Life for a 35 year old man Alfred Jemitala was at risk in the past ten years as he could drink heavily and womanized at the same time, thanks to Man to Man clubs who are visibly available in the areas of Traditional Authorities Njolomole and Chakhumbira in Ntcheu.
Narrating his story at the launch of the campaign against Gender Based Violence in Ntcheu, Jemitala said he could spend the whole drinking and this behavior prompted him to be a womanizer as a result he contracted the HIV Virus.
Jemitala said he could not realize that he is HIV positive and continued drinking excessively until some men from the Man to Man clubs which were formed by the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace (CCJP) approached him and advised him to go and test for HIV/AIDS.
“I thought I was as normal as any other person until members of Man to Man clubs in my village advised me to stop taking too much beer or even stop taking it for the betterment of my life. By then I was thinking I am living a happier life but now I am a witness to the dangers of excessive beer drinking,”said Jemitala.
Much as beer drinking is regarded as part of the Ngoni culture, CCJP however says that the behavior has greatly promoted to an increase in cases of Domestic Gender Based Violence in many communities around Ntcheu.
CCJP’s National Gender and Civic Education Coordinator, Ellita Yobe said women and children especially girls are the most victims of gender based violence hence the need for a conceded effort to address the challenge.
“Gender Based Violence is not just about beating up a wife at home but it carters across because even issues of incest where by a man is deemed to rape his daughter or step daughter are also common in our society. It is high time we started condoning these malpractices hence the need for Church Leaders, Traditional Authorities and all sectors in the society to take a leading role in sensitizing their people on the dangers of gender based violence,” said Yobe.
According to Yobe, Gender Based Violence contributes or has contributed to issues of early marriages amongst girls, spread of HIV/AIDS and poverty amongst household member and the community at large.
“You know when one is victimized; obviously he/she is disturbed in one way or the other. We have case studies where one is involved into sexual activities simply because he/she was victimized at a certain time and as a result the spread of HIV/AIDS is likely high. Similarly, with Gender Based Violence girls are forced to enter into early marriages as a way of sustaining themselves,” she said
CCJP Secretary for Dedza Diocese, Lawrence Puliti said it is against the background of all cases that lead to Gender Based Violence and that prompted them to establish Men to Men clubs at almost every village headman in the areas of Traditional Authorities Chakhumbira and Njolomole with Financial Support from Trocare through a project called Linking Culture, Masculinity, Alcoholic to the spread of HIV/AIDS.
He said the project which started in 2012 and will end in 2015 has so far established 24 clubs in the area of Traditional Authority Njolomole and 14 in the area of Traditional Authority Chakhumbira.
“Their role is to provide counseling and of course sensitize their fellow men on the dangers of excessive beer drinking that contributes to Gender Based Violence. So far I can say there is a significant change in attitude from most men in the impact area where we are working simply because of these men to men clubs,” said Puliti.
He said apart from establishing Men to Men clubs, CCJP has also managed to introduce Village, Savings and Loans as one way of financially empowering households.
Commenting on Men to Men clubs, Chairperson for the club in the area of Group Village Headman Kaludzu which has eight clubs, Chrispin Lundukwa said his clubs uses the door to door approach as a way of reaching fellow men with messages on the danger of excessive beer drinking hence sensitize them to stop Gender Based Violence.
“Of course beer drinking is regarded as part of our Ngoni Culture but what we do is normally to advise our fellow men in the villages to stop or at least reduce taking too many beers. You know when drunk, one can easy play unprotected sex thereby contacting HIV/AIDS,” he said
Lundukwa proudly said men in the clubs are indeed the shining examples to others as they do exactly what they preach to their fellow men.
“We have our own Motto which says,Mamuna weniweni saamwa mowa mwauchidwakwa (A real man doesn’t drink excessively).This helps us to lobby for more change from men and it has really helped us to achieve our goals,” he said.
While commending the good effort done by the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace, the District Community Development Officer for Ntcheu, Phalles Chizule said a lot more has to be done in order to fight against the excessive beer drinking thereby reducing Gender Based Violence.
She commended CCJP for among others introducing Village Savings and Loan clubs which she said have empowered most families in Ntcheu to be financially independent hence reduce Gender Based Violence.
“As government we do appreciate the role played by our partners including CCJP in the fight against gender based violence. However, there is still quite a lot that we need to collaborate in this campaign and I am sure, by the end of the day ,we are going to win this battle because if we leave it like that, it means the flow of development and economic activities will be reduced,”said Chizule.
She said her office so far registers a 35 percent of cases related to Gender Based Violence and cases that are common in Ntcheu include divorce that result in giving much responsibility to women to take care of children left by the husband, property grabbing, and beating up of women in a family.
Every year Malawi joins the rest of the world in commemorating 16 Days of Activism against Gender Based Violence from 25th November to 10th December.
CCJP you are doing a very recommendable job especially that of Man to Man. Would you please assist other CCJPs to emulate the same example. Wonderful!