The Southern Africa HIV and AIDS Information Dissemination Service (SAfAIDS), in partnership with the Seke rural community, implemented a pilot project in Zimbabwe in which community dialogues were used to address what were identified as harmful cultural practices. From this project, SAfAIDS developed a series of training materials and tools to support programmers who are interested in advancing their work with communities on addressing gender and culture. These materials have been packaged under the theme: Changing the River's Flow Series - A Multi-Purpose Package.

According to the organisers, "this theme was derived from our understanding that like a river, culture may seem permanent but this is a trick of our perception because culture is always changing and adjusting to different circumstances. Moreover, just as the molecules of a river, acting together, constantly reproduce or transform the rapids, waves and whirlpools, so human beings, acting together, constantly reproduce or transform our cultural norms."

The toolkit includes the following publications and materials in PDF format:

• Zimbabwean stories of "Best Practice" in Mitigating the HIV Crisis Through a Cultural and Gender Perspective
• Cultural Attitudes, Perceptions and Practices on HIV Infection: A Baseline Towards Challenging Gender Dynamics in a Cultural Context to Address HIV in Seke, Zimbabwe
• Interrogating Culture, Women's Rights and HIV and AIDS in Namibia and Mozambique: A Report Synopsis
• Mainstreaming HIV, AIDS, and Gender into Culture: A Community Education Handbook
• Inter-linkages between Culture, Gender-Based Violence, HIV and AIDS, and Women's Rights
• Booklet - Multiple Concurrent Partnerships: Know Your HIV Risk
• A Poster
• A Banner
• A Sticker

English

SAFAIDS website on May 5 2009.