Gender and HIV remains a problem in Cameroon

Gender and HIV/AIDS

In Africa, the tradition is that men leave the home to work and women take care of the home. This mobility of men and their absence from their spouses gives leeway for men to “experiment” with willing women who want to make money. There is a saying that promotes this womanizing habit in men: “A man is a pair of shorts which gets worn out due to traveling, and a woman is a piece of cloth that stays at home.” When a man contracts the HIV virus, in due course he shares the virus with his wife.
While male mobility is a big issue in AIDS infection, the largest group of men who are infected are not migrant workers, but are married or cohabiting and have sexual relations with women other than their regular partners.The WBW 2008 presentation explored stories of women who are facing problems associated with HIV and AIDS. The question is: who faces the biggest share of the problems that HIV/AIDS brings to the home – the women or the man?
There are many kinds of problems related to HIV/AIDS and many kinds of solutions. For example, some villages have started home-based care for women with AIDS as well as for orphans in Cameroon. Has anyone in your listening area found effective and creative solutions to HIV/AIDS problems?
Radio live shows interviewed people in their listening audience who are working on these issues and hearing about problems and their solutions.