HIV & Health Support for Lake Tanganyika Villagers

According to the UNAIDS Gap Report 2016, there are approximately 1.2 million people across Zambia living with HIV, with 60,000 new cases in 2015. Though the HIV prevalence is declining, it is still a major threat to life; there are 20,000 AIDS-related deaths per year, and 37% of adults are not on antiretroviral treatment. RED International’s partner, AIDSLink International supports OM Lake Tanganyika’s medical project that focuses on villages around the lake where people have poor access to healthcare and villagers’ knowledge of HIV and AIDS is limited. The little knowledge they do possess is often wrong, influenced by local traditional beliefs.

 To try and address some of these issues, the team is always looking for ways to provide relevant education and support on issues surrounding the virus. Recently a team went to a nearby island to assess the quality of medical care, and also to give health education. In discussion with OM’s nurse, the headman explained some of the health issues the islanders are facing: unbalanced diets due to infertile land and therefore limited food availability, poor dental hygiene (dental caries, abscesses and tumours), and the presence of HIV.  It’s difficult to know the exact prevalence of the virus – because of the stigma attached to HIV, people fear to be tested. However, women are at particular at risk in these communities because of the unique culture in which they live. They are normally not empowered to understand or promote their own health due to a variety of contributing factors including low educational levels, male dominance as well as a lack of family planning, knowledge and resources. These women are also at high risk of contracting the virus because men are often not loyal to their wives.

 Seeing the need in the village for education addressing some of these basic issues, the OM team met with a group of women to discuss health. They covered dental health, healthy eating and hand washing. Many sicknesses are spread through not washing your hands after using the toilet, before cooking etc., and in a country where hand shaking is essential to greeting others, hand hygiene is of paramount importance.

 They then moved on to talk about HIV and AIDS, using a quiz to gauge the knowledge base of the women, and not a single question was correctly answered. They knew very little and had misconceived ideas. For example, they believed that contraceptive medicine offered to them was given to them because it was substandard and the Western world had no further use of it.

Speaking in this small group, the women felt able to ask very personal questions; in a country where questioning is often discouraged and private issues not discussed, this may have been the first time many of these ladies had ever had the opportunity to ask their questions in a safe environment. They asked many questions about sexual health and contracting HIV, and the nurse was able to dispel myths and address some of the stigma surrounding contracting the virus, as well as encouraging them to get tested and know their status. The ladies had a poor self-image, feeling that they were worthless. It was therefore a privilege to speak to them and help them believe in themselves and promote a good self-image.

Health education is desperately needed in these villages, and OM Lake Tanganyika is strategically placed to provide this. With team members living in all the major villages on the Zambian part of Lake Tanganyika, they are building deep relationships of trust in these communities. In a country where relationship is of central importance, this is a vital foundation to build before effective education can happen.

Thank you so much for supporting RED International and AIDSLink International’s partner in Zambia. By supporting this project you are empowering some of the most vulnerable people alive to make positive choices for their lives, and we are so grateful for your partnership.