Sharing research findings with the communities studied: the case of the Women and AIDS Support Network Research Project in Zimbabwe.

Abstract

Women in Zimbabwe are extremely vulnerable to HIV infection with growing numbers of women and girls becoming infected with HIV as the AIDS epidemic progresses in the country. Zimbabwes National AIDS Control Program annual report for 1994 shows peak AIDS rates among women aged 20-29 years and infection rates among teenage girls five times higher than for boys. In antenatal sentinel clinics 20-25% of pregnant women have tested HIV-seropositive. The Women and AIDS Support Network (WASN) is an indigenous nongovernmental organization working to define and address womens needs with regard to HIV/AIDS. In mid-1992 WASN began a study of women and AIDS in Zimbabwe to improve its ability to support and empower women in the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The project was conducted in the urban Mutare-Sakubva High Density Suburb and the rural areas of Beitbridge and Gokwe districts. The project is described and findings presented on participants HIV- and sex-related knowledge communication childbearing and sexual practices. Lessons learned are discussed followed by conclusions.