Traditions and customs, as well as traditional attitudes towards gender have greatly influenced the course of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in sub-Saharan Africa. They have also had a major influence on the success or failure of HIV prevention activities. In this sense, traditional leaders can play a major role in strengthening the local response to AIDS. In Zambia's Southern Province the Peer Education Programme of the Anti-AIDS Project has been able to turn the tide by involving chiefs, taking advantage of traditional leaders' roles and influence.

The Peer Education Programme (PEP) works in 25 zones of Southern Province. Youth peer educators, young male and female school leavers who have completed grade 12, coordinate the activities in each zone, supervised by a regional coordinator. All coordinators are trained in participatory communication methods, club management, gender sensitivity, traditions and customs, as well as in basic counselling and entrepreneurial skills. Working with local community members, they form Anti-AIDS Clubs in schools and the communities. Currently, 141 clubs are operating, organising competitions and sports leagues, running so-called Youth Friendly Corners in rural health clinics, hospitals and schools, and assisting local health staff with primary health-care education. They also set up small-income generating ventures and train local people in entrepreneurial skills.

Activating local networks

Coordinators network with the patrons/matrons of the school-based clubs and the local representatives of the ministries of education and health, as well as with community-based organisations (CBOs), churches and chiefs, headmen and elders (the custodians of customs and traditions in the community). Club members discuss problems they face in the community or home concerning HIV prevention, and then the PEP team discusses them at monthly meetings to develop strategies to address them.

The majority of club members identified the following traditions and customs as being harmful and undesirable:

• Sexual cleansing of the surviving wife of a deceased person by his brother;
• Initiation of young girls into womanhood (girls are confined to a hut for a certain time to receive sexual instructions), as well as the festivities held when the girl ‘comes out of the hut';
• Mpoloto, a custom where it is believed that one can cure any sexually transmitted infection (STI) – HIV/AIDS included – by having sexual intercourse with a virgin;
• Mahambwe, a custom where one can regain lost wealth (increase the fertility of the land and cattle and income) through sexual intercourse with a close relative, combined with specific medicines.

The last two customs are mostly secretive and not known by all members of the community, but they are on the increase due to HIV/AIDS and the extremely poor economic situation. Young girls tell coordinators about their experiences, and health staff at several rural clinics have noticed a sharp rise in teenage pregnancies and STI rates among (very) young girls after "coming out of the hut" ceremonies. When young people try to discuss these matters with parents, relatives, teachers or elders, they often find them reluctant to listen and act. The community often blames Anti-AIDS Clubs for training the youth to be assertive and outspoken.

Chiefs taking up local leadership

In one area, however, the situation changed dramatically when a new chief, Hanjalika, took his place as traditional ruler. Chief Hanjalika showed a great concern for the personal welfare of his people and this brought him in contact with organisations and institutions working in HIV prevention, including PEP. He became well informed about HIV/AIDS and soon started to work actively with churches and CBOs, encouraging participation in sports activities through local Anti-AIDS Clubs and supporting PEP as a way to educate the community on HIV/AIDS. As the Chief's presence was noticed at HIV prevention activities, elders became more tolerant towards youths spreading HIV prevention messages.
Chief Hanjalika's attendance at the 13th International AIDS Conference in Durban in 2000 was a turning point in his approach to HIV/AIDS. The conference taught him the extreme urgency of HIV/AIDS and its consequences for everyday rural life. Since his return from Durban, he has made it his business to get personally involved in HIV prevention activities. He invites zonal coordinators as resource persons during community and church meetings where they discuss HIV/AIDS, thus endorsing the AAC activities and messages. He also convenes the local headmen to discuss HIV/AIDS, asking technical assistance from the local coordinator.

As a result of the Chief's public endorsement of HIV prevention activities, for the first time rural communities have really become actively involved. Parents have started to encourage their children to become AAC members and dialogue on issues related to sexuality has become possible between parents and children. Support in-kind to clubs was the next token of approval by the community. Most important, the community has started to discuss harmful traditional customs and to question the relevance of many other customs and traditions.

Lessons learned

One of the most important lessons learned throughout the Peer Education Programme is the importance of networking, so that everyone in the community knows what the programme is about. It is vital to cultivate connections with all leaders in the community, even if they do not approve of the activities. Involving local leaders and exposing them to as much information as possible is crucial to gain their active support: Chief Hanjalika's trip to Durban was the best investment ever made.

There is still a long way to go, but with the support and endorsement of Chief Hanjalika and other interested chiefs we can speed up changes in customs and traditions that impede HIV prevention.