GENDER, REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH, HIV & AIDS INTERVENTION OBJECTIVES

SHAPE Programmes go beyond universities boundaries, to the rural communities. This project aims to create an enabling and favourable social environment for the rural women and children by empowering both men and women to support each other in reducing female vulnerability to HIV and AIDS. This project also compliments the Universities programme, whereby most universities students have a rural background or strong links with the rural communities which influences their attitudes and beliefs. Empowering the rural folks will therefore also mean successful project implementation in the universities, thereby leading to the realisation of the SHAPE’s vision. Targeting community leaders, community members and community youths is with the intention to influence a positive communal behaviour change that is generated and sustained by the community itself. SHAPE acknowledges that the ultimate beneficiaries of the project should be women and children in the served communities, however targeting men and community leaders will create a conducive operating environment that supports and upholds the vulnerable groups.

Rural project activities

      For community leaders

• SHAPE conducts the redefining masculinities and assertiveness training for male and female leaders respectively; these will explore basic gender concepts; power and violence in relationships, gender dimensions of HIV and AIDS epidemic.
• Local leaders are also trained by SHAPE on how to mainstream gender issues     into their structures and activities

For community members

SHAPE  primarily work through community based organizations (CBOs) including faith based organizations as a way of reaching out to the larger community. The strategy is to reach out to more women and men as they gather through various clubs.

• SHAPE conducts the redefining masculinities and assertiveness training for male and female community members respectively; this training explores basic gender concepts; power and violence in relationships, gender dimensions of HIV and AIDS epidemic. Community members will also be trained on how to mainstream gender issues     into their structures and activities.

For out and in of school youths (16-24):

• Redefining Masculinities and Assertiveness and communication trainings:  SHAPE will identify youth groups that work with out of school males and females. Each trained group will be involved in developing and implementing action plans designed to reach out to the larger community. The action plans are meant to sustain the knowledge gained through the training by increasing visibility and dialogue on HIV and AIDS issues in the larger community. SHAPE recognizes the importance of involving the trained members to reach out to other community members not directly involved in the training project. 

Peer counselling training

SHAPE International  also conducts counselling services as a follow up activity to the masculinity, assertiveness HIV and AIDS training. SHAPE has noted that gender training workshops evoke novel personal issues that cannot be readily be solved during the workshops. It becomes imperative that follow up activities designed to empower participants to find solutions to problems that would have been stimulated by the workshops be put in place.  In this vein SHAPE International  initiates and establish counselling structures provided by trained people from the community. Its effectiveness lies in the fact that it utilizes peers to talk to each other on sensitive issues that they are often unwilling to talk to with other people from different cohort.  The trained peer counsellors  set up counselling structures at ward centres where people can access counselling services. Peer counsellors are different from peer educators in one fundamental respect: they are trained in basic counselling techniques and so can offer one-on-one and group based counselling to their peers in addition to their educational activities.

Support groups and herbal gardens

 The purpose of the support groups to encourage community members who test negative to remain so and those who test positive to receive support on positive living.  To join the support groups a member needs to have gone for HIV testing and disclosure of ones status is not required.

Income generating projects 

Shape recognizes the fact that total positive behaviour change initiated by the gender training is greatly impended by deep levels of economic hardships and poverty. Trained participants are tempted to go back to their risky behaviours such as commercial sex work as they continue to grapple with high levels of economic hardships.  SHAPE engages the trained community members in developing and implementing income generating projects that help the community in sustaining positive behaviours.

Dialogue sessions

Post training activities meant to sustain dialogue around gender sexuality and reproductive health issues will be in the form of community-members facilitated talk shows and resource person led seminars. The topics for the talk shows are generated and derived from pertinent issues in the community. 

SHAPE OUTREACH PROGRAMMES: HANDS ON NETWORK MODEL

• SHAPE has adopted the Hands On Network and Points of Light Foundation Model of Hands on network bringing people together to strengthen communities through meaningful volunteer action.  This has seen the establishment of Hands On Zimbabwe and Hands On Zimbabwe has contributed to the establishment of Hands On Kenya founded by Levis Maina. It is SHAPE’s desire to institute Hands On and Points of Light Foundation affiliates across Africa.  Some of the activities that we have been involved in include: Partnering with Government or Non Governmental organisations in response to disasters; Partnership creation with industry and commerce to make a difference; Partnership with Blood Transfusion to create a blood across Africa  and Stanbic Bank; Networking with other volunteer service organisations; Establishing learning classes for selected primary schools and secondary schools; Volunteer Training.