Intervention with Microfinance for AIDS and Gender Equity (IMAGE)

IMAGE combines participatory training in gender awareness with a small-scale loan programme in a set of villages outside Burgersfort, Limpopo Province, South Africa. The microfinance programme, directed by SEF, provides group loans to women who own small businesses, such as fruit or clothing stands. The groups meet every two weeks to repay loans and report on business progress to SEF fieldworkers. Gender awareness IMAGE training also takes place during the meetings.

IMAGE aims seeks to influence factors that predispose individuals to HIV infection and gender-based violence through targeting the environment in which they occur. The programme developed a framework that guides both the intervention and evaluation components of the IMAGE programme. The framework attempts to conceptualise the complexity of factors and relationships that constitute the environment in which sexual behaviour and gender-based violence occurs. The framework identifies factors at three levels, defining a complex environment in which sexual behaviours, HIV infection and gender-based violence occur.

Gender, Micro-finance, HIV/AIDS.

IMAGE is intended to enable women to lead their families and communities out of the circumstances that perpetuate poverty, violence, and HIV transmission.

Six centres began phase one in February, 2002, and moved on to phase two in August. Two of these centres work with a local hospital to ensure that patients are treated kindly and professionally by the nurses. Another centre is attempting to open up discussions with their male partners about issues relating to gender and violence. Other projects under consideration by the women include women's and youth HIV education programmes within the villages, as well as a programme to increase awareness of rape.