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'Behaviour change, key to fighting against HIV/Aids'
Rutendo Mawere, The Standard (Zimbabwe)
October 31, 2004

http://www.thestandard.co.zw/read.php?st_id=895

THE Zimbabwe Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) says behavioural change is the most effective way people can fight the HIV/Aids pandemic.

Speaking at a regional conference held in Harare last week under the theme Women and HIV/Aids: Access to treatment, Sheila Matindike the national general secretary in Zimbabwe, said although HIV/Aids was everybody's problem, women shouldered most of the burden than men.

"Women are the most burdened as they are the grandmothers and widows left to take care of the orphans and men relegate the home-based care projects to women in most cases," she said.

She added that they were empowering women with information to promote self-reliance, self-actualisation and to identify leadership qualities in women as well as strengthen them so that they could serve their communities much more effectively.

Matindike said their organization was made of Christians from different churches. YWCA members in Zimbabwe were assisting with home-based care projects, discussions on sexual issues which in some African cultures was taboo, visiting sick people and helping with household chores at these homesteads, motivating those who have lost hope in life and praying with them.

She said there were only women in the leadership of YWCA because in other fields they were sidelined as leaders. It was therefore only in such organizations that women could prove their leadership capacities and prove that they could make significant impact.

Also attending the meeting was Dr Helen Hinda, the YWCA programme director for Africa, who said their aim was to create safe space for women in the region. "Our aim is for women to unite and fight the Aids problem as a region," she said.

The YWCA regional meetings were intended to enable women to exchange ideas on the HIV/Aids fight, through workshops and training as well as strengthening the exchange of ideas and collaboration.

She said HIV/Aids was a reality and there was need to empower people with information about the prevention measures and access to treatment. She also said it was a fact that HIV/Aids prevalence in Africa was among the highest posing a direct threat to development.

Partnership officer, Ennita Manyumwe said information and technology were important tools to conquer HIV/Aids. She encouraged people to disseminate information on the pandemic and to share their experiences with those who do not know especially in he area of access to treatment and prevention.

YWCA aims at promoting the fellowship of Christian women and girls through various activities. It also seeks to improve the quality of life for all women and girls while strengthening the family.

The organization also strives to create awareness among women so that they are alert to such injustices as poverty, discrimination and violence. It also seeks to promote understanding and co-operation among different races, nationalities and creeds.

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