"We hope the government of national unity can prioritize the humanitarian crisis and mobilize all the resources it can to make swift recovery possible while working to bring broader stability to the country," said Oxfam's country director in Zimbabwe, Peter Mutoredzanwa.
Oxfam also urges the new government to create the space for the active engagement of civil society in partnership to rebuild Zimbabwe. Civil society has a critical role to play in the current humanitarian crisis and the longer-term development of the country. Oxfam also asks the new government to ensure that beyond access to basic needs, people's rights to freedom of expression, movement and security are respected and protected.
"We're calling on the new government to remove all constraints and enable our staff and staff of other civil society organizations to be able to carry out their work on the ground freely and effectively" Mutoredzanwa said.
As a direct result of the deteriorating socio-economic conditions in the country, Zimbabwe is currently struggling to control the worst- ever outbreak of cholera in its history, fuelled by the collapse of the country's public health and water systems. The cholera epidemic has claimed more than 3,000 lives, and infected more than 69,000 people. In addition, nearly seven million people, more than half the population, are relying on food hand-outs because of serious food shortages. Seriously weakened, they are more vulnerable and therefore unable to fight cholera.
Hyperinflation and the dollarization of the economy has meant millions have been unable to access basic food staples, increasing the number of people needing food aid in both urban and rural areas.
This year's harvest is predicted to be even worse than last year's and food shortages could continue into 2010. As well as dealing with immediate needs, Oxfam believes the new unity government and donors must examine ways of providing longer-term help, including inputs for farmers to prevent future food emergencies and food insecurity; and ensuring communities have access to clean water.
Oxfam calls for specific attention to be paid to the impact of this tragedy on women and girls—who bear the brunt of the HIV epidemic—are most affected by the deterioration of basic services and the lack of farm inputs.
While several governments have said they will only restore substantial aid to Zimbabwe when there is concrete evidence of political and economic reform, Oxfam urges donors to explore innovative ways to channel emergency resources to people who urgently need help and for existing pledges of aid to be translated into funds on the ground.
Oxfam supports calls for the creation of transparent mechanisms with clear benchmarks, supported by regional bodies like the African Union (AU) and Southern African Development Community (SADC), to monitor the implementation of the power-sharing agreement and policies of the new government. One key benchmark will be an open environment where civil society organizations can freely engage in a wider dialogue with the government as part of longer-term efforts to seek a resolution of Zimbabwe's problems.
]]>The song,"Cholera—Chenjerawo," which translates as "Cholera—Beware," will be played on radio stations across the country every 30 minutes. Performed by a group of musicians calling themselves Artistes for Health, it's the brainchild of some of Zimbabwe's top performers including Tanga Wekwa Sando and Oliver and Sam Mtukudzi who wanted to do something to help stop the rapid spread of the epidemic—the country's largest recorded outbreak. Cholera has now affected every province in Zimbabwe. More than 33,000 suspected cases have been reported and the disease has taken more than 1,600 lives.
The first cholera case was reported in August in a suburb of Harare. This week, at a meeting attended by government ministers, provincial governors, traditional chiefs, health experts, the commander of Zimbabwe's defense forces, diplomats, and the media, the government announced what it called a nationwide blitz to control, cure, and eliminate the disease.
"Information is the greatest tool in fighting this epidemic," declared Dr. Edward Mabhiza, permanent secretary at the Ministry of Health and Child Welfare.
The plan is to recruit as many as 20,000 volunteers to help spread messages about good hygiene. Radio jingles and messages in the papers and on television will be used in the campaign. Pamphlets and posters carrying information on how to prevent cholera are to be distributed everywhere, from beer halls to church entrances, and everyone, from provincial chiefs to soldiers, is being urged to play a part in the national effort.
Theatre groups will be also enlisted. Oxfam is already using drama groups to promote key health messages as it distributes hygiene kits to vulnerable communities across the country.
Using music, theatre, dance and humor, the groups entertain the crowds. But it's entertainment with a message, as the shows also highlight the need for careful hand washing and food hygiene.
Yet even the government, which acknowledges there is still some way to go before it can declare the epidemic under control, concedes that it needs more than educational messages to fight the cholera epidemic.
