Resources for rights based approach

A series of articles by guest writers for World AIDS Day Part of AVERT's World AIDS Day 2012 campaign, ‘Reflections on the Epidemic’ are a series of articles by guest writers. Our guest writers range from global leaders, writers, experts, activists, physicians and people personally affected by HIV and AIDS; and they represent various countries, experiences and backgrounds from all over the world. We are grateful to all our guest writers for their effort and the diverse and insightful viewpoints that they contributed to the world’s response to HIV and AIDS. We will be re-featuring these articles over the next few weeks on a weekly basis. Browse through this week’s featured articles, and see the full list below.

Malawi continues to experience a severe HIV/AIDS pandemic. Since 1985 when the first AIDS case was reported, HIV prevalence increased significantly, particularly among persons aged 15-49. HIV prevalence among sexually active adults is higher among females at 13 percent than males at 10 percent. 

Efforts to counter the further spread of HIV in Malawi begun in 1986. However, community response to HIV/AIDS has been characterized by slow progress, as the communities find it difficult to access the much-needed interventions that effectively address risky behaviours that make communities more vulnerable to HIV. Harmful cultural practices that tolerate gender-based violence and economic disempowerment among the women and girls affect the community response to HIV/AIDS.

Inadequate health facilities in several areas also negatively affect the community response to HIV/AIDS. In a community where Umunthu Foundation works, people living with HIV and AIDS from 14 villages do not access health services for HIV opportunistic diseases such as malaria, tuberculosis, diarrhoea and body sores. Some communities try to carry their sick family members to distant health facilities on bicycles.

Malawi, although ranked second after Botswana as the most peaceful country in Africa, is not spared from gender-based violence. Gender-based violence is a prevalent problem that is rooted in socio-economical and cultural factors at household and community levels.

The interaction between gender-based violence and HIV infection is strong. Sexual abuse of girls by teachers in schools, wife inheritance and sexual cleansing of widows are some of the aspects of gender-related violence, which render the victims vulnerable to HIV.

Rape & sexual assault: Rape and sexual assault are closely linked to women becoming infected with HIV. Rape and sexual assault take away women’s control over when, with whom and how they have sex, significantly increasing the risk of HIV.

Domestic violence: In a domestic setting, physical violence is often accompanied by sexual abuse, which makes it difficult to have safer sex. A husband with multiple sex partners may refuse to practice safer sex or go for HIV test and decide to react with physical violence against his wife upon being questioned over his risky behaviour. The less economically empowered wives who are economically dependant on their husbands or partners find it difficult to negotiate for safer sex in fear of being divorced or neglected, risking HIV infection

Sex workers: Women and girls in the sex industry, with multiple sexual partners, are more susceptible to violence and HIV than most other population groups.

In an attempt to contribute to the national efforts in addressing the HIV/AIDS pandemic, Umunthu Foundation started working on community programmes in a volatile Bangwe in Blantyre, since 2006. With no funding at all the initiatives could not create an effective impact until when the first funding for activities on HIV prevention and treatment services was granted by AVERT in 2010.

With funding from AVERT, Umunthu Foundation managed to expand its work by opening and strengthening HIV counselling and testing services in three VCT clinics in Bangwe and Limbe where the communities get tested for HIV, have referrals for ART and access PMTCT. The project also provides information on HIV prevention to the youth in schools, strengthens community care and support for people living with HIV and AIDS and provides a community library which provides availability and accessibility of targeted information on HIV/AIDS to the communities.

With the Umunthu (meaning 'humanity to others’) philosophy in mind, David Odali decided to give up his work in neighbouring Mozambique and return to his home, Malawi, in 2005, to respond to a calling to serve the vulnerable and marginalised communities in a volatile Bangwe and beyond through mitigating the causes and impacts of HIV/AIDS. Since 2006 he has been Executive Director of Umunthu Foundation.

For further information on Umunthu Foundation see here or for more on HIV in Malawi, see AVERT's page.

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