Gender in Belgian Survival Fund Joint Programme projects

The HIV/AIDS epidemic continues to ravage sub-Saharan Africa, particularly the eastern and southern African region. The JP currently works in 11 sub-Saharan African countries, of which Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania and Mozambique are among the countries worst hit by the epidemic. West Africa is less affected by the HIV epidemic, but several countries in the region show rising prevalence rates, due in part to the high numbers of people migrating within the region.

HIV/AIDS erodes food security, undermines livelihoods and aggravates poverty. It also has the potential to stifle development efforts, if left unchecked. When rural households affected by HIV/AIDS are unable to provide the intensive labour needed for agricultural production, productivity plummets. Children are often pulled out of school to help care for the sick or work on farms. Increasing rates of sickness and premature death among the productive adult population also mean that valuable agricultural and life skills are not passed on to the next generation.

The JP works to prevent the spread of HIV and mitigate the impact of the epidemic. Where needed, studies and surveys are carried out to identify socio-economic issues, patterns in the spread of the virus, and repercussions on different groups. The JP supports community-based activities to prevent and control the spread of HIV, providing awareness-building and training programmes for health workers and local populations, as well as improved health facilities and services. The JP also works to improve household food security and nutrition in HIV-affected households by disseminating simple labour-saving technologies, such as improved backyard gardening, cultivating tree crops and raising small livestock.

Since its 25th anniversary, BFFS is committed to upscaling its work in the prevention and mitigation of HIV/AIDS. The fund has commissioned a study aiming to develop simple approaches to improve and upscale interventions supporting HIV-affected households and addressing HIV-related issues.

The Uganda Women’s Effort to Save Orphans (UWESO) is one of the longest standing HIV/AIDS initiatives supported by the JP. UWESO was founded in 1986 to address the needs of the orphans of two decades of civil strife in the country, whose problems were multiplied with the advent of HIV/AIDS. The JP began supporting UWESO in 1994, assisting orphans and their foster families in small-scale business initiatives and providing vocational training.

The Transitional Programme of Post-conflict Reconstruction (PTRPC) in Burundi includes JP prevention and awareness-raising components; distributing prevention posters, organizing community workshops and information sessions for victims of violence. A JP baseline study on HIV/AIDS in Burundi was carried out in 2007.

The Sofala Bank Artisanal Fisheries Project in Mozambique targets an area that has the highest HIV prevalence rate in the country. The disease spreads rapidly with the migration of fishermen, and has been detrimental to coastal communities. JP activities have focussed on awareness-raising campaigns to reduce the rate of transmission, and on improving community health care for those who are sick. This support to communities will be continued and strengthened in the second phase of the project.

In DR Congo, BFFS works with the Programme de relance agricole dans la province de l’Equateur (PRAPE), to improve health facilities and awareness, attitudes and practices related to HIV/AIDS, and help identify efficient coping strategies for affected households.