The country's sewage systems have broken down. Rubbish is no longer collected and piles up rotting on streets. Hyperinflation has caused many health workers to stay away from work, unable to live on their salaries which are paid in rapidly devaluing Zimbabwean dollars. More boreholes need to be drilled to provide clean water sources for communities. And many Zimbabweans are struggling to feed themselves.
There are worries that the epidemic could spike with the approach of the peak season of heavy rains which could spread contamination to shallow wells. There are also concerns about flooding and the movement of infected people within Zimbabwe and to other neighboring countries.
Education, though, can go a long way. And the call for action to mobilize the nation is an important step forward.
]]>2008 was an especially grim year in Zimbabwe—and prospects for the coming year seem little better. The fact that Zimbabweans were celebrating the new year at all might seem surprising. But many people, or at least those with some money living in the cities, were in the mood to party, if only for a night and to forget their worries.
Zimbabwe is gripped by economic collapse. Hyperinflation, the worst in the world, has seen prices skyrocketing, making it hard for many to access food and fuel. Last month, the country's central bank introduced a 10 billion Zimbabwean dollar banknote, but its actual worth, about $10 US dollars on the black market, is rapidly decreasing day by day. Most shops now only accept foreign currency not Zimbabwean notes.
On top of the economic meltdown, which has seen doctors, teachers, and most government staffers staying away from work because their pay in local Zimbabwean dollars won't even cover their crippling transport costs, there is a serious and worsening humanitarian crisis.
A cholera outbreak in August has now affected more than 30,000 people, and claimed the lives of more than 1,600 people, with cases now being reported across every province in the country.
Cholera is an easily preventable and treatable waterborne disease. But its spread in Zimbabwe is being fuelled by the collapse of health, sanitation, and water services. There are limited medical supplies and many don't have access to clean drinking water or proper sanitation. The onset of heavy rains this month is worsening an already alarming situation.
A second humanitarian crisis, still under-reported, is the worsening malnutrition and food shortages. There have been several years of failed harvests; a serious shortage of seeds and fertilizers; and driving hunger is forcing many to eat seeds instead of planting them for next year's crops.
The UN has warned that around five million people, more than half of the population, will soon rely on food aid.
The country is also facing political deadlock. Efforts to form a power-sharing government between the ZANU-PF party of President Robert Mugabe, who has been in power since 1980, and the opposition Movement for Democratic Change, have stalled.
I got a somber insight into many of the problems the country was facing as I visited Kadoma city in central Zimbabwe, about 112 miles west of the capital, Harare.
Oxfam has been working in the area, drilling wells so that communities can access safe drinking water, distributing hygiene kits, and undertaking health promotion work.
The health authorities have reported nearly a thousand cholera cases since mid November, with 29 deaths. Unofficial statistics put the figure even higher.
Two people had died that day; and I was shown a tent containing the wrapped corpses of seven bodies, several of which had lain there for several days and were swelling. Fuel shortages and rocketing prices meant that there were no vehicles available to take the bodies to the local cemetery.
"Things aren't stabilizing," said one nurse. "They're getting worse. We're seeing more patients every day."
With early access to treatment—intravenous fluids and oral rehydration—patients can recover quickly and be discharged within days.
But a visit to a nearby housing estate—described as a cholera "time bomb" by a senior health official—made clear why the epidemic is sweeping across the country.
The sewage system had broken down, and residents were disposing of human and other waste in the narrow lanes around their homes.
Those images haunted me as I sat in the jazz bar that night. Zimbabweans might have little to celebrate, other than surviving another difficult year; but they are still pinning their hopes that the coming year might bring some change for the better.
]]>Mogale, 37, is open about her status: she has been HIV positive for two years, and she is living with it. After all, she is doing better now and hopes the worst is behind her. "Now I am really fit compared to when I was sick—I can go a long distance walking now," she says. She regularly walks about one and a half miles to the headquarters of Pholo Modi Wa Sechaba, a community organization where she is part of a support group for people living with HIV/AIDS in her village of Welgavel.
Pholo Modi Wa Sechaba helped get Mogale out of bed and back on her feet. The organization sent a home-based care worker to nurse her, help her get to the hospital for treatment, teach her how to take her antiretroviral medication and manage her diet, and file for a government support grant—a source of money for disabled people.
