Ensuring that women and girls living with HIV in Malawi can access their sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) without stigma or discrimination is a definite commitment and one of the building blocks for the work we do at COWLHA.
As such, we took a leading role in implementing the ๐๐ฉ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ฉ๐ค๐ฃ๐๐จ program, a community-led and community-driven approach that tackled the complex issues of gender inequality, sexual and reproductive health, and intimate partner violence. Through this initiative, COWLHA worked diligently to reduce the stigma and discrimination faced by women living with HIV and to foster dialogue around some of the most deeply entrenched cultural norms.
Women in Malawi face numerous barriers when it comes to SRHR, including harmful cultural practices, gender inequality, and a lack of awareness about their rights. Our work, supported by the UNAIDS-led UA Now! initiative, sought to address these challenges head-on. By building strong community engagement and empowering both women and men as advocates for change, the foundation for sustainable progress was lain.
๐๐จ๐ฐ ๐๐ญ๐๐ฉ๐ฉ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ญ๐จ๐ง๐๐ฌ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ ๐๐ข๐๐๐๐ซ๐๐ง๐๐
The Stepping Stones program was built on the idea that open, honest conversations could lead to lasting change. In communities where gender roles often placed women at a disadvantage, the program created space for both men and women to discuss sensitive issues like HIV, relationships, and sexual health. It encouraged couples to communicate better and shifted decision-making from being male-dominated to a more balanced, couple-centered approach.
The result? Many women felt empowered for the first time to speak openly about their needs and desires, and men began to understand the importance of equality in their relationships. By fostering these crucial conversations, the program helped reduce gender-based violence and the stigma that many women living with HIV face.
If you still haven’t watched the 3-minute films created and produced by COWLHA members, their partners, and neighbors under the Stepping Stones program in collaboration with Salamander Trust, CLICK HERE.
๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ซ๐๐๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐๐ฅ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ซ๐ฌ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ข๐ง๐๐๐ฅ๐ ๐๐ก๐๐ง๐ ๐
By engaging Senior traditional leaders in national workshops and community meetings, COWLHA helped bridge the gap between women living with HIV and their communities. Leaders began to denounce harmful practices like widow inheritance and “shaking the dust” initiation ceremoniesโcultural norms that had long compromised womenโs health and rights.
This engagement with community leaders was instrumental in creating lasting change, as traditional leaders became advocates for womenโs rights and sexual and reproductive health. The success of this strategy ensured that the progress made through Stepping Stones wouldnโt end when the program concluded.
๐๐a๐ฅ ๐๐ญ๐จ๐ซ๐ข๐๐ฌ, ๐๐๐๐ฅ ๐๐ก๐๐ง๐ ๐
Throughout the program, COWLHA documented powerful stories of women whose lives were transformed by Stepping Stones. One such story is that of Enita, a woman from Lilongwe, Malawi. When she disclosed her HIV status to her husband, he abandoned her, leaving her to cope with the diagnosis on her own. However, after joining the Stepping Stones sessions, something remarkable happened.
“๐๐บ ๐ฉ๐ถ๐ด๐ฃ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ฉ๐ข๐ฅ ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ง๐ถ๐ด๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐จ๐ฆ๐ต ๐ต๐ฆ๐ด๐ต๐ฆ๐ฅ,” Enita recalls. “๐๐ถ๐ต ๐ข๐ง๐ต๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ข๐ต๐ต๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ฅ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐๐ต๐ฆ๐ฑ๐ฑ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐๐ต๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ด ๐ต๐ณ๐ข๐ช๐ฏ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ, ๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ค๐ช๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐จ๐ฐ ๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ ๐๐๐ ๐ต๐ฆ๐ด๐ต๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ค๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฏ๐ด๐ฆ๐ญ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ. ๐๐ช๐ด ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ด๐ถ๐ญ๐ต๐ด ๐ค๐ข๐ฎ๐ฆ ๐ฃ๐ข๐ค๐ฌ ๐ฑ๐ฐ๐ด๐ช๐ต๐ช๐ท๐ฆ. ๐๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ณ๐ข๐ช๐ฏ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ญ๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ฉ๐ช๐ฎ ๐ถ๐ฏ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ด๐ต๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ธ๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ธ๐ข๐ด ๐ฉ๐ข๐ฑ๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ, ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ข๐ฑ๐ฐ๐ญ๐ฐ๐จ๐ช๐ป๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ข๐ท๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ฎ๐ฆ. ๐๐ฐ๐ธ, ๐ธ๐ฆ ๐ข๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ฃ๐ข๐ค๐ฌ ๐ต๐ฐ๐จ๐ฆ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ, ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ณ ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ญ๐ข๐ต๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ด๐ฉ๐ช๐ฑ ๐ช๐ด ๐ด๐ต๐ณ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐จ๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ฃ๐ฆ๐ค๐ข๐ถ๐ด๐ฆ ๐ธ๐ฆ ๐ค๐ข๐ฏ ๐ต๐ข๐ญ๐ฌ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ฆ๐ข๐ค๐ฉ ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ด๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ค๐ต ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ฆ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณโ๐ด ๐ณ๐ช๐จ๐ฉ๐ต๐ด.”
Today, Enita and her husband use their experience to help other couples who are facing similar challenges, showing that change is possible when communities come together.
๐๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ฆ๐ฉ๐๐๐ญ ๐จ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐โ๐ฌ ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ค
Strengthening the leadership of women living with HIV is essential for achieving social change. As we continue to support initiatives that challenge entrenched gender norms and cultural practices, we are also encouraging men to be part of the solution.
Our involvement in the ๐๐ญ๐๐ฉ๐ฉ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ญ๐จ๐ง๐๐ฌ program created ripples of positive change across several districts in Malawi. By involving community leaders, social workers, and law enforcement, the program addressed the issues that made women vulnerable to both violence and HIV. Over time, women reported improvements in communication within their relationships, reduced instances of violence, and increased condom use. More people felt empowered to disclose their HIV status, and HIV support groups grew in size, breaking down the stigma that had long silenced many.
Although COWLHAโs work with the Stepping Stones program has since concluded, its impact remains. The lessons learned, the conversations started, and the lives transformed serve as a powerful reminder that community-driven change is not only possible but sustainable. COWLHAโs work has left a lasting legacy in Malawiโ one where women living with HIV can stand stronger, with their voices heard and their rights respected.
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