Seronga Men’s Sector… Leading the Way Forward

Below is the report we submitted to the National Men's Sector Chairperson at the meeting described in the entry above. I had to remove the pictures as the internet here is too slow to upload them, but I've left the captions, I hope this doesn't make it too confusing.

The Ngambao Scouts Troup entertains the crowd at the November Men’s Sector Event, demonstrating the theme of “Men Standing Tall, Walking Proud and Taking Responsibility.”

Enclosed please find a report detailing the events to date as well as the future events planned to be carried out by the Men’s Sector in Seronga. We thank you for your past and continued support of this active and hardworking committee.

Men’s Sector Community Event:

“Men standing tall, walking proud and taking responsibility!”


Men’s Sector Participants competing in a “Tug of War”

On 22nd November, 2008, the village of Seronga hosted an event sponsored by the Seronga Men’s Sector with the theme “Men standing tall, walking proud, and taking responsibility.” Present at the event were the dikgosi of Seronga, Gudigwa, Gunotsoga, nursing representatives from the Seronga clinic, teachers from both the primary and junior secondary school in Seronga, members of the local and national police based in Seronga, as well as representatives from wildlife and BDF. Also present were the police chief from Gumare, the guest speaker Mma Knutson and nearly 400 villagers. The event began with a lively march in which the members of Men’s Sector Committee split into two groups and were led by the Scout Group down each road away from the Kgotla for a vigorous 3 kilometer round trip march. Throughout the day there were many songs, traditional dances, dramas, speeches, another performance by the Scouts and a tug of war representing the battle between HIV and ARVs to entertain the crowd.
In addition to the message being spread from the main stage, there were 2 side booths which continued to spread the message of Men’s Sector. Over 60 participants were awarded airtime, crisps, and oranges for their efforts in events in a challenging sexual health quiz. Villagers tested their knowledge of issues of HIV/AIDS health, prevention and transmission, PMTCT, IPT and reducing stigma. Each participant was corrected by a trained educator on any information they answered incorrectly or needed more information about. In addition over 30 people were voluntarily and confidentially tested by the Gumare Counseling Center. All of the attendants enjoyed a lunch of meat, samp, rice, salads and cool drinks. This event was funded with the support of the National Men’s Sector Committee.


Participants in the health quiz

Outreach:
Since it’s inception as a result of a workshop held at the Seronga Land Board by the Gumare Counseling Center, the Seronga Men’s Sector has developed a progressive list of goals aimed at reducing the transmission of HIV in Seronga and the surrounding area. It has been a top priority of the Seronga Men’s Sector to reach out to the traditional and faith based communities as a target audience through which to spread the message of reduction of HIV related health behaviors.

One of the Seronga Men’s Sector’s most active members is Mareko Gweexa. He is a boat driver for the Seronga Clinic as well as a widely respected Church elder. Mareko has been instrumental in securing audiences with a number of church leaders throughout the Seronga catchement area.

As a result of his perseverance members of the Men’s Sector were able to meet with 12 leaders of various churches at the village of Mokgacha on 31 May 2009 in order to educate them on the issues of HIV as well as to sensitize them to the goals of the Men’s Sector. The Men’s Sector members were also able to address the various congregations about HIV prevention, and directed them to access resources available in addition to the support of their faith based community. Church goers were encouraged to use condoms, to get tested with their partners, and to take their ARVs and other medications appropriately.

Mr. Gweexa also preached the message of Men’s Sector to 379 parishioners in Sepopa village on 8th August 2009. He gave a sermon spreading the message of the importance of men testing with partners and also challenging the message that using condoms is a sin. He expressed concern about the methods faith healers were using for the treatment of various ailments that may lead to an increased spread of HIV. He encouraged people to go to the clinic for treatment of their health issues, as well as to not mix ARV’s with traditional medicine. Mr. Gweexa emphasized that the role of the church needs to continue to be to provide support and comfort to those affected by HIV, and promote behaviors that prevent the spread of HIV.