Pholo Modi Wa Sechaba—meaning "health is the root of the nation" in Setswana, the local language—has about 21 caregivers serving 240 patients in four villages. They ensure that patients are taking their medication; they cook and clean, and disinfect and dress wounds from the many infections that bedevil those with an immune system compromised by HIV. In some cases they deliver food parcels to help families survive.
Pholo Modi Wa Sechaba is just one of thousands of local community based organizations helping the roughly 5.5 million people living with HIV/AIDS in South Africa. They are on the front line of the struggle, and play an essential role in providing services. "Community-based organizations are key in the fight against HIV/AIDS," says Gerard Payne the affiliate coordinator at the AIDS Consortium, an umbrella organization for the thousands of such community groups around South Africa. "Without them the fight against HIV and AIDS is a mere media campaign. They provide essential services in the community, they speak the language, and they understand the cultural issues in the communities."
Oxfam America is working with the AIDS Consortium to provide training and other support to community based organizations like Pholo Modi Wa Sechaba in South Africa's North West Province, one of the poorest areas of the country, with a high incidence of HIV/AIDS. The AIDS Consortium is working with 47 local community based organizations in the North West, and with funding from Oxfam it can expand its efforts to some of the 150 others struggling against HIV/AIDS in the province.
Pholo Mode Wa Sechaba helps patients get tested for HIV and, when patients test positive, counsels them on their treatment options and on how to "live positively." In addition to its home-based care program, it has a daycare for young children and an after-school program for orphans and others who need a place to do their homework and learn valuable life skills including how to prevent HIV.
Learning that you are HIV positive forces you to think about everything differently. Just having to share your status with your family is enough of a crisis for many newly diagnosed people. They then must struggle with how to live with what may at first seem a death sentence, how to make ends meet if they are too ill to work, how to endure the side effects of the medication, and how to manage the stigma of being HIV positive.
South Africa's health care system, while free, is overburdened and does not provide adequate social support for people living with HIV/AIDS. They can be tested, learn the result, and get a CD4 count (a measure of the blood cells that support their immune system). Many get free antiretroviral medication. But then they are really on their own—and if they lack a support system of family and friends, as many do in communities already ravaged by the disease, these patients are in crisis.
Pholo Modi Wa Sechaba helped Maria Mogale with these struggles, and helped her understand her treatment options. These are the most important lessons the organization teaches people in the community, particularly valuable to women who are sometimes excluded from health care options owing to poverty and discrimination—a violation of their right to health care. Family members may insist on traditional medicine, which frequently delays treatment, and can often hasten death.
Mogale learned this from Pholo Modi Wa Sechaba: "If people are sick, they need to go to the hospital, and not just stay at home and say they are bewitched," she says at her home, a three-room house made of metal sheets outside Welgavel. "I tell people, 'AIDS is there, but you can get better.'" She smiles as she speaks.
Mogale is a strong, positive example for members of her community—and this strength, tragically, is also a good example within her own family. Her daughter Portia, 18, learned she was HIV positive two months ago, and her 60-year-old mother Priscilla, who lives nearby, is also in treatment. Both are now thinking about their lives differently as well, and look to Mogale for advice on how to live and think about their future. Portia is in her second to last year of high school and is considering higher education, even as she is still learning what it means to be HIV positive.
For Maria Mogale, her future may involve helping others on a more formal basis: she wants to work with Pholo Modi Wa Sechaba. "I want to become a caregiver, and teach others what I have learned."
]]>— Maria Paulo, Chueza Temporary Camp resident
It is very hard to forget the trauma of the past but easy to rebuild hope for a better future. This is probably the most appropriate description of the emotions flowing in the hearts of thousands of people directly affected by the floods in January 2008 in Mozambique. The cyclical floods that have begun to occur are pushing people affected by them to look at climate change and their own vulnerability in a different way—and to change their approach for the future.
The government has announced the end of the emergency period, which means that efforts are now being focused on creating long-term sustainable services to help people living in the resettlement centers recover from the flooding.
It's time to build the future, say some in the temporary camps based in Marromeu, in Sofala Province, one of the most affected by the floods. It's time to reflect on the capacity local communities have to withstand the effects of drought and flood. In themselves, extreme weather events don't necessarily result in disasters. Disasters are often a consequence of human vulnerabilities—of people who have no choice but to live in dangerous locations, such as on flood plains or steep slopes prone to landslides.
