Wednesday, 15 June 2011

Mbekweni Unite for your Rights against Abuse: 16 June 2011

"He refuses to use condoms" says one of REACH's Community Based Volunteers (CBV's), "because he doesn’t know who infected him with HIV so he will do the same to others because he won’t die alone".   "Well" replies another CBV, "her family abandoned her...they found out that she has AIDS and that’s why she stays in a squatter camp."  "I visited a lady the other day", says the other CBV "Her husband is abusive when he is drunk and takes his money to the shebeen".  "Shame", replies her friend "I wish there was something we could do, I also visited a house down the road the other day, the lady has two children but doesn’t take care of them.  She uses the grant money for drink and does not even wash the children for school..."

South African’s constitution reflects on the rights of all its citizens to be free of abuse but this right is perpetually violated!  REACH, is hosting a Youth Day event, funded by the Foundation for Human Rights, calling on community members from Mbekweni, a township in Paarl, to raise their voices for the rights of their community. 

The event was inspired following REACH’s Changing the Rivers Flow Project in the same community which explored the links between Culture, Gender Based Violence and HIV and AIDS and included the training of community based volunteers (CBV’s) who provided support to community members.  Cases seen by CBV’s included Gender Based Violence, drug and alcohol abuse, poverty, unemployment, xenophobia, homophobia, teenage pregnancies, prostitution, and crime amongst other issues.  Some of the above are extracts from the door-to-door visits conducted by CBV’s of the problems facing community members in Mbekweni.

The project also included community dialogues that confirmed the findings of the CBV’s but which also inspired a call for unity from the community against abuses.  Comments included that more events such as these were needed in this community.

“Mbekweni Unite” Project unleashes a message that everyone can and must take stand and commitment against human rights violations.  Participants will be welcomed to use their creativity to express (via art work & words) their thoughts and feelings about abuses in their community and how they will pledge to address these issues and break the cycle of abuse.  These will then be displayed on the walls surrounding the hall and the audience will be given an opportunity to nominate 5 main “works of art”/pledges/quotes/slogans (etc) that they feel they can identify with and that could exemplify a plan of action for their community.  This will serve as an everyday reminder to community members that they took on board this pledge to fight these abuses.

The nominated art works/pledges voted by community members will be used to carry on spreading the message.  Following the event, REACH will print these on bags and bookmarks that will be donated to the community at a follow up event on the 16th of July 2011 and every participant’s artwork will be incorporated in a collage in remembrance of this initiative and the promises made by community members.

Funding for the Mbekweni Unite project is facilitated by the Foundation for Human Rights which is funded by the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development and the European Union under the Sector Budget Support Programme – Access to Justice and the Promotion of Constitutional Rights.