Albert with a group of youths in Nzega, Tanzania
I recently visited a town called Nzega in northern Tanzania and met a group of small-scale gold miners. What they told me is typical of what happens in many other mining communities in Tanzania and helps explain why HIV & AIDS is such a problem in my country.
Nzega is located near a large open pit gold mine called Golden Pride, owned and operated by an Australian mining company, Resolute Mining. Many small scale miners operate outside of Golden Pride’s private mining area, searching for scraps of gold to sell.
There are an estimated one million small scale miners in Tanzania, in a country of 40 million.
The men and women I met were of varying ages, but all were covered in dust and carried forced smiles. They put their lives at risk every day by touching the mercury they use to extract the gold. Mercury is highly toxic and can get into your lungs, brain, heart and kidney - causing mercury poisoning.
I ask them why they take such a risk? The answer is simple and clear - to become rich, have a big house, girlfriends, cars, respect… the list goes on.
So what is the first thing they do after selling a piece of gold?
The first thing is to go into town, buy new clothes and beer. By then the girls will know that the pit has "spit out" and, of course, what do you expect, all the beautiful girls will be yours.
With money you can buy everything, they say – reminding me of the old James Hadley Chase novel – The World in my Pocket.
“By this time it is only a matter of signalling to the one you want to have sex with,” interrupts one of the young boys.
“These urban girls know how to make you relax with a different style of sex than rural women, and you can have sex with different women until all the money finishes,” he says.
They explain that the workers at the Australian-owned mine do the same thing and have a provision in their contract to take a day just to relax. These workers sometimes compete for girls in Nzega, but also visit other towns.
“When the money finishes we come back to toil hard because the gold will be still there. Look at any fisher, hunters when they get money they just go to a nearby town to spend their money – with sex as the priority.”
But it is the attitude of these young men to sexually transmitted diseases that is the biggest problem.
“We do not use socks (condoms). Meat to meat is great. Let me tell you, HIV/AIDS is an accident like other diseases. All these are God’s wish and decision,” one of the young men tells me.
And there is my answer to why HIV/AIDS in small scale mining communities is so common. Although the disease is prevalent in Nzega, most of the residents are not aware of the preventative measures due to a lack of accurate information, the stigma of the disease and discrimination against those living with HIV and AIDS.
Making matters worse, access to primary health facilities in prevention, treatment, care and support to communities is low and ineffective in this area.
Although ActionAid does not have active programs in Nzega, in other communities our programs have helped slow down the spread of HIV/AIDS.
According to the Tanzania HIV/AIDS Indicator Survey for both 2004 and 2008, the country has experienced a slowing of new HIV and AIDS infections from an average of 7 to 5.7 percent respectively.
ActionAid Tanzania’s approach to HIV and AIDS is called STAR - Societies Tackling AIDS through Rights.
STAR is a participatory approach for community mobilization, empowerment and response to the HIV/AIDS pandemic. The STAR approach focuses on deepening community analysis and understanding of HIV and AIDS and its impacts for collective action.
Where we work, community groups have helped to bring poor peoples aspirations into government planning and budgeting. Where people living with HIV and AIDS have come together as groups to claim quality health care, there has been an increase in the use of condoms, people are more willing to be tested and women are taking the lead.
Women are taking a leading role in educating the rest of the community by providing correct and accurate information on HIV/AIDS. Moreover, STAR has helped to do away with traditions such as wife inheritance and other customary practices which fuel the spread of HIV/AIDS.
Visiting a community like Nzega, where HIV/AIDS is spreading fast reminds me why our STAR work is so important.
If you would like to learn more about ActionAid Tanzania’s programs to fight HIV/AIDS, please visit our website www.actionaid/tanzania.