According to official figures, the January flood displaced 115,000 people. In the provinces of Sofala, Zambezia, Tete, and Inhambane, many displaced people lost all their belongings, including houses, goods, and crops.
Oxfam is helping more than 48,000 people in the resettlement centers recover by providing things such as clean water, hygiene facilities, household utensils, plastic sheeting for shelter, and other materials for construction.
"We understand that the process of resettling people should be as flexible as possible, to provide motivation and the environment for the affected people not to return to their places of origins," said Michael Tizora, former head of Oxfam's humanitarian action program in Mozambique.
Oxfam has an operational base in Marromeu District, where a field team is assisting displaced people in the temporary camps of Chueza 1 and 2, Nhapirundo, Chapa 30, and Zona C, downstream of the Zambezi River and in the resettlement sites of Chupanga, Chiburiburi , and Amambos.
"Our need now is to get seeds to produce enough food in enough quantity to feed our families," said Paulino Chueza, the traditional head of Chueza center. "We promise the government not to go back to our houses, but we still need a lot of help and assistance to forget what happened and look forward."
In the district of Mutarara, Tete Province, where Oxfam has been operating, the program is helping farmers to recover their livelihoods in addition to providing a water and sanitation program that has targeted 30,000 people. In Tambara, in Manica Province, Oxfam has been working with Magariro, a local organization that is assisting 13,500 people with water and sanitation and supporting them in restarting their agricultural activities after the floods.
In almost all camps, people have basic necessities such as latrines, drinking water, health facilities, and schools for children. Oxfam recruited and trained local health promotion activists to assist beneficiaries in the proper use of these facilities and to promote good hygiene to avoid an outbreak of diseases like diarrhea. However, the future is still quite uncertain for most of the people. There are lessons to be learned from the floods of 2001, 2007, and 2008. The challenge now is to build local capacity to avoid the troubles caused by weather-related events and climate change.
Many people have lost everything, but not the sense of hope in changing the present and building the future. Positive change demands confidence, hope, and a lot of work.
]]>Once rich and fertile and capable of producing bountiful crops, the soil is now bone dry. Without water, the community's crops and gardens won't grow. Without these vital fruits, vegetables and grains, people aren't able to get the nutritious foods they need to stay healthy. And in a community affected by HIV and AIDS, this has devastating consequences.
"The ground used to be soft and easy to dig by hand; water was freely available just under the surface and food was plentiful; there was a lake nearby that provided fish for us to eat," Thandi says. "But now the land is dry and hard and there is no water under the surface; even the lake has dried up."
Thandi says rainfall has become more erratic over the last few decades, occurring less frequently and for shorter periods. Other members of the community concur. The seasons are not the same as they used to be; winter is not as cold now and summer rains are more erratic. People here have experienced droughts and floods for as long as they can remember, but since the mid-1990s they have noticed a gradual drying of the land. Even the rainwater tanks that were installed as a solution to the problem now stand dry.
Although Hluhluwe's people know the climate is changing, they have not heard about global warming, nor do they have any knowledge about the current global debates on these issues.
For the men and women of Hluhluwe, one thing is clear?they desperately want to learn how to adapt to the changes in climate in the longer term. At the moment they are simply trying deal with the prolonged drought conditions as best they can, by doing what they have always done but on a reduced scale. They make their gardens smaller, grow different types of crops and walk further to collect water?but these are short-term coping mechanisms, not long-term solutions.
If current trends continue, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change says, sub-Saharan Africa will be 2-4 degrees warmer by 2050, and have 10 percent less rainfall. There will be more extreme events such as drought and floods and the length of the growing season will shorten even further.
"We need water pipes," Thandi says. "We need to learn how to look after the land and adapt to the drier conditions; we need to grow more drought-tolerant crops and vegetables. We need to learn more about climate change, and we need training in how we can speak up on these issues."
]]>Like many elderly and retired people, 70-year-old Mapatsi Tsuro spends his days in the garden tending to his crop of vegetables. But for Tsuro this is no leisurely pastime, rather it is a matter of survival. When he should be enjoying his golden years with the support of the family he raised, he now has to feed and care for eight grandchildren, following the untimely deaths of his three children.
