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WAT - HUMAN SETTLEMENTS TRUST P.O. Box 5914,Dar-es-Salaam, TANZANIA. Tel: +255 22 2760258 Email: wat@raha.com. OVERCOMING BARRIERS: HOUSING AND HIV/AIDS IN SUB SAHARA AND ABORIGINAL COMMUNITIES IN CANADA. By: Tabitha Siwale Chief Executive WAT- Human Settlements Trust.
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WAT - HUMAN SETTLEMENTS TRUST P.O. Box 5914,Dar-es-Salaam, TANZANIA. Tel: +255 22 2760258 Email: wat@raha.com
OVERCOMING BARRIERS: HOUSING AND HIV/AIDSIN SUB SAHARA AND ABORIGINAL COMMUNITIES IN CANADA By: Tabitha Siwale Chief Executive WAT- Human Settlements Trust.
PRESENTATION OUTLINE • Definition • Vision and Mission statement of WAT Human Settlements Trust. • HIV/AIDS in Tanzania • Target groups • Key issues related to HIV/AIDS and housing in WAT- Human Settlements program. • Key strategies used to respond to the issues • Activities carried out • Training WAT Staff • Tool Used • Challenges • Future challenges and possible responses.
DEFINATION AIDS : Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome HIV : Human Immune Deficiency PLWHA: People living with HIV/AIDS TACAIDS: Tanzania Commission for AIDS WAT : WAT- Human Settlements Trust WAT- SACCOS: Women Advancement Trust Saving and Credit Cooperative Society.
WAT-Human Settlements Vision and Mission Statement. • Vision: To see a society living in improved human settlements as a result of WAT-Human Settlements activities in low and middle-income areas by 2025. • Mission Statement: To promote adequate and affordable shelter with secure tenure of low and middle income earners particularly women.
HIV/AIDS • Tanzania Population 35.5 Million (2002 census) • First cases of AIDS appeared in 1983 in Kagera Northern Region. • 2.2 Million people are living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). 2005 • 25.3 Million people are living with HIV/AIDS in Sub- Sahara Africa. 2005 • 37.8 Million PLWHA world wide. 2005 • 56% of PLWHS in Tanzania are women compared to 60% in Kenya and 65 in Uganda. 2005 • HIV/AIDS has been declared a crisis issue in Tanzania since early eighties. 2005 • National target is to reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS by 2015
TARGET GROUPS • Housing coops/groups • Women groups • Policy makers. • Activists groups • Representatives of International bodies. • Neighboring community to WAT office(two sub wards): • Male - 6,877 • Female - 7,180 • Affected – 17 • Widows – 14 • Orphans – 62 • Widowers - 5
KEY ISSUES RELATED TO HIV/AIDS AND HOUSING IN WAT-HUMAN SETTLEMENTS TRUST PROGRAM. • HIV/AIDS is not considered a Human Settlements issue by many people. • Poverty • In adequate housing/shelter poverty • Inheritance rights for women • Empowering communities to find solutions for prevention of spread of HIV/AIDS and on how to deal with HIV/AIDS cases. • Lack of Housing policy. • Lack of funds.
KEY STRATEGIES USED TO RESPOND TO ABOVE STATED ISSUES • Creation of awareness on the spread of HIV/AIDS • Creating awareness on how adequate and affordable housing can be part of a solution to dealing with HIV/AIDS epidemic. • Teaching on affordability in relation to housing. • Linking issues of HIV/AIDS and inheritance. • Networking with other civil society organizations. • Collaborating with Tanzania Commission for AIDS (TACAIDS) • Dissemination of information. • Distribution of fliers brochures, posters.
ACTIVITIES • Organizing workshops/meetings for • WAT target groups and the neighboring community. • Nominated members from some villages or wards. • Awareness creation on: • Situational analysis of HIV/AIDS in Tanzania • How HIV/AIDS is transmitted • Housing and HIV/AIDS • Prevention of spreading HIV/AIDS • Stigmatization • Networking • WAT is a member of the ward HIV/AIDS committee.
Activities Cont….. Organizing campaign on Inheritance Rights • Widow face a number of problems exuberated by customary and statutory practices which includes: • Denial to inherited the husbands property • Being inherited • Stigmatization • Lack of care and support N.B. The objective is to lobby and advocate for change of customary law on inheritance.
Training WAT staff • HIV/AIDS at work place • How to prepare a HIV/AIDS policy at work place • Monitoring and evaluation : One member of staff attended training conducted by TACAIDS) • Peer educator: One member of staff trained as a peer educator. • Community Capacity Enhancement: Two members attended the training course in Mombasa.
Tools Used • 2 Videos • 1st video produced by government on sexually transmitted diseases • 2nd video on life worries produced by WAT Actors members of Nalamakazi housing group. • Training Manual on HIV/AIDS • Posters • Fliers • Brochures
CHALLENGES THAT WERE FACED IN THIS PROCESS • Some people do not take the disease seriously • Poverty among young girls • Religious stand on using condoms • Lack of funds • Lack of housing strategies prepared by local authorities • Shelter poverty. • Outdated laws of inheritance. • Some people do not want to reveal that they are HIV/AIDS positive.
FUTURE CHALLENGES • Poverty among community members. • Construction of adequate and affordable shelter. • Lack of insufficient funds • Law on HIV/AIDS • Inheritance Law • Education on writing wills
POSIBLE RESPONSES • Encourage members to save through savings and credit societies • Train and advise members of coops/groups on different techniques of building adequate and affordable shelter. • More people will be responding to advice given