Under the direction of Dr. Paul Pronyk, Director of RADAR (Rural Aids and Development Action Research Programme), IMAGE (Intervention with Micro Finance for Aids and Gender Equity), “a community-based structural intervention for HIV prevention," was founded in 2001. The project is a collaborative effort supported by Small Enterprise Foundation (SEF), a microfinance non-governmental organization, University of the Witswatersrand (Wits), the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and the Department of Health. IMAGE provides women with short term business loans of up to USD 1,300 operating on the presumption that an increase in earning power will encourage women to be more vocal at home, confronting unfaithful husbands about issues such as condom usage.
Domestic violence and AIDS infection have long plagued the eight villages outside of Burgersfort, Limpopo Province, South Africa where IMAGE currently operates. According to Dr. Pronyk, "of the approximately 400 women receiving loans, between 36 and 71 percent reported having been in a violent relationship." Not unrelated is the HIV/AIDS infection rate, which identifies one out of every three adults in the region as HIV positive. Image findings report that most women in the region accept their husband's extra-marital affairs as common practice. IMAGE claims most wives avoid confronting their spouses about such behavior, leaving their health at risk, as the male is typically the only wage earner and thus perceived as the unique authority in the household.
IMAGE believes the solution is to increase women's authority at home by increasing their earning power outside of the home via a microfinance program. Under the direction of SEF, women are provided with loans to support pre-existing and new small businesses. SEF has operated in Limpopo for over ten years. Over 8,000 loan recipients have participated in the signature SEF Tshomisano Credit Programme (TCP).
While loans are distributed to small groups of five women, they are to be used individually. Every two weeks loan recipients are required to participate in the second component of IMAGE, a participatory and action curriculum called Sisters for Life. Sisters for Life meetings are essentially workshops where women learn to confront their husbands about issues such as domestic violence, rape, and the importance of condom usage.
Loan recipient, Betty Nkele reports, "my business has improved, and I'm more aware of myself now. I've got plans. My own plans. So I'm not waiting for my husband to come home with money. I'm building my own future." IMAGE hopes to build new programs in the future addressing rape awareness and youth HIV prevention.
To learn more about this author, visit David Satterthwaite's Website.
Like this article? Share it with your friends
|
|
David Satterthwaite
(Visit David's Website)
David brings 10 years of experience in
microfinance management, social
entrepreneurship, non-profit
management/fund-raising and microfinance
investment research.
David is the Chairman and President of
Prisma Microfinance, Inc., a retail
“microbank” operating in Central America.
He is also Chief Editor of
MicroCapital.org, a news and information
service for the microfinance community and
its investors. Each month,
MicroCapital.org publishes the
MicroCapital Monitor, the leading industry
newspaper.
David writes and speaks frequently on
microfinance. He has been a quest speaker
at many events, including: Microcredit
Summit 5+: Panel on Private Investment,
Milken Institute Global Conference, United
Nations Year of Microcredit Symposium for
Wall Street, Chicago Conference on
Microfinance, Harvard Social Enterprise
Conference, Dartmouth’s Business
Sustainability Conference, Wharton’s
Conference on Social Entrepreneurship,
Stanford’s Social Enterprise Club,
Columbia’s Social Enterprise Program and
the Net Impact Annual Conference. Through
his work with Prisma and MicroCapital, he
has been featured or quoted in The Wall
Street Journal, the Boston Globe, “All
Things Considered,” Reuters and
SocialFunds.com. David has been
recognized with the Compaq Computer
Corporation Leadership Award, the City
Year Inspiring Leader Award and the
National Social Venture Business Plan
Competition award for Best Social Impact
Analysis.
David has supported many non-profit and
for-profit social enterprises in different
capacities, including Access Technology
Learning Center, Agora Partnerships,
Bridges to Business, City Year, Fonkoze,
Kiva and National Social Venture
Competition.
David holds a B.A. with Honors in
Political Science from Haverford College.
|
|
 |
|
David Satterthwaite's
Complete
List Of
African-Accounts
Articles
|
|
If you enjoyed this article, get David Satterthwaite's Complete List of African-Accounts Articles For FREE!
|
|
|
|
![[Get Copyright Permissions]](http://license.icopyright.net/images/icopy-w.gif){kind=small}
