The effect of female poverty on HIV/AIDS prevalene in the rural community of the UGU-district

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT:HIV/AIDS epidemic is a serious health and development problem in many countries,with South Africa amongst the countries that are hit hard by the epidemic and the impactsthereof. HIV/AIDS within Kwa-Zulu-Natal has always been higher than any otherprovince in South Africa, with areas of higher HIV prevalence associated with majortransport routes and areas of severe poverty (Susan Erskine 2005)A lot of studies and research has been done and the programs on advocacy, preventionand care are being implemented for the people infected and affected by HIV/AIDS. Weare now on the third decade of HIV/AIDS in South Africa, yet there are still the ruralcommunities where the interventions have not reached. South Africa is marked with alack of political will in its engagement on the fight against HIV/AIDS; this is evident inthe stance that the government pulled against the roll out of ARV s, the controversialstatements by the Minister of Health and the irresponsible statements by the policymakers.Some of the HIV/AIDS programs hardly reach the poor communities, even if they do,they sometimes do not address the underlying socio-cultural issues of the poor women.The HIV/AIDS programs that would make sense to the poor women in the ruralcommunities are those that are linked with poverty alleviation, rural womenempowerment and the issues of gender inequalities.The Department of Social Welfare and Department of Health have taken much effort inempowering the Home Community Based Care organizations within the ruralcommunities, making them drop-in centers, but there is still a lot to be done. The HCBC sneed to be capacitated on issues of governance to ensure sustainability of the programs.The study indicated that the underdevelopment, marginalization and the isolation of thepoor communities form a barrier to interventions. There is a need for a pro-poorcommunity programs that seek to address the issues of unemployment and the conditionsof being unemployable amongst the rural poor women and assisting women to form cooperatives.The study supports the fact that certain types of human behaviors spread HIV/AIDS;therefore, the epidemic can be controlled by the changes in those behaviors (USAID2001). The risky behaviors that were exposed by this study calls for a need to involve allsectors of society to promote interventions that reduce high risk sexual behavior, controland treat STI s and empower women as they are the most susceptible and vulnerable toHIV/AIDS.Community mobilization may be used to increase awareness among men of howHIV/AIDS can affect the lives of their daughters, wives, mothers and friends (Kim Riversand Peter Aggleton, 1999). Heise and Elias, 1995, Ankrah and Attika, 1997 purports thatother women have reported that suggesting condom use to a partner may be tantamountto accusing him of infidelity resulting in men being violent when safe sex is requested.The study has exposed the issue of gender inequalities as a factor that increases women's vulnerability to HIV/AIDS.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University