Posted by Lilly from ? (160.129.27.22) on Monday, August 19, 2002 at 4:22PM :
In Reply to: Re: More Vay posted by panch from ? (204.120.48.3) on Sunday, August 18, 2002 at 6:16PM :
Neglect can be considered violence, too. A past post by someone in Zimbabwe:
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HCC: Enabling environment - 3
Fri, 19 Oct 2001
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Dear Friends,
Acknowledging that an enabling, empowering environment is one that creates a set of
circumstances that facilitates and is conducive to the provision of care and support to
assist people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) and their families to live their lives to the
fullest and to reach their potential, I would like to share some of the critical issues that
have to be brought to light to achieve this in the Zimbabwean context.
Any programme that seeks to address the many faces presented by HIV/AIDS ought to take
into account political, economic, and social realities of target countries if it is to
score any success.
Incidentally, Africa - in all respects - stands to lose a lot from the September 11 US
attacks, as the attention of big countries moves elsewhere. It will be a long time before
the attention that had been garnered toward Africa's problems is achieved again. Probably,
what this means for most of us in Africa - and others in developing countries is that the
solution to our problems will have to be local. International solidarity is too fickle to
be trusted. This world is a very hypocritical place.
This is what our political leaders especially here in Zimbabwe seem not to understand.
In fact, HIV/AIDS is not even considered a problem at all, at the political levels. The
first challenge for us in Zimbabwe, is how to encourage the political leadership to speak
more about HIV/AIDS.
Frankly, it is unfortunate that after so many years of brains and billions of dollars
dedicated to finding a solution to the presence of the HIV/AIDS virus in our populations
our leaders still fail to implement elementary strategies such as talking about the
problem.
An enabling environment, at the household and community level can be realized if leaders,
in all spheres of life, continue to hammer this home. The political leaders should have
credibility, though this is something that is lacking in Zimbabwe.
The HIV/AIDS epidemic in Zimbabwe must be understood in the context of the country's
ongoing political, economic, and social challenges.
Political instability, stagnating economic growth, poverty, a high rate of unemployment,
the inequitable distribution of wealth and production resources, inadequate education,
health care and sanitation, and the continuing subordinate status of women all form part
of the maelstrom of problems in which HIV has found fertile ground.
A HCC Programme that ignores these factors can only do so at its own peril.
Lastly, as we try and find sustainable solutions to HIV/AIDS, we must also remember there
are many other diseases affecting the continent ... malaria, for example. How can we
launch a broad-based assault against all the problems affecting the Mother Continent?
And to just add a footnote, (I am being chased off the only computer in the office -
another African dilemma is scarcity of new technologies) - is that in the past, the
effects of poverty, unemployment, illness and death were mitigated by the strength of
extended families across the continent. Relatives would help each other through short-term
crises with food and shelter, take orphaned as their own.
The question is can this be revived to build an enabling, empowering environment that
creates a set of circumstances that facilitates and is conducive to the provision of care
and support, to assist people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) and their families to live
their lives to the fullest and to reach their potential.
Thank You,
MKB
Harare
Zimbabwe
-- Lilly
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