Zimbabwean stories of "Best Practice" - SAfAIDS

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5.6 Lessons learntThe richness of the project and successes gained have also brought to the fore critical learning points,which will add value to future planning of similar projects targeting communities using the dialogue seriesapproach.Some key lessons learnt:• Holding pre-project implementation consultative meetings with the community is critical. This processensures that community and target beneficiary needs are being met and project elements can berolled out in congruence with community needs and the environmental dynamics, rather than imposingthe project.• It was important to engage with the community leadership, who included chiefs, traditional healersand headmen. Without this initial and continued support, it seems unlikely that the project wouldhave been successful.• Working with partners who have a good reputation and who are able to conduct their activitiestransparently is key to the success of an intervention. The success of this project was due in part tothe fact that both SAfAIDS and Seke Rural were able to maintain their reputations as efficient, effectiveorganisations, exhibiting integrity in their practice.• Implementers need to leave behind their personal prejudices and keep an open mind. This was notonly an ethical requirement but also a practical consideration because, if the communities had suspectedthey were being manipulated, they would most likely have withdrawn their support. For example, animplementer might have personal views against polygamy, but would need to respect a chief whoinsists polygamy is a valid practice, but agrees to being tested, along with his wives. The implementerstherefore did not simply 'preach' to the community. They provided relevant, up-to-date informationand facilitated the community dialogues to enable community members to take this information,apply it to current cultural practice, and arrive at their own solutions.• Meeting separately with key players, such as the community leadership, followed by the women, thenthe men, and finally bringing them all together, was a vital strategy. It gave the women especially thespace to share their views and enabled a consensus of views from the men and women to be sharedwithout any one individual having to risk exposure.• It was important to avoid blame or siding with one group over another. Initially, both sexes tendedto blame each other. The Culture Dialogue Series was able to reduce this pattern by allowing bothsexes to hear the other side's grievances. It was also important for the success of the project that themen did not feel they were being singled out as the primary problem, or that their position in societywas being threatened.• The importance of documentation cannot be over-emphasised. The process of documenting thisproject allowed a feedback loop in which challenges, as well as windows for improved implementation,were immediately noticed and addressed. It also enables a more proactive approach to fundraisingfor project sustainability, and facilitates the replication of the project nation-wide.33
5.7 Way forwardSeke Rural hopes to continue the Cultural Dialogue Series project and offer it to the other wards in Seke.At the moment, only eight out of the 21 wards have benefited. There is great demand for the servicesoffered by this project and several headmen revealed in the FGDs and in interviews that it was importantfor the other wards to be offered this service. The benefits of the project were not in doubt, hence itspopularity. A member of the Seke Rural management expressed his determination to "try to solve problemswith the community together - putting the community in front - conducting workshops behind."For SAfAIDS, the way forward lies in scaling up the project to national and regional level. SAfAIDS plansto use the training manual on Gender, Culture and HIV and AIDS and other materials now called the"Changing the River's Flow Series" to support this effort. SAfAIDS has secured funding to implement theproject in five countries in the region through local partners. This manual is already the basis of a trainingprogramme in which SAfAIDS has begun train-the-trainer workshops for other organisations around theissue of gender and culture. Some of these organisations have been chosen to carry out training on theirown, with their staff and other local partners. SAfAIDS is also planning to facilitate a widespread disseminationof the lessons it has learnt in developing and implementing the Culture Dialogue Series.5.8 ConclusionThe success of this project is remarkable given that it started as a simple, though innovative, idea. Not onlyhas it witnessed change and improved lifestyles and practices among community members, it has also doneso at national and regional level, thus this project looks set to change the culture of HIV interventions inAfrica as it seems well positioned to revolutionise mainstreaming of culture and gender issues into all HIVproject activities and vice versa.34
Page 5 and 6: ACKNOWLEDGMENTSOxfam International
Page 7 and 8: 1. INTRODUCTION TO THIS BEST PRACTI
Page 9 and 10: SADC's HIV and AIDS Strategic Frame
Page 11 and 12: 2. PROJECT OVERVIEW2.1 BackgroundIn
Page 13 and 14: 3. METHODOLOGYTo enhance transparen
Page 16 and 17: 4.2 Cultural practices relating to
Page 18 and 19: 5. CASE STUDY 1Culture Dialogue Ser
Page 20 and 21: Leadership buy in: A key step in th
Page 22 and 23: still valid, was demanding sex and
Page 24 and 25: Round 3 - The Action DialogueIn the
Page 26 and 27: The objectives of this gala were to
Page 28 and 29: • Community based volunteer handb
Page 30 and 31: • Enhanced communication around s
Page 32 and 33: InnovativenessThe Culture Dialogue
Page 36 and 37: 6. CASE STUDY 2The Campaign for Soc
Page 38 and 39: 6.2 Elements of a Best PracticeEffe
Page 40 and 41: The welfare of various interest gro
Page 42 and 43: Relevance continued...WAG's interve
Page 44 and 45: SustainabilityThe programme is sust
Page 46 and 47: e started and run in other areas. A
Page 48 and 49: 7. CASE STUDY 3Church, Family, Rela
Page 50 and 51: Initially, there was some oppositio
Page 52 and 53: SustainabilityThe programme has som
Page 54 and 55: 8. CASE STUDY 4Auntie Stella Youth
Page 56 and 57: EffectivenessAn evaluation carried
Page 58 and 59: ReplicabilityThe proof of Auntie St
Page 60 and 61: • TARSC works with implementing p
Page 62 and 63: 9. CASE STUDY 5Shangaan-Hlengwe Cul
Page 64 and 65: Indeed, SEVACA had noted a trend th
Page 66 and 67: In essence, the situational analysi
Page 68 and 69: ReplicabilityThe project has been e
Page 70 and 71: 9.4 ChallengesThe national economic
Page 72 and 73: Padare recognises that many boys an
Page 74 and 75: The Padare project being implemente
Page 76 and 77: Campaigns are also conducted with t
Page 78 and 79: What happens when men cease to be b
Page 80 and 81: In essence, all the intervention wo
Page 82 and 83: Another unique feature of the Padar
Page 84 and 85:
However, this problem is being addr
Page 86 and 87:
established churches, such as the P
Page 88 and 89:
individuals. An implementer from Pa
Page 90:
peopleunlimited
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Zimbabwean stories of "Best Practice" - SAfAIDS

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