Benin
Widows to Benefit from
the PanAfrican News Agency dated 23 August, 2000 from New Drive
to Support HIV/AIDS Sufferers
A campaign called “white coins” was launched by the Benin
AIDS Foundation two weeks ago. The Foundation is collecting coins
throughout the country to assist in its activities which include paying
for basic drugs; promoting social and professional reintegration and
to assist in the care of those left behind by the disease – widows
and orphans. The
Foundation describes it as a campaign “to mobilise national savings”
for the care of those affected by the pandemic. The number of AIDS
sufferers in Benin increased from 0.36 per cent in 1990 to 3.60 per
cent in 1998. Those between the ages of 13 to 25 years are most vulnerable
to infection. The
above article is Widows
and HIV/AIDS - KenyaThe
source for the above article was from Inter Press Service – May
1999 by Judith Achieng.
“Culture can be a huge obstacle to the fight against HIV/AIDS”,
said Paul Dache, the head of the local theatre for AIDS awareness
in the Nyanza Province, Kenya. He
was referring to the traditional practice of sexual cleansing which
requires a widow of the Luo in the Nyanza province in Western Kenya,
to have sexual contact with a member of her late husband's clan. A
widow has little choice in the matter – she can either accept
or be ostracised. Without undergoing the ritual, she is considered
a curse and will be prevented from going near the family farm or from
visiting her neighbours. Such
practices do not appear to be threatened from the high levels of HIV
infection in the area – it is estimated that the Nyanza province
carries 20 per cent of the reported cases of HIV/AIDS. Furthermore
opinion is divided in the matter – those working the field of
HIV/AIDS prevention clearly see a need to adapt local customs to the
new social climate. On the other hand, a leading court of appeal judge
Richard Kwach, was reported as saying “Luo customs are sacrosanct
and cannot be tampered with”
Mending the fabric of their
lives From Bangkok Post December
1 1998 © Copyright The Post Publishing Public Co., Ltd. 1998
Aids
widows are struggling to make ends meet while dealing with social
discrimination
Widowed
grandmother cares for her widowed sick daughters' children. Kenya
Nilubol Pornpitagpan Urai
Fonchan, 31, never expected her marriage would be so short. Her
husband, a craftsman at a jewelry shop, loved drinking and visiting
brothels. He refused to curtail his lascivious habits even after
getting married. After
three years together, the Chiang Mai couple decided to have a baby
in 1993.
Mrs
Urai asked her husband to have a blood test. The result turned her
world upside down: her husband was HIV positive. She
then had a blood test herself. The result was also devastating.
"I
was numb from the news. I'd never felt so terribly depressed and
desperate in my life before. I felt I had been robbed of everything
in my life. It seemed there was no way out for me," Mrs Urai
recalled. As
she tried to cope with this unforeseen family crisis, her husband
did not cooperate. She could not turn to him for consolation or
even consultation. He was so upset that he turned to drinking more
heavily than ever. He even frequented the brothels more often, to
get his revenge, he said. "I
couldn't turn to my husband for consolation. I asked him to stop
so that we could talk and tackle the problem together but it proved
fruitless," said Mrs Urai, her voice shaking. "I needed
his consolation but he didn't care." Her
husband died two years later. As a widow with an elderly mother
to take care of, Mrs Urai tried to pull herself together enough
to earn a living. She worked at a factory sewing bags. But when
word spread about her illness, her colleagues turned on her. After
a while she quit her job. "I couldn't stand their daily derogatory
remarks," she said.
But
hope appeared when Mrs Urai learned of Ban Huay Sai Ruam Jai, a
house where a group of HIV-positive women work together to produce
products made from cotton. Here, she was able to use her sewing
skills to earn an income, albeit small. Ban Huay Sai Ruam Jai started
in 1993 and is owned by Surapi Panchote who, like Mrs Urai, is an
Aids widow and is HIV positive, and also has one daughter to take
care. The
project, which received initial funding from the Keua Darun Foundation,
now has six members who are all widows and all have HIV. On their
six sewing machines they produce bags, backpacks, pencil cases,
cushion covers, school uniforms, children's clothes and purses.
Working
with women who share the same problems makes Mrs Urai feel happier
because she now someone to talk to. "We
understand each other. We can give advice or encouragement when
we feel sad," she said. The
group is open to new members, whether they are HIV-positive or not.
"We welcome women who are like us. Housewives who don't have
HIV are also welcome if they wish to learn how to sew and earn some
income," says Mrs Urai.
At
present, the group sells their products at the Sunday market near
the village of Ban Huay Sai in San Kamphaeng district. They hope
to expand their outlets in the future.
With
market limitations, each member can earn around 100 baht per day
only. Wages are paid according to the number of pieces they sew.
"We
want to produce more if we can find more markets for our products.
We are also willing to produce special requests or designs,"
Mrs Urai said.
Visitors
are welcome at Ban Huay Sai Ruam Jai and the group is interested
in hearing new ideas. "We welcome any person who would like
to see our work," said Mrs Urai. Contact
persons: Mrs Surapi Panchote or Mrs Urai Fonchan
Address:
Ban Huay Sai Ruam Jai, 58, Moo 6, Ban Doi Siew, Huay Sai, San Kamphaeng,
Chiang Mai 50130 RWANDA
TWO WIDOWS A WEEK DIE FROM AIDS on aids page
AVEGA (WIdows of the Genocide of April 1994) report that,
6 years after the genocide and the systematic rape of thousands
of widows by infected rapists they are losing 2 members a week to
death by AIDS. AVEGA reports that evidence has been revealed that
infecting Tutsi widows with AIDS virus was part of a deliberate
plan to demoralise and destroy the ethnic group.
A new land law providing for widows to inherit land was introduced
into the parliament in November 1999 and is now going through the
parliamentary process Violence against widows over inheritance disputes
are common.. Widows are often too terrified to attempt to obtain
a share of their
husband's land.
Last month a widow was killed, in broad daylight in the main street
of Kigali by her husband's relatives. No one was arrested or prosecuted.
