Zimbabwean stories of "Best Practice" - SAfAIDS

More documents

Recommendations

Info

9. CASE STUDY 5Shangaan-Hlengwe Culture Programme - Sesithule Vamanani CaringAssociation (SEVACA), a home-based care organisation9.1 Project start up and descriptionSesithule Vamanani Caring Association (SEVACA) is a community based organisation founded in the year2000 by a group of Shangaan-Hlengwe women in Sengwe communal lands in southern Zimbabwe. Theimpact of the HIV epidemic on the community motivated these Shangaan and Hlengwe women to organisethemselves and build a community-based support structure for families and individuals infected and affectedby HIV.Traditionally, Shangaan and Hlengwe women spent their time weaving arts and crafts but as the impact ofthe AIDS pandemic intensified, they found themselves spending less time on this role and more on caringfor family and community members affected by the pandemic. At the time when the women organised thesupport structure, there was a realisation among some community members that the community's culture,norms and practices promoted the spread of HIV. It was acknowledged by the women that directly challengingthe community's deep rooted beliefs was not going to yield the desired results. The women then choseto use home-based care as an entry point to engage the various stakeholders in the community on importanttraditions, practices and beliefs that were responsible for increasing women's vulnerability to HIV infection.In order to introduce the Shangaan-Hlengwe Culture (SHC) programme to the community, SEVACA alsoadopted innovative strategies to prevent the rejection of its position. One of the strategies was to put thecommunity's top traditional leaders, the chief and headmen, at the forefront. These custodians of culturewere first exposed to training on the devastating effects of HIV on their community. After this, they wereencouraged to unpack the root (cultural) causes of the problem. This strategy put the leadership in achallenging position because there was a potential tension between their roles as custodians of culture andtheir responsibility to take care of their communities. The leaders realised that to go against cultural changewas to support behaviour that encouraged the spread of HIV. At this point the SHC programme began tointroduce the programme to the community as a whole.The Shangaan-Hlengwe community places a high value on cultural practices, norms, beliefs and traditionsthat have been passed on from one generation to another. The community is deeply patriarchal and womenare socialised to be second class community members. They grow to accept their subordinate position insociety as a norm. For instance, a woman is not allowed to welcome visitors into the homestead in theabsence of her husband or a male relative. In the event that the male members of the family are not available,the normal practice is that visitors wait outside the homestead until the husband returns.Initiating the youth into adulthood is a long standing Shangaan-Hlengwe cultural practice that has beenpassed on from one generation to the next. Traditionally, participants of the initiation ceremony are notallowed to disclose the nature of the proceedings to outsiders and others who have not yet undergone it.Graduates of the initiation ceremony who disregard this rule risk receiving severe punishment from thechief. However, despite the secrecy, it is generally understood that initiates undergo “life skills” training,in both domestic and sexual issues that prepares them for adulthood.61
It is also known that boys undergo traditionalmale circumcision during this ceremony whilstgirls go through a painful process that includesexercises on “nail beds” that teaches them howto perform well during sexual intercourse. Theinitiation ceremony normally takes place overfour months. Below, in Figure 26, is a pictureof a young girl returning from her initiationceremony, dressed in red, with a hat decoratedwith several safety pins.Figure 26: A young girl, centre, returning fromthe female initiation ceremony, shown withSEVACA Executive Director and a DocumentalistThe analogy of a 'graduation' of the initiates isironic when one considers that historically, thisceremony has deprived many young women ofthe right to uninterrupted education. In the past,the three to four-month long initiation processprevented initiates from attending school andthey would often drop out of school altogether.However, today, through the intervention of theSEVACA HBC programme, the ceremony hasbeen shortened to a month-long period duringschool holidays, and many of the young femaleinitiates are back home in time for the openingof schools.“As part of our culture, we all had to go to the initiation ceremony at some time in our youth,but today, I am thankful that our daughters do not have to go through the long process thatwe endured.”- SEVACA Home-Based Carer and Focus Group ParticipantAs the SEVACA Field Officer in Chikombedzi explains, the programme has worked to advocate for theshortening of the time period of the female initiation ceremony. This advocacy - which has involved engagingcustodians of culture - has ensured that the education of young girls is not interrupted by cultural practicesand norms. In fact, the ceremony now also represents an important platform from which the older womeninvolved - many of them SEVACA HBC volunteers - can pass on information about HIV prevention to theinitiates.By using HBC as its point into the community, SEVACA has adopted a tactful approach to tackling a sensitiveissue which started by identifying effects (HIV infection and illness) before challenging their cause (culturallycontrolledgender disparities).But while modifications to practice are being observed, some young girls still view the initiation ceremonynegatively.“The things you learn to do at the initiation ceremony usually mean that you will get marriedsoon after that.”- Young girl who has not yet attended the initiationceremonyAnother high school youth noted that she did not like the idea behind the ceremony because it teachesabout sexual issues - something she felt that she and others of her age were not yet prepared for.62
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 34 and 35: 5.6 Lessons learntThe richness of t
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 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
show all

Zimbabwean stories of "Best Practice" - SAfAIDS

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?