Tsuro lives in Chicomba in eastern Zimbabwe, but his plight is common to millions of rural families in the region with the world's highest HIV infection rate and the greatest number of AIDS-related deaths. In Zimbabwe 1.7 million of the population of 13-million are infected with HIV/AIDS and Almost 900,000 of those infected are women.
Behind the alarming statistics lies human tragedy. The hardship for those infected and their families begins long before they die. Stigma, fear and despair often follow a HIV-positive diagnosis. The loss of income and support when a breadwinner or caregiver becomes ill, and the diversion of household resources to provide care increases the burden on family members, particularly children caring for terminally ill parents. Many only leave behind the trauma of bereavement and orphans.
Almost one in four children in Zimbabwe, 1.1 million, are now orphaned by AIDS. This number continues to grow as HIV and AIDS dramatically increases the vulnerability of children. The majority of the country's orphans are absorbed by the elderly in rural Zimbabwean households, a group which is barely coping with the extreme economic and social conditions in the country.
Oxfam America is supporting the Single Parents Widows Support Network (SPWSN) to improve the security of vulnerable groups by providing for their immediate nutritional needs, building sustainable livelihoods and enhancing the resilience of communities. Since 2002 Oxfam has been responding to the ongoing food security crisis in Zimbabwe through a livelihoods support program in the Seke, Mudzi, and Chikomba districts of Mashonaland East Province. The program provides seeds, fertilizers, primary health kits and on-going support to some 10,000 vulnerable households.
The supply of summer grain and legume seeds ensures that communities are able to sustain food production and build seed reserves. Over 60 community and individual nutritional gardens have also been established to grow vegetable during the winter months. The gardens ensure sufficient household food and the nutrition vital for maintaining health. Surplus crops provide some income for immediate needs such as health and education. The vulnerable groups receiving support include women-headed households, child-headed households, and households caring for orphans and the chronically ill, especially those affected by HIV/AIDS.
Neighboring South Africa is the site of the world's highest HIV infections, but also the country with the most people on ARV treatment. The National Strategic Plan aims to extend treatment to 80% of those with Aids by 2011. The plan also recognizes that Community Based Organizations (CBOs) and Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs) form an essential part of the integrated approach needed to address HIV/AIDS issues at community level.
Oxfam America's partner, The AIDS Consortium (AC) is one of the largest umbrella organizations in South Africa with a network of over 1000 affiliates. Members include CBOs and individuals motivated to meet the needs of the communities they live in. They offer a wide variety of services ranging from support groups for people living with aids (PLWA), job creation projects, home-based care (HBC), feeding schemes and orphan support, to national advocacy campaigns and large-scale treatment services.
"Community-based care workers are the unsung hero's of our country in the fight against AIDS and for community development," says AC executive director Denise Hunt, "with very limited resources they are forging ahead and making a huge contribution on the ground."
The AIDS Consortium represents the NGO sector on the South African National AIDS Council (SANAC). Here it is working with government and the private sector to formalize and increase the role of civil society. Hunt believes, "The only way we are going to meet the access to treatment targets are through dramatic shifts in how health care is delivered. Community care workers are in a position to play an expanded role and we are pressing SANAC to secure the finances, training and resources which will enable them enhance to their skills and contribution to service delivery."
Dr Liz Floyd, the head of Gauteng Multisectoral AIDS Unit, agrees that a more significant role for organizations is needed to meet the increasing demand for HBC and other support services.
"Government is developing a decentralized strategy for health care. It is very important to spread the resources to a network of mass-based care workers on the ground in communities in order to build community capacity to respond to and reach the people who need it," says Dr Floyd.
AC founder and Patron, Supreme Court Judge Edwin Cameron, is one of the few public figures to have openly declared his sexual orientation and positive HIV status. He points out that the epidemic is likely to be around for a long time and that community groups are vital to ensure an adequate response for PLWA. "We don't have a cure, but we do have manageable treatment," says Judge Cameron. "The public sector program is good but it is not reaching enough people. Community-based workers can bridge the gap between where we are now and where we need to be."
]]>Today he is an independent cotton producer and the President of FONPA, the National Cotton Producers Forum, which has organized small cotton farmers to become an equal partner with government and industry in improving the lives of small scale cotton farmers of Mozambique.
