Leaders told to mind their language on HIV/AIDS | Health-e
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May 21, 2007	Posted in: HIV and AIDS
Leaders told to mind their language on HIV/AIDS
21st May 2007 | Health-e News
Ambiguous statements by political leaders about HIV/AIDS could cause massive damage to the response to the pandemic, Dr Donald Dickinson an Associate Professor at Wits Business School has said.
MABUTHO: UDr Donald Dickinson uthi ucwaningo lwakhe lubonisa ukuthi isitatimende sikasekelamongameli weqembu elibusayo uMn Jacob Zuma maqondana negciwane olwavela ecaleni lakhe kanye nesitatimende sikangqongqoshe wezempilo ngesikhathi esemhlanganweni owawukhuluma ngegciwane lesandulelangculaza eToronto, UDr Manto Tshabalala Msimang kudale ukudideka kubantu ngegciwane.
DR DONALD DICKINSON: Over this period (during which the research was conducted) we had this Jacob Zuma trial with the shower and so on. We had the Minister of Health at Toronto and we had a lot of debate around circumcision. And you could see this confusion coming down to discussions and the peer-educators having to pick up the pieces, the mess that our leaders have caused.
MABUTHO: Uthi lolucwaningo lwakhe obeluncike kakhulu kwimininingwane ekuma diaries alabo abafundisa ngegciwane luphinde ludalula inkinga nomonakalo ongadalwa izindaba ezingelona iqiniso (Myth) ngegciwane lesandulelangculaza. Uthi enye yalezindaba evele kulamadiaries obekwenziwa ngawo ucwaningo ithi kunodokotela thizeni wase Swazini othi akunacala ukwenza ucansi ngaphandle kweCondom kulabo abadla amakhambi alwisana negciwane lesandulelangculaza (ARVs).
DR DONALD DICKINSON: In one of the peer-educators diaries they talk about how in a discussion a peer says that they heard the story that has come from a Swazi Doctor. The Swazi doctor says if you are positive and you are on treatment you don’t need to wear a condom.
MABUTHO: Nokho oka Dickinson uthi okujabulisa kakhulu ukuthi labo abafundisa ngegciwane bakwazile ukuthi bachazele abantu ngendlela abayiqondayo ukuthi izinsumansumane kanye nezinkulumo ezididayo ngegciwane ezilona iqiniso. Oka Dickinson uthi abantu abafundisa ngegciwane ezindaweni zokusebenzela babaluke kakhulu ngoba bayakwazi ukuchazela abantu izinto ngolimu abaluzwa kangcono kanti futhi bayakwazi ukusungula izindaba ezithize ukuxwayisa ngegciwane lesandulelangculaza. Uthi bekumele lezindaba ezisetshenziswa nga Peer educators zisetshenziswe kakhulu ukuxwayisa ngalesisifo ngoba yizona abantu abazizwa kangcono.
DR DONALD DICKINSON: I think if we could start to work with these stories using peer-educators again we can develop a very powerful tool. And we think that is true because people listen to people who are closer to themselves. People don’t listen to professors unfortunately.
MABUTHO: Khonamanjalo uDr Charles Deutsche waseHarvard University, eMelika uthi nakuba elweseka ngokugcwele lolucwaningi kodwa uthi usemkhulu umsebenzi okusamele wenziwe ukuqinisekisa ukuthi laba abafundisa ngegciwane ikakhulukazi ezindaweni zokusebenzela bayakuthola ukwesekwa abakudingayo emsebezini abawenzayo, ngoba kungenjalo lomsebenzi wabo ngeke uye ndawo.
DR CHARLES DEUTSCH: If the structures are not built in there for them (peer-educators) to meet together, to get supervision, to test tools and try them up. If those opportunities are not built then, how much can they do?
MABUTHO: Njengoba abanye abaqashi bemanqikanqika ukusekela lezinhlelo ezenziwa ilabo abaqwashisa ngegciwane ezindaweni zokusebenzela UNkk Betty Zuma oyiWellness manager eStandard Bank, uthi indlela engcono yokubonisa abaqashi ngokubaluleka kwabenza lomsebenzi wokuqwashisa ngegciwane ezindaweni zokusebenzela ukuthi baboniswe ukuthi ingakanani inzuzo ebalahlekelayo ngenxa yegciwane lesandulelangculaza.
BETTY ZUMA: Take HIV/AIDS and interpret it into figures because they understand figures, they don’t understand HIV. Once you show them the impact of absenteeism in an organization, and interpret them into rands, no leader in an organization will not rally and support peer-educators.
MABUTHO: Ngokocwaningo olwenziwe iBereau for Economic Research ngo 2006 umnotho waseNingizimu Africa uzothola ukukhahlamezeka uma kungekho okwenziwayo ukulawula igciwane lesandulelangculaza njengoba iningi labantu abathola leligciwane kungabantu abangumgogodla womnotho wezwe.
He was speaking during the presentation of his research titled ‘Talking about AIDS’ ‘ which was conducted between May and September 2006 at a mining operation in the North West province.
‘Over this period (during which the research was conducted) we had this Jacob Zuma trial with the shower and so on. We had the Minister of Health at Toronto and we had a lot of debate around circumcision. And you could see this confusion coming down to discussions and the peer-educators having to pick up the pieces, the mess that our leaders have caused,’ said Dr Dickinson.
According to Dr Dickinson, in one of the diaries of peer educators – which were the main source of his research – show the power of myths in competing with scientific approaches on HIV-AIDS. ‘In one of the peer-educators diaries they talk about how, in a discussion, a peer says that they have heard a story that has come from a Swazi doctor. The Swazi doctor says if you are positive and you are on treatment you don’t need to wear a condom,’ he said.
He says, to counter the myth peer educators met and discussed how best they could respond to the myth. They then came out with the story which says, ‘HIV is like a sleeping dog in the yard only foolish person enters the gate hoping the dog will remain asleep. A sleeping dog will remain asleep. A sleeping dog may wake and if it finds you, a stranger, in the yard it will bite. Rather, call to the house owner and make sure the dog is controlled before you enter.’
‘I think if we could start to work with these stories using peer-educators again we can develop a very powerful tool. And we think that is true because people listen to people who are closer to themselves. People don’t listen to professors unfortunately,’ said Dr Dickinson.
Meanwhile, Dr Charles Deutsche of Harvard University in the United States says although he concurs with the findings of the research and the importance of peer-educators in the response to the AIDS epidemic in the workplace, he thinks there is still much to be done to strengthen the work done by peer educators.
‘If the structures are not built in there for them (peer-educators) to meet together, to get supervision, to test tools and try them up. If those opportunities are not built then, how much can they do?’ he asked.
On the other hand Betty Zuma, the Wellness Manager at Standard Bank says the only way to make employers support peer-educators is to make them aware of the damages caused by HIV-AIDS to the company’s profit.
‘Take HIV/AIDS and interpret it into figures because they understand figures, they don’t understand HIV. Once you show them the impact of absenteeism in an organization, and interpret them into rands, no leader in an organization will not rally and support peer-educators,’ she said.
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