Strengthening Zimbabwe’s Lifeline for Survivors of Sexual Violence

The Adult Rape Clinic (ARC) is Zimbabwe’s leading specialist institution for comprehensive post-rape care, supporting more than 2,500 survivors annually, with 85% being children. For these minors, many abused by relatives, caregivers, neighbours, or community authority figures, access to immediate, structured, and compassionate care is the difference between life-threatening trauma and the possibility of healing. ARC seeks USD 1,000,000 annually to deliver high-quality, multisectoral services so that every survivor can access medical care, mental health support, justice pathways, and long-term safety. A single child survivor requires an integrated package of services that begins the moment they attempt to access help. Transport alone can prevent a survivor from reaching the clinic; for $4, ARC provides transport support to safely bring a child and caregiver to the nearest centre. Once at the clinic, $0.50 provides a pregnancy test, $2 enables HIV and STI rapid screening, and $10 covers urgent post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) to prevent HIV, STIs, and pregnancy. If pregnant, an ultrasound scan for $20 is essential for gestational age assessment and clinical decision-making. Survivors in shock often arrive hungry or dehydrated; $1 ensures they receive basic refreshments during their visit. Healing extends far beyond the first clinical touchpoint. ARC delivers trauma-informed counselling and play therapy to groups of 15 children for $150, creating safe spaces where abused minors can regain emotional stability. For adolescents and adults, therapeutic support groups costing $200 per session help survivors rebuild confidence, reduce isolation, and restore dignity. Virtual counselling, costing $0.50 per session, extends care to children and adult survivors in unsafe homes or remote rural areas where travel is prohibitive. ARC also addresses the economic vulnerabilities that compromise survivor’s safety. Many caregivers, often single mothers or grandmothers, struggle financially, making it difficult to follow through with justice processes, medical reviews, ongoing counselling or basic livelihood needs to prevent risk of sexual exploitation. For $10, ARC provides dignity kits containing essential hygiene items. For $100, ARC equips four survivors or caregivers to launch joint income-generating activities, reducing dependence on perpetrators and enhancing long-term protection. School and community outreach sessions delivered for $50 per session, educate thousands of children on consent, bodily autonomy, reporting pathways, and prevention of sexual violence. A USD 1,000,000 annual budget ensures ARC can scale these lifesaving interventions across its five static sites and two outreach districts, expand mobile clinical services, maintain a specialist multidisciplinary workforce, and deliver economic empowerment initiatives for long-term resilience. With a lean structure, robust governance, and nationwide partnerships, ARC ensures exceptional value for money, transforming modest contributions into measurable protection, justice, and healing. Funding ARC is an investment in safeguarding children and adult survivors, strengthening systems, and breaking the cycle of sexual violence. It is an opportunity to create a future where every survivor is seen, protected, and supported to reclaim safety and dignity.