The stigma they associate with HIV and Aids has led some Grahamstown residents on ARV treatment to buy their medication on the black market, rather than attending local clinics in person to get it free.
Those who stock the black market are allegedly selling their medicine to buy food, alcohol and cigarettes, said Ida Khwababa of the Centre for Social Development at Rhodes University. She was speaking at the Recreation Hall on Tuesday as part of the community dialogues taking place in different parts of Grahamstown this week.
Over the past two weeks, Khwababa and other CSD staff have been at the forefront of the community dialogues, a joint initiative with the Nelson Mandela Foundation. These dialogues give ordinary people the opportunity to identify their most pressing issues and suggest practical solutions.
The dialogues kicked off in Fingo village last week, with over 60 stakeholders taking part, including community members, representatives from the Department of Social Development, as well as care providers from the Jabez Centre and Raphael Centre. Residents raised a number of issues.
“Jabez does a good job, but it is not enough, it is very far from where I live,” said one resident, “so I don’t have access to any support group.”
Khwababa conceded that the issue was disturbing because counselling is an essential part of living positively with HIV.
Grahamstown NGOs tend to think it is enough to campaign and facilitate workshops. It is not enough and when it comes to HIV/Aids, it will never be enough, said Khwababa.
“We want the communities to be able to stand up for themselves and gain confidence in making decisions among themselves, she said. “In order for change to be meaningful, it needs to come from within the communities. We are trying to cultivate a culture of self-help.”
Another facilitator commented: “We were also shocked to find out that many people were getting ill because of easy access to illegal cigarettes sold in [spaza]shops all over Grahamstown’s townships.”
An Albany resident thanked the facilitators for the dialogues. “We never get a chance to speak among ourselves like this,” she said. “Living with issues such as HIV is very difficult. In my community people don’t talk about it, unless they are drunk and then they talk about it badly.”
The stigma they associate with HIV and Aids has led some Grahamstown residents on ARV treatment to buy their medication on the black market, rather than attending local clinics in person to get it free.
Those who stock the black market are allegedly selling their medicine to buy food, alcohol and cigarettes, said Ida Khwababa of the Centre for Social Development at Rhodes University. She was speaking at the Recreation Hall on Tuesday as part of the community dialogues taking place in different parts of Grahamstown this week.
Over the past two weeks, Khwababa and other CSD staff have been at the forefront of the community dialogues, a joint initiative with the Nelson Mandela Foundation. These dialogues give ordinary people the opportunity to identify their most pressing issues and suggest practical solutions.
The dialogues kicked off in Fingo village last week, with over 60 stakeholders taking part, including community members, representatives from the Department of Social Development, as well as care providers from the Jabez Centre and Raphael Centre. Residents raised a number of issues.
“Jabez does a good job, but it is not enough, it is very far from where I live,” said one resident, “so I don’t have access to any support group.”
Khwababa conceded that the issue was disturbing because counselling is an essential part of living positively with HIV.
Grahamstown NGOs tend to think it is enough to campaign and facilitate workshops. It is not enough and when it comes to HIV/Aids, it will never be enough, said Khwababa.
“We want the communities to be able to stand up for themselves and gain confidence in making decisions among themselves, she said. “In order for change to be meaningful, it needs to come from within the communities. We are trying to cultivate a culture of self-help.”
Another facilitator commented: “We were also shocked to find out that many people were getting ill because of easy access to illegal cigarettes sold in [spaza]shops all over Grahamstown’s townships.”
An Albany resident thanked the facilitators for the dialogues. “We never get a chance to speak among ourselves like this,” she said. “Living with issues such as HIV is very difficult. In my community people don’t talk about it, unless they are drunk and then they talk about it badly.”
