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Seminar on the impact of HIV/AIDS on land reform in KwaZulu-Natal
Hosted by the Southern African Regional Poverty Network and the Centre for HIV/AIDS Networking University of Natal, Durban
Scott Drimie
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Deborah Heustice
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[Briefing note]
[Seminar proceedings]
[Delegates]
[Annexures]
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Seminar proceedings
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5.4. A "way forward": Developing a more bottom-up approach within policies
and programmes / interventions at the local level to help develop an
effective policy
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The seminar identified a need for a co-ordinated effort so each sector engaged in focused work but in co-operation with all other sectors. This however needs to happen at a grassroots level rather than at a provincial or national level. Policies are often developed too far away from the coalface of the problems faced by land reform officials and land reform beneficiaries. It was also noted that there are locally specific understandings of (or ways of expressing information about) HIV/AIDS that cannot be captured unless you work at a grassroots/community level.
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Need to understand why community participation generally has not worked. Find new methodologies for facilitating community engagement.
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Stigma is a major barrier, which must be overcome, but how?
- Explore how done elsewhere, such as in Uganda;
- Local-level discourses / emphases /language. Identify key people in communities to do this;
- Do we really understand nature of stigma?
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Facilitate community-identified solutions
- Qualitative participatory research - context;
- This forms basis for interventions;
- Assets based approach;
- Physical, intellectual, human resources
- What do communities have of these resources?
- Once land has been identified, find people from agriculture, land, rural development, and HIV/AIDS (health). Should discuss problems and how to manage the situation.
- Land reform should be geared towards empowering communities to help themselves.
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Process of Community Involvement:
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Redistribution of land has to take place from the start with the identified land beneficiaries and their community;
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The potential impact of HIV/AIDS will have to be integrated from the start;
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The goal and understand must be:
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that the land will be used and managed productively;
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feedback will be necessary - via regular forums to address problems and priorities; and
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that assistance will be provided when land reform beneficiaries bring problems to attention of forum – e.g. training in new farming techniques, health and welfare service delivery as HIV/AIDS impacts on community.
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Foster a sense of openness and engagement - buy in and commitment from officials, health providers and land reform beneficiaries to find new ways of implementing land reform in era of HIV/AIDS.
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This requires a need to identify from the outset:
- Key issues and expectations;
- Put all issues that pose a challenge to land reform implementation (e.g. HIV/AIDS) on the table;
- Key individuals in community - leaders (chiefs, indunas) with whom you can work; and
- Key community structures should be involved to ensure buy-in.
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These steps should be taken to ensure that this process becomes a priority for the community and that the community is accountable and empowered to sustain development on the land redistributed to them.
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A series of meetings need to be held to discuss progress and problems.
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Policy makers and planners need to work with communities to find solutions or mechanisms to manage the problems that arise during implementation, including those created by HIV/AIDS.
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