Zimbabwe – Engagement of Community Based Organisations in HIV and TB

HIV/TB programmes can address harmful gender norms and stereotypes through woman working with men to change norms related to fatherhood, sexual responsibility, and gender based violence, WHO, Gender inequalities, 2007. In efforts to address gender in HIV/TB programme at community level, 68 women and 32 men were trained. Most of the participants were woman and usually HIV positive, who have common experiences such as being infected by HIV through unfaithful partners, sex work, child abuse or broken marriages.

The tasks of the volunteers include home based care activities, awareness, and counselling, moral support, follow up of absconders. The motivation was formulation of strategies that could assist the burden of caring for the sick, reduction of the prevalence of HIV /TB .The project has managed to assist women who are negatively impacted on by HIV/TB, vulnerable children, and it is addressing a national problem and has attracted other Partners.

Project Objectives are to create awareness on TB/HIV to communities in Kwekwe. It has been proven that education using community members from within the same community brings about change in knowledge levels, attitudes and behavioural change in a positive manner. So these volunteers are that starting point needed for information dispensation through advocacy, counselling, teaching and providing moral support to the sick and their families.

Certain norms and stereotypes become barriers in access to health services for women. They fail to access HIV /TB treatment and prevention. Other woman fail to access the health services because of restricted mobility and also limited decision power. So the volunteer program has assisted in ensuring that the vulnerable woman and children have access to HIV/TB care

Women assuming the major share of care giving to HIV/TB clients. It is perceived that woman must look after those that are sick. So woman get over burdened when they look after the sick, the husband, children and relatives. So the volunteers felt for these overburdened woman and they assist with providing knowledge that aims at educating them on how to prevent themselves as they care for those infected with HIV/TB and providing home based care.