwe and 14 other African countries.
• Young Mentor Mothers (YMMs) Programme Programme in which trained young mothers aged 15-24 living with HIV provide health education, psychosocial support, and guidance on sexual and reproductive health to pregnant and breastfeeding adolescents and young women, including those who are HIV-free.
• Wakakosha Self-Stigma Intervention Peer-led self-stigma intervention using Inquiry-Based Stress Reduction (IBSR), meaning 'You are worth it' in Shona, designed to reduce self-stigma and improve self-worth among young people living with HIV.
• Walking in My Shoes Toolkit Caregiver support toolkit comprising 3 animations in English, Shona and Ndebele, an instruction guide, and demonstration videos designed to help caregivers engage in conversations about caring for young people living with HIV, covering disclosure, adherence, and stigma.
• Thrive95 Framework Systems-strengthening framework with 8 pillars and 38 standards designed to support governments in scaling and sustaining peer provider services for children and adolescents living with HIV across African countries, adopted in 14 African countries.

Quantifiable outcome

• 301,743 children and young people supported by 7,826 peer counselors in 15 countries
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Dimagi (CommCare)coreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2024Zvandiri Connect was built on Dimagi's CommCare system, a digital health platform that provides the infrastructure for case management, screening tools, counseling workflows, and data collection for peer counselors.
• Beyond StigmacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-development partner for the Wakakosha self-stigma intervention using Inquiry-Based Stress Reduction (IBSR). Beyond Stigma developed the course methodology while Zvandiri adapted it for young people living with HIV. The partnership has produced peer-reviewed evidence published in Frontiers.
• Ministry of Health and Child Care (Zimbabwe)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment partner providing leadership for adolescent HIV care, financial support, and integration of the Zvandiri model into national health systems across all 10 provinces.
• National AIDS Council (Zimbabwe)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment partner supporting adolescent HIV programming, coordination, and integration of peer-led services into national HIV response.
• EGPAF (Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerImplementing partner in Cote d'Ivoire, the first francophone nation to adapt the Zvandiri model. EGPAF is accredited to implement the programme in collaboration with PNLS.
• Programme National de Lutte contre le Sida (PNLS) - Cote d'IvoirecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational AIDS Control Program of Cote d'Ivoire partnering to adapt and implement the Zvandiri model in the francophone setting.
• Ministry of Health ZambiacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment partner working to transition the CATS programme to full government ownership with support from SDC and Zvandiri.
• Thrive95 NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional network of 14 African countries working to scale peer provider services for children and adolescents living with HIV, coordinated through a shared framework and annual reviews.
• Zimbabwe Young Positives (ZY+)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork of young people living with HIV collaborating on advocacy and programme delivery for integrated mental health and HIV care.
• READY+ ProgrammeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in youth-led mental health workshop contributing to discussions on integrated HIV care approaches.
• Regional Psychosocial Support Initiative (REPSSI)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner contributing expertise to youth-led workshop on mental health integration into HIV care.
• ZimPAAC ConsortiumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConsortium including ZIMTTECH, Friendship Bench, Padare, and Pangea Zimbabwe working together on HIV and mental health integration, hosting technical learning exchanges.
• I-TECH NamibiaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechnical partner from Namibia participating in learning exchange on integrating mental health support into HIV services.

Scale indicators15 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Y+ Global: Global network of young people living with HIV advocating for adolescent and youth HIV responses; comparable as a peer-led, youth-driven organisation addressing the same beneficiary population, though primarily an advocacy rather than service delivery body.

Direct peers

• Sentebale: Focused on the health and wellbeing of children and young people affected by HIV in Southern Africa, including peer-led psychosocial support — directly comparable to Zvandiri's peer counsellor model and geographic overlap.
• Grassroot Soccer: Uses sport-based, peer-led approaches to deliver HIV prevention, testing and treatment adherence support to adolescents in Sub-Saharan Africa; overlaps with Zvandiri's peer-led adherence and disclosure support for young people living with HIV.
• mothers2mothers: Sub-Saharan African NGO employing a peer mentor model to support HIV-positive mothers and their families, closely paralleling Zvandiri's CATS and YMM cadres; both organisations operate across multiple African countries with government and donor partnerships.
• Regional Psychosocial Support Initiative (REPSSI): African organisation focused on psychosocial support for children and adolescents affected by HIV, poverty and conflict; closely mirrors Zvandiri's mental health and psychosocial support integration and has partnered with Zvandiri on related work.
• Paediatric-Adolescent Treatment Africa (PATA): African network focused on improving paediatric and adolescent HIV treatment, care and support through peer learning and clinic-community linkages — directly comparable to Zvandiri's focus on adolescent HIV outcomes across the region.

Regional players

• Kheth'Impilo: South African NGO delivering community-based HIV/TB and paediatric HIV programmes including adherence support and mentor mother models; comparable in service model and community health worker approach to Zvandiri's CATS programme.

Broad incumbents

• Aidsfonds: Dutch-based international NGO funding and operating HIV programmes for key populations including children and adolescents; comparable as a larger, established peer in the same global HIV advocacy and service delivery space.
• Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation (EGPAF): Major US-headquartered foundation delivering paediatric and adolescent HIV programmes across Africa; comparable as a larger, established actor that already partners with Zvandiri (e.g. in Cote d'Ivoire) and shares the paediatric HIV mission.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/zvandiri
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@zvandiri
• Facebookfacebook.com/zvandiri
• Instagraminstagram.com/zvandiri

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Zvandiri