On April 6, IDEX Program Officer, Kat and Vini visited PWN support group members and got a sense of life in the townships of Johannesburg.
We first went to the township of Wattville to meet with one of the groups supported by Positive Women's Network (PWN), located an hour away from downtown Johannesburg. Wattville is home to approx 100 to 150 families. The support group has 57 members. Prudence Mabele, PWN's Director, grew up in Wattville and her grandmother, sister and many other family members still live there. As we entered the township, Prudence showed us the school that she went to and the corner where she used to sell vegetables to the community.
Right now, the main challenge that people face in the townships is unemployment. Many families have had to depend on social grants provided by the government, but these barely cover rent and food.
Monique, a support group member of Wattville since 2002, shared with us how difficult it has been to find a job. She joined the support group to be part of a women's group in her township. A year later she tested with HIV-positive, during her pregnancy with her fourth daughter. Pregnancy is a common way for women to find out that they're HIV-positive. Because she was already part of the support group she knew the importance of coming out as an HIV-positive woman. Not hiding that you are HIV-positive is empowering and can raise awareness that it is possible to live positively.
Tombifuthi (more known by her friends as Matigale), provides assistance to Watville's outreach coordinator, and supported Monique, so she was able to tell her family right away. It is very rare for HIV-positive women to share their diagnosis quickly with their family. That Monique was motivated to do this speaks to the great support system PWN has cultivated in the support groups.
Every Thursday, Monique brings her daughters to the support group meetings. She wants them to be aware of HIV, especially since they are young women. And young women living in townships have a high probability of being raped. This is a harsh reality in South Africa, where a woman is raped every 18 seconds.
The main activity of this support group is treatment literacy. HIV-positive women learn how to access treatment and the importance of not dropping the treatment. The group is also attending workshops to learn how to start support groups and how to counsel each other. HIV is unfortunately a part of many lives and deaths occur daily.
We first went to the township of Wattville to meet with one of the groups supported by Positive Women's Network (PWN), located an hour away from downtown Johannesburg. Wattville is home to approx 100 to 150 families. The support group has 57 members. Prudence Mabele, PWN's Director, grew up in Wattville and her grandmother, sister and many other family members still live there. As we entered the township, Prudence showed us the school that she went to and the corner where she used to sell vegetables to the community.Right now, the main challenge that people face in the townships is unemployment. Many families have had to depend on social grants provided by the government, but these barely cover rent and food.
Monique, a support group member of Wattville since 2002, shared with us how difficult it has been to find a job. She joined the support group to be part of a women's group in her township. A year later she tested with HIV-positive, during her pregnancy with her fourth daughter. Pregnancy is a common way for women to find out that they're HIV-positive. Because she was already part of the support group she knew the importance of coming out as an HIV-positive woman. Not hiding that you are HIV-positive is empowering and can raise awareness that it is possible to live positively.
Tombifuthi (more known by her friends as Matigale), provides assistance to Watville's outreach coordinator, and supported Monique, so she was able to tell her family right away. It is very rare for HIV-positive women to share their diagnosis quickly with their family. That Monique was motivated to do this speaks to the great support system PWN has cultivated in the support groups.
Every Thursday, Monique brings her daughters to the support group meetings. She wants them to be aware of HIV, especially since they are young women. And young women living in townships have a high probability of being raped. This is a harsh reality in South Africa, where a woman is raped every 18 seconds.The main activity of this support group is treatment literacy. HIV-positive women learn how to access treatment and the importance of not dropping the treatment. The group is also attending workshops to learn how to start support groups and how to counsel each other. HIV is unfortunately a part of many lives and deaths occur daily.
Labels: HIV/AIDS, Prudence Mabele, PWN
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