Monday, 21 November 2011

Turning the Tide on Gender Based Violence

REACH is featured in the best practice video by our funder and project partner SAfAIDS based on the project that REACH supported in implementing between 2009 and 2010 called Changing the Rivers Flow. At four minutes into the video, Interim Director of REACH, Claudia Lopes, and one of REACH's community based volunteers, Xola Hlaliso, share how the project made a difference in the community of Mbekweni, Paarl.

Changing the Rivers Flow has been replicated in 36 communities in nine southern African countries. SAfAIDS describes the project: "The 'Changing the River's Flow' model is based on the understanding that the answer to effective and sustainable HIV and gender based violence (GBV) prevention in Africa lies in building the capacity of community members to address cultural practices that fuel the two epidemics".

"Implementation is further supported by the understanding that harmful cultural beliefs and practices uphold gender inequalities and lead to higher incidences of GBV, which fuel the spread of HIV. The model, which is easily adaptable, thus helps communities to act on some context-specific cultural practices, and overarching traditional beliefs that increase individuals' risks of experiencing violence, and becoming infected with HIV".

---