The HIV/AIDS
NGO sector in Zimbabwe brings hope to a nation grappling under
immense economic problems and citizens succumbing to the ravages
of the HIV/AIDS endemic. UNAIDS envisage that information and
knowledge management is one of methods that has been tested and
is one of the best ways to harness both tacit and explicit information
related to all aspects of the epidemic. To test this notion a
survey was conducted amongst 64 HIV/AIDS NGOs based in the capital
city of Zimbabwe. Data was collected using questionnaires, key
informant interviews, observation methods, and correlated with
data collected from documentary sources. The study indicates that
information and knowledge management is generally not well practised
in the HIV/AIDS NGO sector of Zimbabwe. Skills shortage in information
services management has had a negative impact on HIV/AIDS information
dissemination. It is argued that measures are needed to assist
HIV/AIDS scientific interventions. It was established that a sound
information management policy and information technology developments
were needed to address the information service challenges. In
addition, poor networking among NGOs was observed. There was a
strong indication that information technology tools (ICTs), and
the Internet were not fully utilised despite their availability.
Based on the research outcomes, the researcher thus proposes that
an information and knowledge management policy should be developed
for the HIV/AIDS sector in Zimbabwe. The study recommends development
and management of a national web portal and online HIV/AIDS database.
Introduction
HIV/AIDS is
the scourge of Africa and Zimbabwe is particularly hard hit with
infection statistics escalating unabatedly. It is clear that the
pandemic is further depleting an already embargoed economy and
the country's medical system is under particular pressure
to cope with the added burden (Zimbabwe, 1999). The greatest area
of distress is in Harare, the capital city, and the most densely
populated region with the highest incidence of HIV/AIDS in Zimbabwe.
A number of
HIV/AIDS intervention programmes have been implemented with varying
success in African countries such as Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania
(World Bank, 2000). The utilisation of information obtained from
the vast cumulative experience forthcoming from intervention campaigns
all over the world, but particularly in Africa, has however not
been regarded as a major strategy to fight the disease. We, however,
wish to argue that the creation of information systems and databanks
that effectively capture, organise and disseminate HIV/AIDS-related
information should be regarded as an essential intervention method
and given a high priority in any country's agenda that is
fighting the pandemic. A further factor that was considered by
the researchers was that NGOs have proven to be prime movers and
agents in HIV/AIDS mitigation intervention programmes in Africa,
and also in Zimbabwe. They work at grassroots level in various
care-giving capacities with the AIDS infected communities and
this places them in an ideal situation to gather, organise and
disseminate information on the topic. All the factors mentioned
above thus motivated us to investigate whether NGOs in Zimbabwe
have the capacity to leverage information and use this under-utilised
but potentially 'powerful' weapon in the fight against
HIV/AIDS.
Note:
1. University
of Cape Town, Centre For Information Literacy , PO Rondebosch,
7701, Cape Town, South Africa
Corresponding Author: Lazarus Matizirofa: lazarus@ich.uct.ac.za