"The formation of a national forum is important because for the first time cotton farmers are represented at a national level and taken seriously by government and the cotton companies. We are now able to put pressure on government, raise the concerns of the small cotton farmers, and begin to address the imbalance of power relations between the concessions and the cotton growers," said Malico. "By joining together in associations we have found it easier to negotiate a better price for our cotton and to help each other by working together to improve our production and harvesting."
On a warm winter July afternoon in his home area of Naicole, in the largest cotton producing province of Nampula, Mr. Malico is meeting with local farmers to discuss the latest harvest and their concerns and needs. Two representatives of Oxfam America's partner, ABIODES (the Organic Agriculture, Biodiversity and Sustainable Development Association) which steered the formation of FONPA, are attending to discuss a local pilot project introduced during the last season.
The pilot project provided seed, spraying equipment, training, and draft animals for plowing to 50 members of three local farmers associations. The aim was to increase the area of production and productivity, boost cotton quality and yield per hectare, and introduce sustainable agriculture.
ABIODES Field Coordinator, Isabel Mazive says the project has had a significant impact, "Fifty smallholder farmers were selected by their associations to cultivate one hectare (2.45 acres) for each producer, with a total area of 50 hectares. We estimate that the average yield per hectare will be 900 to 1200 kilos, in contrast to previous average yields of 300 to 600 kilos per hectare. Other farmers not directly participating in the initiative have also been able to hire the animal traction services at a reasonable cost determined by the associations. This income has been used to support the growth of the local associations."
Isora Jamal is one of the cotton farmers to have benefited from the pilot project. Standing in the family field surrounded by head-high cotton plants she is satisfied with this year's crop. "The animal traction has been a big help in preparing the land in time for planting and allowed me increase my area of cultivation. The training and services have definitely improved the amount and quality of my cotton. It also saved us women a lot of time and manual labor in the fields, which means we have been able to spend more time on the other food crops. The animals have also assisted with transportation and water collection," says Jamal.
The success of the project has also attracted the attention of the National Cotton Institute which now intends to extend the use of animal traction nationally. The Director of the Institute, Norberto Mahalambe, notes that the organization of the small-scale cotton farmers is vital for growth and stability in the industry. "Cotton has been one of the most stable cash crops in Mozambique for the last 100 years," he said. "There are over 350,000 cotton farmers supporting some 1.5 million dependents on this crop. Income from cotton pays school fees, medical bills and many other essential expenses."
Most of the small-scale cotton farmers in Mozambique are tied to contracts with the privatized cotton concession companies. Under this arrangement the companies provide seed in return for the cotton crop. However, the farmers complain that the inputs and services are of poor quality and many farmers end up owing the companies more than they receive in payment for their crops. This cycle of debt deepens every year. In response, FONPA is lobbying government for an agrarian policy that protects and improves the lives of cotton producers. They also want agriculture banks to finance cotton production and processing in order to improve the quality of cotton and the small farmers' income.
Oxfam America helped establish FONPA in 2005. Mahalambe, the director of the National Cotton Institute, said that Oxfam's support for FONPA "has been fundamental in assisting farmers to get organized into a national forum, able to negotiate with companies and the government. The farmers no longer stand alone and they are much more informed and capable."
Davie Malungisa, Oxfam America's trade and livelihoods expert said that FONPA is helping the farmers gain more power in determining how cotton is produced in Mozambique, but that they are looking to other activities as well. "In the coming months FONPA will focus on offering services such as access to finance, improved inputs, value addition and crop diversification," he said. The overall goal of this work: "To increased the income and food security of small cotton farmers."
]]>Kristin, an Oxfam Global Ambassador, shared a platform with the President of Oxfam America, Raymond C. Offenheiser, and South African activists, to raise up the voices of the communities she has met, and to help ensure that they are given the dignity of effective HIV treatment and care.
This is Kristin’s second trip to South Africa, and she used her time to revisit the strong women and community groups that touched her in Soweto, as well as learning more about how HIV is tackled in South Africa from new groups in rural areas and informal settlements.
