Seke Project: A Cultural Approach to Addressing HIV, and Women Rights in Southern African Communities
Project title: A cultural approach to addressing HIV, and women rights in southern African communities: community based training in safer sex
Project location: Seke District of Mashonaland East Province, Zimbabwe
Background
A project to reduce the vulnerability of women and girls to HIV in a rural setting by encouraging participation and dialogue among communities in the links between gender, HIV and culture was initiated by SAfAIDS in February 2007. This project direction was identified following research in the country, in Namibia and in Mozambique commissioned by SAfAIDS where it was identified that the patriarchal society which is evident in the entire southern Africa region is a contributory factor in the increase of risk of HIV for women and girls. Although policies and laws are in place to address domestic violence, the practice continues within a cultural context. Many issues of domestic violence are known to emanate from challenging a husband who demands unprotected sex where there is knowledge or evidence of extramarital affairs or sexually transmitted disease. It is within this background that the SAfAIDS in partnership with Seke Rural Home Based Care (SRHBC) a Community Based Organisation undertook this pilot project to test out an intervention to address the situation.
Project objectives
The Seke project sought to increase dialogue and discussion amongst communities, cultural and community leaders on the cultural practices and beliefs that impact on gender, human rights and HIV infection amongst women and girls. It also sought to increase behaviour change within the project site demonstrated by increased condom use and multiple partner reduction. Finally it sought to produce innovative materials that address culture, gender and HIV and AIDS issues.
Following a baseline survey to assess the situation on the ground (link to base line survey report) programme implementation was planned following four main areas of focus. These were -:
- Community dialogues series
- Community behaviour change intervention
- Material development
- Community Gala
Achievements,
Dialogues were held with the women's groups and another set with the men's groups separately at it was difficult for women to discuss issues of sex and sexuality amongst the men initially. Women sited their lack of skills to negotiate for safer sex as a major problem. The men's group were worried about the various laws that made women challenge men such as the legal age of majority now at 18 years from 21 years, and the domestic violence law. Couples meeting were then facilitated by SAfAIDS and SRHBC with the view of improving communication skills and increase the couples' knowledge of their HIV risk, prevention methods, care, support and guidance in the community. Condom training was also conducted for couples to know when and how to use condoms correctly and consistently if so required. The need for voluntary testing and counselling was also highlighted through the trainings. Change committees made up of older people, the custodians of culture were set up to continue the dialogue and mentoring process in the communities within and outside the project life.
A community gala was held on 14th November 2007 with over 500 Seke community members assembling at their district offices to celebrate the project and recap on the issues discuss during the dialogue series and the condom training sessions. The information was now cascaded to the rest of the community by the women and men who attended the trainings and dialogue series and through drama. The gala was full of funfair with a march led by a brass band and drum majorettes with a key address by the Minster of Health and Child Welfare who acknowledged the role culture plays in shaping society with both positives which should be upheld and negatives which should be discouraged. A detailed report for the Gala is available.
Way forward
The Seke project has been a pilot project that is now documented as a good practice and is being replicated in the rest of the country through a national project to ‘ Address the interlinkages between culture, gender-based violence HIV and AIDS and women's rights.' The Seke community itself continues to benefit from a further series of trainings that are on going and work on the ground from the change committees. They are also being considered for documentation as a best practice in a country programme assessing projects that work with women culture, GBV and women's' rights.
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