About Tariro
Tariro is a grassroots non-profit organization working in Zimbabwe working to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS by educating young women and girls. Founded in 2003, Tariro is registered as a 501(c)(3) organization in the United States and as a trust in Zimbabwe.

Tariro’s work with Zimbabwean girls emphasizes the importance of women’s education and empowerment as an effective response to the AIDS epidemic. According to the Zimbabwe Demographic Health Survey 2015, 70% of new HIV infections are found in adolescent girls. Leaving school puts young women at high risk of contracting HIV in large part because many young women leaving school are turning to prostitution, exposing them to HIV infection.

Zimbabwe is currently experiencing profound economic challenges that have led to significant job losses and unprecedented levels of poverty. Young women in communities affected by HIV/AIDS in Zimbabwe are in extreme jeopardy of dropping out of school due to a lack of financial resources. Dropout rates in 2016 rose significantly, particularly among girls. According to the National Education Profile, 21% of girls are dropping out of school in urban areas like the high-density suburbs of Harare where Tariro works. A staggering 45% of secondary school-aged girls are out of school. Schools have indicated that irregular school attendance is now more common than previously because families can no longer afford tuition and associated educational costs.

Education can reverse this negative cycle. Attending school dramatically reduces the risk that a young Zimbabwean women will become infected with HIV/AIDS. By educating young women, Tariro empowers them to build a future free from poverty and disease.

How did Tariro start?
Tariro was founded in 2003 by two Mount Holyoke College alumnae, Memory Bandera and Jennifer Kyker, in order to address the particular needs of Zimbabwean teenaged girls. Young women are at highest risk for contracting HIV, yet many non-profits operating in Zimbabwe focussed on younger children, leaving teenaged girls without the critical resources they need to obtain an education. In founding Tariro, Memory and Jennifer sought to redress this disparity by providing comprehensive educational support for teenaged girls to enable them to finish a secondary school education.

Tariro today
Since it was founded, Tariro has expanded from a dozen students initially served by the organization to 50 students in 2017. All of our sponsored students have been severely affected by poverty and disease, and many have lost one or both parents to illness. Typically, our girls live with extended family members who serve as their guardians, keeping with traditional practices of caring for orphaned children in Zimbabwean communities. Tariro identifies students for our program by consulting with with community leaders, including headmasters at local schools, church elders, and traditional leaders.

For each of our sponsored students, Tariro provides a comprehensive range of services, including:
– paying for school and examination fees,
– purchasing uniforms and supplies,
– making textbooks available through a lending library,
– offering extra-curricular activities including life-skills workshops,
– participation in Tariro’s traditional music and dance ensemble, and
– home and school visits to check on the well-being of our students.

For more information about Tariro, please review our latest annual report, check out our blog, and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.