Lets Talk About Sex

Companies in Zimbabwe are scaling up their response to HIV and AIDS by developing workplace policies and programmes that mitigate the impact of the pandemic on their businesses, employees and their families. Male and female workers, however, face different social and biological vulnerabilities to HIV and AIDS, and workplace environments can exacerbate their risks if companies do not take measures to mitigate them. It is increasingly recognised that addressing the gender dimensions of HIV and AIDS is crucial in any effort to halt the spread of infection.
Yet, although many companies in Zimbabwe now have HIV and AIDS programmes in place a gender perspective remains lacking. Most programmes appear to treat HIV and AIDS as a generic disease that affects women and men in the same way. In companies where considerations are given to women and men’s different interests and needs, these are generally made after all important decisions on goals and budgeting have been made. As a result most attention given to women has been in the form of components and add-ons, which has little influence on implementation of HIV and AIDS policies and programmes in the long term. In interventions that have successfully integrated gender in one aspect, discriminatory distinctions between men and women are made in another.

In order for programmes to be gender sensitive HIV interventions in the workplace must offer different services for women and men when their needs are different, but must also ensure that services do not treat women and men differently when their needs are the same. Mainstreaming gender into current HIV policies and programmes is therefore essential for increasing the coverage, effectiveness and efficiency of interventions.

In the next few weeks I will participate in conducting a baseline survey aimed towards identifying what the gender-differentiated vulnerabilities and risks are within six HIV and AIDS workplace programmes in Zimbabwe. Findings of the survey will inform future HIV and AIDS workplace programmes.

Be My Valentine

It is Valentine's Day in Harare. It is a fact which is hard not to notice. Shops, stores and restaurants are decorated with red hearts and fluffy animals. The celebrations started already last week. One would think that in a place such as Zimbabwe commercial traditions would not be as prevalent. It is surprising to see how American influences remain strong in spite of the last years economic and political turmoil. The stores do not even have a very wide selection and most items are sold at a high market price. One could wonder how Zimbabweans can afford it. A Zimbabwean friend said that most did it for show. To uphold an image of an ideal life style in front of others remains important. It was especially true for those that once lead a wealthy life that is before Zimbabwean dollars in the bank became useless. Perhaps the mentality of buying for the sake of buying becomes more of an obsession when means are limited.

The Undeniable Reality

Samas, a colleague of mine, is sick again. Last time he was not feeling well he was too weak to work for weeks. Samas is HIV positive. Although the signs have been there for some time I didn’t want to make assumptions. It is scary how common HIV is, so common that it has grown a natural part of the daily life of most. Sama’s wife is negative. For a long time Samas refused to admit that he had the virus. It was not until recently that he started the treatment. His chances of surviving are lower as a result. Even though HIV and AIDS is a reality that most people know of, the stigma surrounding the disease is difficult to overcome. It is evident that there are many obstacles that remain before the battle against HIV and AIDS can be won.

Soliciting

A woman was arrested for soliciting when walking down the street to meet her boyfriend waiting for her in a car outside the club. ”You cannot walk around on the streets dressed like that…” they said and stopped her from walking any further. They insisted that she had to come with them to the police station for further interrogation. A similar incident happened to a colleague of mine a few weeks ago. She had been shopping groceries on her way back home after work. Dressed in long sleeves and a long shirt she walked with her groceries in a plastic bag in her hand. Two policemen stopped in a car. ”Why are you walking here alone in the dark?...you must be soliciting!” She denied and explained that she was walking towards the bus stop. The policemen were not convinced. The matter had to be investigated. My colleague refused to accomany them to the police station without first making a phone call. They reluctanty agreed to let her go with a warning. In Zimbabwe policemen are not allowed to arrest women after dark. It appears that the rule remains a theory rather than practice. Few women are aware of their rights leaving them vulnerable to abuse and harassment.

Doing Good

When first arriving to Zimbabwe and being introduced to the world of development workers it appeared almost as if ones worth was defined by the number of hardship postings one had been to. Pakistan, Afghanistan, Sudan and DRC gave the highest scores. If you had not experienced Zimbabwe during its hardship years then you really hadn’t experienced Zimbabwe at all. It seemed as if one was not able to understand the difficulties they had been through in order to be were they were at. In reality however, foriegners were the ones that suffered the least during the worst of times in the country. Foreigners had access to foreign currency and were able to stock up with supplies from Zambia, Mozambique and South Africa whereas most Zimbabweans did not have the means to do so. Most positions in places considered as hardship destinations often offers additional benefits such as secuity assurances and travels holidays of the country. Surely, one must be able to lead a decent life also when working in the development and humanitarian field. My argument is that aid still manages to uphold an image of doing good in a harsh environment whilst the reality is that aid lead quite a good life. Yes, some-a few- have been in situations where their life is at risk, but it is a life which is chosen. Most Zimbabweans never had that choice.

Etcetera...

