Dealing With Harmful Traditional Practices

2016 GFC East Africa Knowledge Exchange| Kachere Development Programme| Dennis Milanzi
Dealing with Harmful
Traditional Practices
& Community Engagement

 Introduction
Who We are & What We do
Mission
Vision
Mission Statement
Core Values
 Harmful Traditional Practices
 Community Engagement
 Taking steps in addressing Harmful Traditional Practices
Presentation Outline

 To enhance a well balanced worldview of cultural norms that will
reduce the risk of harmful traditional practices.
 The presentation is related to community engagement strategies that
minimize conflicts between culture and child safe environment.
 This is aimed at cultivating interest and action in addressing issues
that affect early child development process.
Presentation Goal

 Kachere Development Programme (KDP) is a registered Zambian NGO
founded in 2012.
 The organisation operates in the Eastern Province of Zambia with
current programs in Chipata, Mambwe and Petauke Districts.
 We implement integrated health and development projects focusing on
children and women as the key vulnerable populations.
 OUR MISSION is to bring long term transformation in our local
communities affected by under-development, disease and poverty.
 OUR VISION is to be a transformed community where vulnerable people
utilize their full potential to attain a sustainable health, education and
economic development process.
Introduction

 Our Mission Statement is that:
We exist to contribute to the sustainable transformation of the social, economic
and political development process of vulnerable and marginalized rural communities
through integrated health and development model to the people of the Eastern
Province
Introduction-Cont’d

Our values are based on the principles of RICHES
R-Respect for human dignity
We believe in the respect of all human being regardless of their status and beliefs
I-Integrity in our discharge of responsibility
We endeavor to maintain the maximum levels of integrity and accountability to our partners and the community
C-Commitment to our work
Commitment to work with the marginalized, abused, impoverished and neglected members of the community is our
serious engagement in allour work and assignment
H-Honesty in our duty
We understand that accountability, good governance and trust are an important part of our organisation. We are fully
aware of the expectation of our communities and our partners and we therefore strengthen our partnership through
honesty in our dealings and our programming
E-Exemplary in our conduct
Our lives and conduct should be a true reflection of who we are and what we believe in. We endeavor to be ‘doers of
what we proclaim’ and this will be depicted in our conduct to one another in the discharge of our duty and attitude
S-Stewardship in donors and partners resources
We realize that financial resources management and other material resources management are act of good
stewardship.
Our Values

 Chipata District has a population of more than
485,000 people. The district’s HIV prevalence is at
15.5% higher than national rate.
 Undi Chiefdom west of Chipata has one of the
highest HIV prevalence in the District.
 The higher HIV prevalence rate in this project site is
perpetuated by the conflict of cultural practices and
attitudes that promote risk or rather reckless
behaviors that influence promiscuity and male
dominancy.
 In spite of the major risk to HIV infection among the
productive age groups, there is strict adherence to
cultural practices especially by traditional
counselors locally called ‘alangizi’ for women and
‘alumbwe’ for men and leaders especially village
head persons out of passion to champion the
traditional heritage.
Traditional Cultural Practices in the Context of HIV/AIDS & Girl Child
Development

The Chewa people have two major initiation traditional ceremonies which has been held from time in
memory and these being ‘Gule Wamkulu’ for young men and ‘Chinamwali’ for young girls. In both initiation
ceremonies lies an act of secrecy and hence generally classified as secret cults.
What is so similar in both cases is that during the initiation school, the ceremonies put both the young boys
and girls in seclusion and confinement for more than two (2) weeks.
In the boys’ initiation ceremony of ‘Gule Wamkulu’ (big dance) the young boys are kept in initiation camp
site near grave yards or cemeteries in the bush for a period of at least two to four weeks. During this period
the recruited boys are prepared for adulthood and oriented on various traditions which include among
others is how to handle women in marriage. This teaching is worsened by the traditional counselors who
extend the teaching to the boys under age of 12-15 years.
When the training is completed, the boys are assigned to undergo a process of sexual cleansing as soon as
they graduate from the initiation school. This is done to allow the boys an opportunity to test their skill.
Development

This practice and trend has resulted into an increase in the cases of rape cases in
communities. Another effect of this teaching is that it has increased the trends of
early marriages among youths; who are forced to experiment sexual potency at a
tender age.
Development

 In the case of female initiation ceremony of Chinamwali, the girls are introduced to
various sexual related issues which are aimed at pleasing or appeasing a man. The
common practices are the use of vaginal drying concoctions, how to sexually handle
men and how to be submissive to men. When the training is completed, girls are
offered a man to test the effect of the girl’s initiation course.
 A tutor (alangizi) chooses a man of her choice to test her skill in training the girl who
has reached puberty. The girl (trainee) is advised to remain loyal to the instructions of
her teacher/tutor. This tutor or alangizi is referred to as the Queen.
 The hired man is then given to the newly trained and she has no mandate to negotiate
what kind of sex to practice in the name of practicing loyalty. This results in either the
newly trained girl contracting STIs, HIV or even falling pregnant at her first sexual
encounter.
Development

