Woman is...

John Lennon wrote a song called Woman is the n-word of the world. This sentiment is most definitely true in Africa. This is actually one area where I feel lucky to be an American. Women in America, (at least I can speak for middle class women) have it much better than women in most places in the world. There are so many things here that I feel like I would never put up with if I was a Malawian woman. But then again, that's because I was raised in a different country, a different culture, and tolerance levels differ.

However, the good news is this is no longer a silent issue. There are women's rights groups, laws that help women and social programs dealing with gender. In the partnership office, I come across a lot of organizations that want to fund programs for women or programs that have to do with gender relations.

Let me tell you how this issue impacts the spread of HIV/AIDS. Women are three times more likely to contract HIV/AIDS, both because of biological and cultural factors. Heterosexual sex is the number one mode of transmission here, and women often cannot negotiate safe sex. A man will not wear a condom or will not accept no. Many men also have affairs, which put their wives and families at risk.

We attended a community education meeting which was an outreach activity of one of our Hope centers. First off, most of the participants were women. (Right, so even though they are less able to protect themselves than men, twice as many women get tested in our health centers, even with the threat of violence from their husbands.)
A teaching drama was performed in which women went for VCT services (Voluntary Counseling and Testing). The women each gave a different scenario that is common here. One was afraid her husband would find out she had gone for testing, as he forbid her to do so. Another came because even though she is faithful, her husband is not. Another was found positive even though she believed her husband to be faithful..she vowed to bring him in for testing! (These are the pictures in my last slideshow).

It really hit home that more men need to be mobilized. Of course, there are good, great men that go for testing with their wives, or work at our health centers. But they need to become the norm rather than the exception.