05 Oct 2014

The Chobe District Men Sector committee has visited difficult to reach areas in the Savuti and Linyanti areas in the Chobe National Park. 

When addressing managers and some staff at Goha Hills Lodge recently, the Deputy Permanent Secretary (DPS) in the Ministry of Labour and Home Affairs, who is also the national chairperson of Men’s Sector executive committee, Mr Victor Rantshabeng said such visits were essential to those areas in order to educate men on their role as family leaders. 

Mr Rantshabeng said one of objectives of Men’s Sector was to ensure that men participate in the reduction of new infections of HIV and AIDS and other Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs).

He further said men have a bad practice of not going to hospital until and when they are very sick.  “Men also have a tendency of abusing women physically and emotionally and also deny them the right to interact with other women,” he said. 

Mr Rantshabeng said men needed healthy minds and healthy bodies, which would eventually lead healthy leaders.

The Deputy Coordinator of National Aids Coordinating Agency (NACA) Mr Fraser Tlhoiwe commended the Chobe District Men’s sector team for their splendid effort, noting that they are the only team in the country with a difficult to reach areas’ programme. 

He said this has revealed that people in those areas still lack basic skills on how to use both female and male condoms. 

Mr Tlhoiwe said people in safari camps are disadvantaged because of geographical location of their camps when it comes to health issues and still have challenges with issuing of Antiretrovirals (ARVs) drugs as they are given day offs at least after every two months, hence they have to be reviewed every month. 

He further said the Ministry of Health should also try to avail one doctor, who visits such areas once a month and recommended that the areas should at least be visited two times a year.

For their part, the residents of Savuti, Khwai and Linyanti camp sites requested that the team should on their next visit consist of a medical expect who is able to do cervical cancer screening.

The chairperson of the Chobe district Men’s Sector team Mr Phillip Atlhopheng said he commended their team work spirit and said without that they could have not achieved their goals. 

He said although they met their goals, they still have challenges, which make it difficult for them to complete their mandate. 

Mr Atlhopheng said they experience shortage of vehicles as difficult to reach areas programme requires only selected 4 by 4 vehicles.

He further said some government departments are reluctant to release their staff to partake in Men’s Sector activities, saying they do not have funds for subsistence and overtime allowances. 

He further said though the Men Sector’s mandate is to encourage men to be responsible leaders and take care of their health, they face questions in safari camps, such as labour issues, which the team is unable to answer.

Mr Atlhopheng said though they do educate about health issues, the team on their next visit should educate their targeted people about self-awareness and management as it is the key to their behavioural change. Ends