Most Zimbabweans have two names: a Shona/Ndebele name and an English name. The English name often describes the situation when the child was born. Constitution, Accident, Jealousy, Happiness, or Mistake are rather common. Other names describes the child or the relation between the parents: Gift, Delight, Fortune, Love nest or Passion. At other times it appears as if parents have been unispired naming their children: Doesn’t matter, No matter and Etcetera.

The Hard Life of an Aid Worker

”How will you survive without Placedes?” Placedes a sturdy woman in her fourties gives me a concerned look. She closes her eyes, as she usually does whenever she speaks, and I watch the two hairs on her adam’s apple move up and down, up and down. I try to explain why I would consider myself perfectly capable of taking care of the house in her absence. My Swedish up bringing has taught me everything there is to know about housekeeping. She does not look very convinced. It is surprising how quickly one adapts to the comfortable life style of a so called ”expat”. It often includes living a life style one could never afford to have in Europe or America. Most development workers seem to have their own maid and gardener. Houses are spacious and often include swiming pool or a tennis court. The bad conscious for leading a life in luxury in the face of extreme poverty is justified by the fact that one is far from family and friends and forced to work in a so called ”hardship” environment. Whilst aid interventions creates business opportunities for the local population the question remains whether it is always justifiable or even necessary.

Do You Speak NGOish?

An article in the Economist, ”Anyone here speak NGOish?”, describes how the population in Sudan has grown so used to NGOs and UN agencies that they are accustomed to the culture. The people of Sudan has quickly learnt the fashionable terms to use within the development sector. As one woman explained in the article using terms such as ”stakeholder”, ”sustainability” and ”accountability” is the secret to a successful project proposal. The situation is similar in Zimbabwe where the population is well familiar with development acronyms. NGO workers with shiny, white Toyota land cruisers and spacious houses with tennis courts and swimming pools sends a message of future prosperity. Perhaps it is not surprising that most youth in Zimbabwe would rather work for an NGO than become a lawayer or a doctor.

"Please Do not Flush Zimbabwean Dollars in the Toilet..."

In the toilet at the border post I found a note on the wall: ”Please do not flush Zim dollars…” After years of hyperinflation, Zimbabwe abandoded its own currency and adapted a system of multicurrencies. Payment is now made in either American dollar or South African rand. Although the economic situation in the country has stabilised since the new currency was adopted prices have also risen substantially. As a friend said: ”We have American money now, but we use them as Zimbabwean dollars.” Zimbabwean dollar notes has ironically regained their value as tourist souvenirs since the introduction of the new currencies. You can buy a 10 000 000 000 Zimbabwean dollar note for ten dollars and bring with you home.

Make a Plan

The outbreak of protests in Tunisia and Egypt provides evidence of the power of the people in bringing a change to take place. It serves as a reminder that leaders are forced to listen to the demands of the people when they speak up with one voice. Zimbabweans as the people of Egypt have been forced to live under oppression. Surely the events of the least few weeks in Egypt and Tunisia must inspire others to follow suit. For what is the reason why Zimbabweans have not rioted against Mugabe’s rule. What is that enables a ruler to be able to mismanage resources and oppress his opponents for over thirty years without being held accountable for his crimes? ”Zimbabweans are not like the people in South Africa who protest on the streets whenever they disapprove of government actions…” my colleague said. ”As Zimbabweans, we are persistent. We sit down and make a plan.” Perhaps Zimbabweans ability to adapt to difficult situations that have contributed to the countries quick recovery after the economic and political chaos of the past. In the same time one cannot help but wonder what would had happened if Zimbabweans had followed the example of their South African neighbours and openly held the government accountable for their actions.

Election Time

There are rumours that a new election will be held this year. As with most news in Zimbabwe one has to rely on rumours for information. These rumours are on the other hand often subject to change. Decisions change from one day to another. According to the latest rumour elections are planned to be held this year following signs that the health of the President is deteriorating. ZANU-PF, who are also the first to deny rumours that the President is ailing, wish to see an election in the near future. Amongst most Zimbabweans on the other hand another election is far from desirable and a cause of fear and anxiety. The memories from the 2008 election remain fresh in mind and serve as a reminder of what another election might mean. The recent political and economic stability following the establishment of the transitional Government of National Unity and the introduction of multicurrencies has bought some continuity and hope for the future. Another election may on the other hand lead to increased violence and could potentially mean a return to the political and economic turmoil of the past. Zimbabwean, however, seem more interested in moving on with their lives than engaging in another election.

This is Zimbabwe

I've been working hard to organise a launch for the organisation I am working for. 200 people were invited to the event. Finger food, drinks and a band was organised. An hour before the event will take place we are informed that we can no longer have the event as planned. The police demanded to see our invitation list and did not approve of the organisation having so many NGOs attending. Ended up having to call everyone we invited and tell them that we could no longer have the event. I spent the rest of the evening eating cocktail food at my boss house having regular visits from the police and CIO (secret service) who wanted to check that we really were following orders. My boss did not seem surprised. He laughed, shaked his head and said: "Marta, this is Zimbabwe!"