Breaching cultural silence, enhancing resilience

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Breaching cultural silence, enhancing resilience

• Grassroots and Academia
• Fighting Marginalisation
• 12 January 2007

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Cultural Silence

• Sex and death are taboo subjects in many cultures
  and HIV/AIDS throws a spotlight on both.
• Cultural silence
• In our culture we dont talk to children about
  death / sex.

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Reasons for cultural silence

• Deep-seated taboos partly based on rules of
  respect
• Stigma AIDS is associated with promiscuity
• Denial

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Impact of silence and secrecy

• High levels of anxiety, anger and loneliness
• Parents may choose not to disclose for many
  reasons but physical effects of AIDS are
  undeniable
• i.e. secrecy is more about naming than about
  knowing it becomes a nameless dread
• Increased physical and social vulnerability

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Resilience positive adaptation in the face of
significant adversity

• Vulnerability
• Risk factors
• Cultural silence
• Stigma
• Anxiety
• Loneliness

• Resilience
• Protective factors
• Disclosure
• Planning for the future
• Situating in extended family (connectedness)

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Somerchilds model
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Conclusions

• Personal disclosure breaches cultural silence at
  a private level
• KIWAKKUKI model breaches cultural silence at a
  public level as well
• An enabling environment has been created
• Community attitudes have changed

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Conclusions cont..

• Closeness
• Greater openness within parent-child relationship
• Connection with extended family
• Community support
• Competence
• Children openly able to express love for their
  sick parents
• Learn to budget and take responsibility
• Feel able, of use, proficient
• Result enhanced resilience