|
BACKGROUND
Due to the combined impact of HIV/AIDS related deaths of key family
providers/heads, and the destabilization of households
caused by escalating poverty levels in Zambia, many young
girls from ages as low as 13 to as high as 35 find
themselves attempting to earn money by marketing their
bodies for sex. As a result, they have become an
extremely high-risk group in regards to the dangers posed
by growing HIV/AIDS infections.
In
1999, NORTHMEAD ASSEMBLY OF GOD began targeting this
high-risk group and launched an intervention dubbed
"Operation Paseli". Paseli is the name of the
street along which the CHURCH is located, and commercial
sex workers often parade soon after nightfall.
Following
some awareness teachings conducted by Bishop Joshua H.K.
Banda, CHURCH members (both male and female) were
mobilized over several evenings to reach the girls on the
street in an effort to understand the reasons behind
their life style.
The objective was to utilize this understanding as the
basis for offering viable alternatives to their dangerous
lifestyle.
Some
of the girls were in fact making money on behalf of
entire families. Others indicate they were ‘employed’
by pimps, and were under obligation to hand their
earnings to some one else before apportionment was made
to them. Others had unstable marriages, and tried to make
ends meet by offering their bodies for money.
CURRENT
STATUS
Following
weeks of interaction with the target group, some girls
were prepared to enroll into a skills training course.
The skill-training course is designed for other
vulnerable women at the CHURCH. The first few
participants were offered temporary shelter to facilitate
easier access to counseling services. Shortly thereafter,
a full-fledged skills training program was initiated.
A
group of widows and rehabilitated former sex workers
completed the first phase. They have since been granted
Micro credit loans and sewing machines to assist them in
income generation. For some, this is the first time they
have been involved in honest, gainful activity and are
leading normal lives. The program’s focus has shifted
from shelter provision to skills training.
Operation Paseli
has just celebrated the graduation of 46 program
participants. The graduates have demonstrated a strong
commitment to a changed life
style and were very consistent in attending
training sessions twice a week. A third of the graduates
were actually recruited by peers who were in the program.
Skills courses taught
at the moment include:
- Life skills and
values of chastity, fidelity and fulfilled living
- Personal Hygiene
- Basic Home
economics and Nutrition
- Basic Tailoring
and Design
- Making Tie and
dye materials
- How to start a
small business
- Budgeting and
managing of finances
- HIV/AIDS and the
dangers of high risk sexual life styles
|
 |
|
The
provision of individual psychosocial counseling and other
interactive activities serve to augment the 6-month
curriculum. Exposure visits to key places, such
hospitals, hospices, etc. are instrumental in initiating
discussions on HIV/AIDS and personal responsibility.
Other
exposure visits are directly linked to some of the skills
being taught. For instance, a clothing factory was
recently visited to interface with the tailoring course.
A course in catering is now being considered due to
rising interest levels from the participants in the
program.
PERSONNEL
The program is staffed by a team of four (4) trained social
workers/volunteers. Additional facilitators and other
qualified personnel, both from within the CHURCH and
other relevant organizations, are solicited for input as
needed.
OVER-ALL IMPACT
Since the program’s inception, the number of young girls
parading Paseli Street at night has been significantly
reduced. The
former commercial sex workers
have experienced unique
transformations while
undergoing re-habilitation. It is evident
every
human being is capable of change once given practical
alternatives, moral and/or material support in an
environment of love and care.
Efforts are underway to expand
the thrust and facilitate the replication in the other
communities within Lusaka and key provincial centers.
|
|
