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HIV/AIDS and development
Silomba, Weddy
Silomba, Weddy
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silomba.pdf
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"HIV/AIDS is one of the most pressing health problems confronting the world. Africa especially is experiencing the impact of the disease and its multiple affects. HIV/AIDS has exposed the gaps in public health care systems. Some of those gaps existed prior to the early 1980s, others emerged under pressures to reform national economies and social services in the 1980s and 1990s. With HIV/AIDS itself, the international response to create national AIDS control programs, along guidelines laid out by the World Health Organization (WHO), did little to meet the needs of communities attempting to deal with the impact of AIDS. In response to this fast growing epidemic that even permeated the strictest traditional values, many non-governmental organizations (NGOs), community-based organizations and religious organizations joined the effort to try and mitigate the impact of HIV/AIDS and foster prevention. In Zambia, the Chikankata Health Services, run by the Salvation Army, has developed a response that is community based. This paper discusses the work of the Chikankata Health Services AIDS Programme to foster a community empowering response that is appropriate, affordable, applicable and sustainable to the people it serves. The response has evolved over time and after other approaches were tried. In large part, the Chikankata approach reflects the basic principles long advocated for effective community development: consultation, facilitation, and building on communities own needs, ideas and multiple resources. The hospital at Chikankata and other health facilities across Zambia are unable to cope with the demands for services of people infected and affected by HIV/AIDS. While hospital facilities are failing to provide quality care especially due to reduced funding, communities have responded in unique ways to develop and run care, support, and prevention assistance. At least from the early 1990s, community spokespersons and NGOs have argued for national and international programs to support a continuum of prevention and care, this being the only way to achieve advances in both (Campbell, 1994; Osborne). These care programs provide anything from toothpaste, to food, clothing, and shelter. The capacity of the neighborhood is still a big strength in care and prevention of HIV/AIDS. The Chikankata experiences reinforce the community development concept of linkages between families, communities, and social services, such as hospitals and other health care institutions. The approach seems to be the only developmental way that allows families to continue with daily chores and life when a family member is ill and in need of care, as other community members feel for and are involved in the whole care process. The community gets engaged in the care process and this affects behavior and attitudes that lead to prevention."(pg 3)
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2002-03
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With permission of the license/copyright holder