Lessons learnt

  • It is important for couples to understand the anatomy and physiology of their reproductive organs before they can appreciate one another;
  • Men have always used the women as objects because they did not understand the female anatomy and physiology;
  • Behaviour change is a long process and needs patience, determination and commitment;
  • Creating awareness about HIV and Aids should be continuous;
  • Women and men who are widowed at an early age and discover they are positive close up, for fear of being stigmatized and end up remarrying without the spouse knowing the status;
  • Dialogue for couples is the key to success in the fight of HIV and Aids. It is a weapon for behaviour change process;
  • People in MTAA leadership need to be those that have understood the process to avoid regression;
  • Sexual cleansing is different from inheritance and remarriage;
  • Polygamy is still practiced due to many reasons, one of them being that a woman in menopausal age is not allowed to relate sexually with the husband, the other reason being that men fear to be widowed;
  • Sorority is a common practice in this community where a widower is given a young woman from the deceased wife’s family without knowing the HIV status of the widower or the young girl;
  • Widowers still practice ‘sexual cleansing’ without condom;
  • Condom use is still an issue even among HIV-couples;
  • Youth molding and prevention of HIV/Aids can be affected if the couples continue with dialogue within the households;
  • Alcoholism still a major factor issue in the fight against HIV-infection;
  • Venturing in prevention programs at community level needs one to have knowledge on cultural practices and understand why they are practiced;
  • Involving the key traditional leaders in HIV-prevention is likely to lead to replacement of high-risk cultural practices with alternatives that may be sustainable.

 

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