The trip helped Kristin appreciate the power and importance of community workers in South Africa’s response to the HIV and AIDS epidemic, as well as the obstacles that are preventing millions of people living with HIV from getting the treatment they need, such as the shortage of doctors, nurses and treatment clinics, particularly in rural areas.
Kristin Davis, Oxfam Global Ambassador, said:
“I have been amazed by the incredible strength and energy of South Africa’s community groups in tackling the AIDS epidemic in this country. People like Mama Grace, who runs a soup kitchen in Soweto for orphans and other vulnerable children, are an incredible tower of strength in South Africa’s uphill response to AIDS. These unsung heroes are pulling together what little food and money they have to provide care to those living with HIV. Oxfam helps support them in this effort. These people are inspirational, but can’t win the battle on their own. These communities need nurses and doctors. These wonderful people are holding up their communities and need our support.”
The AIDS epidemic is the leading cause of death in South Africa, with an estimated 400,000 people dying of HIV-related causes each year. To respond, the country has mounted the biggest rollout of HIV treatment in the world, which has seen over 300,000 people receiving anti-retrovirals on the public health system. However, many barriers to good health for people living with HIV remain. A shortage of doctors, nurses and clinics prevent people from getting the treatment they need – in one community Kristin visited the nearest clinic was over 80km away, which meant people had to take a day off work and pay R100 or more for a round trip on public transport to get the treatment they so desperately required.
Oxfam’s South African partners, the Treatment Action Campaign and the AIDS consortium both spoke at the press conference.
Denise Hunt from the AIDS Consortium called on the South African government to empower and harness the skills of community health care workers to help extend access to treatment to more people, more rapidly. She called for extra training for the community groups already providing care. With training, those providing home-based care for men, women and children living with HIV could play a larger role in rolling out treatment.
Community care worker, Sibongile Mazibuko-Mkwanazi, raised the importance of tackling stigma as a part of the HIV response saying that stigma prevents people, particularly women, from coming forward for testing. “We should never allow HIV to come between us as families and communities’” she said. “All of us, one on one, need to be united in the fight against AIDS”.
Oxfam recognises the important role of community organizations and continues to support innovative approaches to expanding access to treatment and care for people living with HIV in South Africa, as well as campaigning on the global level for more doctors, nurses, and community healthcare workers to boost the level of care and treatment received by millions of people living with HIV.
Raymond C. Offenheiser, President, Oxfam America, says:
"The AIDS epidemic does not respect race, class, gender or ethnicity. But lives can be saved through unique partnerships that support access to medicines, quality health services and empowered community leadership. Behind the statistics lies a preventable human tragedy that can and must be confronted."
Kristin Davis was on a four-day visit to South Africa from January 29 – February 2, 2008. Kristin’s visit continued her efforts to gain a better understanding of the HIV/AIDS situation in the country. Organizations she met include Let Us Grow in Orange Farm, Circle of Promise in Soweto and HIV and AIDS projects in the North West province.
]]>"Our ancestors can become angry because we don't respect them," said Hilario Muthembe, a local activist working with Oxfam America's partner MULEIDE in the bustling suburb of Jorge Dimitrov outside Maputo, Mozambique. The solution? Consult a traditional healer, who can help. "A small ceremony can show we respect them," Muthembe said, "and can cure the problem."
"Traditional healers play a number of very important roles in traditional society," said anthropoligist Gordon Chavanduka, president of the Zimbabwe Traditional Healer Association. "Firstly, they are the medical experts. Secondly, they are the cultural experts, and regard themselves as the guardians of their culture.
"They are also counselors, in all issues. Even the chiefs and headmen, who are the political leaders, almost all of them have a traditional healer as an advisor, to assist them in their governing."
Susan LeClerb Madlala, an anthropologist at the University of KwaZulu Natal, says that people find a certain satisfaction in consulting a traditional healer, who can not only treat the immediate illness or problem, but provide an explanation of the ultimate source of the problem itself, something a medical doctor can't do.
"Let's say you are hanging your wash on the line behind your house, and a snake bites you. Well, a medical doctor will treat the snake bite, but he can't answer a lot of important questions: Why did the snake bite you? Why was it at your house? Who sent that snake?"
Given the prominence of the spirit world in many areas, it is essential for rights organizations like MULEIDE to acknowledge the role of traditional healers in communities where they seek to intervene. Showing them respect and working with them, instead of dismissing them as "witch doctors," will help make the gradual changes in society that can lead to better respect for women, and recognition of their rights as full citizens, protected in Mozambique's Family Law.