Mr. Gweexa addressing the congregations of ZCC at Gudigwa

Another outreach with other members of the Seronga Men’s Sector occurred on 16 August 2009 in Gudigwa with church members from various congregations of ZCC. Mr. Khumalo introduced the members of the Men’s Sector and informed 128 church members about the Men’s Sectors goals and objectives, which was then reinforced when Mr. Gweexa addressed the congregation. The message was further emphasized when Mr. Binang Makgetho reiterated that the ZCC church has always encouraged people to know their status by going to the clinic to be tested as well as taking their medications appropriately. He stated that the ZCC has maintained a position whereby members are encouraged to have only one partner, as well as for younger members to wait until marriage to indulge in sexual activities. He restated that ZCC’s protocol regarding HIV and AIDS is to follow and promote the government’s initiatives regarding the prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS, and that there is no contradiction between the teachings of the ZCC and the government’s programs. Mr. Makgetho encouraged the congregations present to become active members of committees such as Men’s Sector, and thanked the Seronga Men’s Sector for coming to spread their message at Gudigwa.

The Seronga Men’s Sector will continue in their outreach efforts in the coming year by taking advantage of opportunities to address various congregations of faith throughout the Seronga and surrounding areas as they arise.


Mr. Gweexa addressing ZCC congregations at Gudigwa

Education:
In the coming months the Men’s Sector will host 2 workshops involving the local medical professionals from the Seronga clinic, as well as community healers and faith based leaders from Mogotho to Gudigwa. The goal of these workshops is to facilitate a conversation between these three important and influential community providers of HIV treatment and support. We intend to create an atmosphere of open conversation so that each service provider can highlight the service they provide in promoting HIV prevention and support. We also want each sector to educate about and promote their best practices and ways these three sectors can network together to provide the best response to the needs of their respective communities.

Another goal that the Seronga Men’s Sector is working towards is sensitizing the Police and members of the BDF on issues of gender and gender based violence. We plan to hold short seminars on these topics based on the curriculum provided by Men as Partners. We hope through these events to promote discussion of gender issues and to find a common ground from which we can address gender based violence through the men and women involved in these traditionally male centric organizations.

STEPS film Series:
Two members of the Men’s Sector Committee will be going for a workshop at the end of August to be trained on the facilitation of screenings for the STEPS (Social Transformation and Empowerment Projects) films. The STEPS films are designed to promote discussion and debate through their content, which will be shown with the support of the Men’s Sector at various locations in Seronga that have access to a television and generated power. Supporting partners include: the Seronga Clinic, the Seronga Sub Land Board, Ngambao CJSS, and the Seronga Police. These locations together provide us with a wide variety of locations from which to reach the people from the various wards of Seronga village.



Successes and Challenges:
The Seronga Men’s Sector has had a productive year, and has many planned activities for the coming year. We have held a successful kick off event; we have done outreaches, and have plans for workshops and programs that have a great deal of potential. That being said, we also have some challenges we hope to overcome in the coming year. The Lay Counselor at the clinic (who is also a member of the Men’s Sector) reports that there is still a hesitancy of men to go the clinic with their partners for testing. Combating traditional beliefs about HIV continues to be a challenge, with a great deal of misinformation being perpetuated in the community despite our efforts at widespread education. Another of the challenges we face in the coming year will be the procurement of a DVD player with which to play the STEPS films on. Plenty of the local partners have televisions and generators they would be willing to help us with, but we have yet to find one that has a DVD player on which to play the movies. We will attempt to meet this challenge by requesting funding from various sources in order to procure a DVD player that can be moved from location to location with the films.


Conclusions:
The Seronga Men’s Sector is an active and hardworking Committee comprising of men and women from the various sectors of professional, village and traditional life in Seronga and the surrounding area. We have set high goals for ourselves based the top issues of concern as set out by the Okavango Sub-District’s Evidence Based Plan. Of these areas the Seronga Men’s Sector is primarily focusing on Men’s involvement and addressing myths and misconceptions. We consistently strive to meet these goals without being deterred by lack of resources or the rural nature of our village. The Men’s Sector is making important progress in reducing the spread of HIV in the village of Seronga through our outreaches, our efforts at education, and our community events. We will not be discouraged from meeting our goals, and will consistently increase our efforts to bring men to the forefront as leaders in addressing issues of HIV/AIDS.