 Kachere’s work in dealing with harmful traditional practices were identified in 2013 through the
community structures among the grassroot traditional leaders and counselors.
 During our child education support project for 1,038 vulnerable children in primary, secondary
schools and tertiary institutions, we conducted a community stakeholders’ engagement in
Nyaviombo among the Chewa ethnic groups.
 Our findings on the ground revealed that the rate of school drop out had increased over a period
of time especially among girl children.
 Further investigation revealed the cause.
 It was ‘Harmful Traditional Practices’ which undermined the potential of vulnerable girls attaining
a career in life. The nature of harmful practices were related to ‘initiation ceremonies’ called
‘Chinamwali’.
 Chinamwali is a ceremony for Chewa people which involves the seclusion of girls and confined
into private cultural teachings when they reach puberty.
Dealing with the Harmful Traditional Practices-Kachere’s Experience

 Such traditional practices have aggravated youths to engage into forced marriages (eloping), dry
sex, early marriages and defilements. As a result of these cultural practices women in this rural
area cannot negotiate for safer sex in the home, have no say on family planning and are
considered as part of the men’s property and also regarded as instrument of sex and slavery.
 The scenario and practice named above has caused deprivation and increased vulnerability of
women to violence and HIV infection. The effects of such traditional practices have been
retrogressive in the fight against HIV infection. This is because the practice has resulted into low
use of condoms; high illiteracy levels; increase incidences of early marriages, teenage
pregnancies and increased cases of wife battering and child defilement.
 The most prevailing Gender Based Violence cases are in the area of wife battering, forced and
early marriages, rape cases and child defilement. Such harmful vices and practices are rarely
disclosed or reported to law enforcement agents like Zambia Police- Victim Support Unit for fear
of being victimized or not fully knowing its implications.
 This form of human rights abuse is committed with limited knowledge of its linkage to HIV
infection. In such situation victims do not have right to use condoms.
Initiation Ceremony-cont’d

 We have identified that there are opportunities that can still help
mitigate and reduce such harmful tradition practices.
 The use of traditional counselor and traditional leaders will have
quicker impact in reducing incidence of Gender Based Violence such as
rapes, wife battering and early/force marriages as well as EMTCT.
 The traditional leaders are custodians of customary laws which make it
very easy for them to identify traditional practices/norms that promote
Gender Based Violence and advocate for review and complete repeal of
bad practices among the subjects.
Taking Steps in Dealing with harmful traditional practices
Role of Local leadership & Review of Tradition
Curriculum

 Building capacity of the local
people in addressing the vices
that traumatizes girl children
and deprive them of a career in
education.
 Redesigning the Initiation
ceremony syllabi to the dangers
associated with HIV infection,
infant and maternal mortality
and gender based violence.
Role of Local leadership & Review of Tradition Curriculum

 Strengthening the local structures at
community level.
 Harnessing opportunities for Youth Adult
Partnerships as a starting point to let
children’s voices be heard.
 SHGA for women and children groups for
children as the most at risk populations
 Encouraging Couple Involvement in
addressing harmful traditional practices
Engagement & Partnership

 Addressing harmful traditional practices requires a rights based approach
which address the plight of children and women.
 This has been addressed in our strategy using the Self-Help Group approach.
 This a model which helps to ‘unleash the human economic potential’ of the
severely impoverished women.
 Each self help group has a membership of 15-20 people who look at the
three models that forms the People’s Institution.
 These are Social, Economic & Political models
The Power of the People’s Institution in addressing Harmful
Tradition Practices

 The Social Model helps women break patriarchal cultural barriers that undermine the
visibility of women in decision making and challenging cultures that oppress them. They are
engaged in addressing social trends which needs changing as culture is dynamic.
 The Economic Model address the potential of improved household incomes through weekly
savings, lending and this helps women as home carers to help sustain the families from the
incomes especially children.
 The Political Model deepens women involvement in strengthening civic engagement and
advocacy to advocate for good service delivery by their political representatives.
 The model builds the capacity of women to participate in decision making and influence
policy through local government structures and also their active involvement in political life
at grassroots.
Tradition Practices

 Kachere Development Programme has worked with women to form 153 saving groups (with
a capital base, interest and loans amounting to US$67,000.
 This has increased their membership to 3,489 with 1,134 children (aged 0-6 years) from SHG
families improve their nutritional status and also reduced absentees in their foundation
stages of school life.
 From an initial stage of unstructured leadership at SHG level, the women are now in level 2
of structured leadership called Cluster Level Associations (CLA). This is the stage where the
women and KDP have now formed Sub-Committees on Education, Health, Enterprise
Development and Agriculture to strengthen their community projects ownership.
 The CLAs in partnership with KDP are championing the Children Groups (CGs) to holistically
the needs of ECD and also changing the perception of practices that view girl child as a
source of income generating activities in the family.
Tradition Practices

 Using focus Group Discussion approach in reaching out the target groups, the method will
become more interactive and participatory and will enable the traditional educators
adequately analyze cultural practices that are not helpful and repeal them.
 It also give chance to also promote good traditional practices that contribute good morals.
The Focus Group Discussions have been held in rural where initiation ceremonies are highly
practices with practitioners of these initiation ceremonies.
 The aim is to discourage some practices in Gule Wamkulu and Chinamwali initiations that
promote Gender base Violence which increase vulnerability to HIV Infection.
 The Alangizi, Alumbwe and Indunas will spearhead the dialogue after being adequately
trained on Children protection, education, GBV and HIV/AIDs Prevention Intervention
program
The Power of the People-Where Do we go from here

The Power of the People-Where Do we go from here

Thank you for your time and attention
Let this opportunity open doors of Partner and Peer
Engagement as we share knowledge and information

Dealing With Harmful Traditional Practices

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