]]>But first, they sing and dance, accompanied by whistles and drums. The entire neighborhood arrives to see what is happening. They sing songs of solidarity, and the power of women to overcome poverty and illiteracy, and about a new law in Mozambique they are using to redefine their entire society, one family at a time.
The Mozambique Family Law, promulgated in 2004 is designed to bring women's rights under law in line with international standards. Thanks to this new law, women now have a chance to inherit and own financial assets such as cash and property, and have a job that earns wages—without the permission of a husband or male family member.
And the Family Law recognizes customary marriages registered with local government—an important distinction in places like Jorge Dimitrov where couples can't always afford formal marriage ceremonies. Now, women living with a husband for more than a year have the right to a share of family assets if the marriage breaks up.
However, some people in Hulene and the greater Jorge Dimitrov area are basically unaware of the new law, and live by customs and traditions that are at odds with it. The problems this creates are most obvious in cases of domestic violence and other family conflicts.
"We see a lot of problems with couples," said Hilario Muthembe, an activist in Hulene. "Maybe the husband has an illness, and says his wife is a witch and wishes him to be dead."
And when families consult local traditional leaders or healers, the matter can be resolved based on traditions and local customs that favor those with the most power: men. The activists in Hulene said this opens up the possibility of domestic violence, and an abrupt "divorce" leaving a woman and her children on the street with no means of support.
Encouraging local leaders to respect women's rights under the Family Law is the mission of MULEIDE, Oxfam America's partner in Mozambique. The organization has trained more than 400 legal advisors in three provinces who work with traditional healers, the main custodians of local culture in neighborhoods like Bario Hulene.
Their mission is to make sure that women understand their new rights, and that traditional healers help protect them. "We want the illiterate grassroots women of Mozambique to know that there is a legal instrument that can help overcome decades of suffering," said Rafa Machava, executive director of MULEIDE. "So we need to engage everyone to balance their customs with the new law."
Traditional healers are the key to the strategy, as they advise local elites and families, and can be the ones to help create the long-term shift in culture that will promote respect for women's rights. Noemia Fernando, one of MULEIDE's trained legal advisors in Bario Hulene, said it is essential for her and the other activists in the community to enlist traditional healers to help women. "Traditional healers have the power to treat them, get the problem resolved, and unify the family," she said. "That is why we need them with us, they can help us do our work." Fernando and her MULEIDE colleagues explained the new law to the traditional healers in Hulene, and some healers are now helping them explain the new law to their clients, and develop non-violent solutions to conflicts.
Fatima Coelho, a traditional healer for three years, got her training on the new Family Law in 2005. And she is using her training to help ensure that women's rights are respected in her work. Coelho said it is a real challenge to help couples avoid violence. "I'm trying to teach that it is better to sit down and talk instead of beating each other—this is not the way to build up a family. This is the strongest value I gained from my training with MULEIDE in 2005, it is the best way to address these family issues."
Cecilia Reis, an elderly woman active as a healer since 1962, has been an ardent promoter of women's rights and has been working with MULEIDE since 1994. She is at the leading edge of creating a new culture of respect for women in Mozambique. Her comments show her commitment, her realistic outlook, and her aspirations. And at the root of her dedication are her own personal commitment and the training she got from MULEIDE, which is critical to her work as a spiritual advisor.
"Women and men should be equal. Women have to open their eyes and claim their rights. These issues will not change overnight—we have to fight, and get our men to [understand], because they are very difficult and don't want to change. But we still have to stand up, look them in the eye and say to them, "we have to share, because the Family Law says we have equal rights."
"There is no one who will chase me away from my house, not even my husband, he knows that I have my own rights. This is what we are trying to teach our women. But some are not open minded, and they are dependent on their husbands, sometimes they accept being beaten all the time, and sometimes they die of domestic violence, because they have nowhere to go.
"And they don't even know that there are lawyers at MULEIDE, and at the courts, who can defend them. We have lost many members of our community to domestic violence.
"But what can we do? We are a poor country, so we have to work hard. The few of us who are able to do this work, we have to stand up and work strongly."
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