.JPG)
The adage that African women are the conduits of change was
at play during the dinner hosted by the Right to Know African Communities
Program. The event saw over 25 African women come together to celebrate and to
support the Right to Know project.
The dinner was a social event for Calgary’s African women
from different countries to share their ideas and experiences with HIV and
AIDS. This group of women, representing 13 African countries and ranged in age
from 21 to 70, enjoyed a fun filled evening in a casual manner. These women
discussed how their communities are responding to the HIV messages that AIDS
Calgary is sending to them through the Right to know project.
The collective support of the project was expressed by most,
if not all. A 70 year old grandmother and retired teacher from Zimbabwe
challenged the women that, “It takes women to change social and cultural beliefs
of our communities. If we do not learn enough about this disease and teach our
families on how to protect themselves, the burden will ultimately fall squarely
on us as wives, mothers and grandmothers to care for the members of our
families that will be affected through lack of knowledge. In our African
culture, women are the ones who take care of all the family members when they are
healthy or when they fall sick”.
A young Sudanese woman pointed out the belief by most youth
that the disease is for older people and also mentioned that youth think they
are invincible.
Another member of the group recommended that doctors and
nurses in health delivery system receive training on HIV because “most of them
know very little about the disease. We
as Africans are often getting a raw deal when we visit health care centres.
They always assume we are infected because we are from endemic countries. The
Canadians are also at risk because they have communities where there are high
rates of drug use. We should all be urged to go for testing. This is not a
blame game. The disease does not care who you are or where you are from.
Collective responsibility is called for here and we all should fight this
disease together” she emphasized.
The group of women suggested another get together in summer.
They wish to share more information on HIV and AIDS while doing beadwork and
exploring art work from their different
countries.
1 comments:
The findings from this gathering and discussion could pave the way for the continued and relevant education and behavioural modification and ultimately cultural change, not only among clients but health care providers as well.
This gathering demonstrates that vounteers are committed to contributing toward improving health and quality of lives of Calgarians and Canadians at large.
Kudos Sipiwe. We are available to help.
Post a Comment