Re: [pronut-hiv] Namibia: Villagers Drown Their Sorrows in Alcohol (3)

["Stacia Nordin, RD" <nordin@eomw.net>]

I don't remember seeing any replies to this, but Francis you are so 
right, the problem is rampant in many communities and affecting health, 
food and nutrition security (among other social problems).  In these 
situations, food often gets turned into alcohol either through food 
processing or through exchanging / selling food for alcohol.  In some 
instances it is the root cause of the food and nutrition insecurity in 
the household.  Alcohol consumption should definitely be included in 
assessments to see if this is a contributing factor in health, food and 
nutrition security problems.

Solutions?  A few ideas include - Recognizing and acknowledging the 
problem, counseling, identification of the reasons the person has turned 
to alcohol, providing alternatives and hope, support groups, addressing 
all sorts of underlying problems raised in the article r/t HIV with a 
Positive Living approach - I'm sure there are more solutions out there 
as well.

Stacia

Stacia Nordin, RD
Registered Dietitian
School Health & Nutrition Advisor
Malawi Ministry of Education

GTZ (German Technical Cooperation)
Box 31131, Lilongwe, Malawi
www.gtz.de 
tel/fax: +265 1-755-000

Kristof, Khalidwe & Stacia Nordin
Sustainable Food and Nutrition Security Consultants
Crossroads Post Dot Net x-124, Lilongwe, Malawi
nordin@eomw.net 
www.NeverEndingFood.org
t: +265 1-707-213 Malawi is + 2 GMT
c: +265 9-333-073 (Stacia)
c: +265 9-926-153 (Kristof)
c: +265 9-281-700 (Khalidwe)

Skype:        stacia.kristof
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-------- francis khadudu wrote:


Dear Pronut members. This problem of alcoholism is not confined to Namibia but a common problem in most Sub Saharan African countries. How do we address it?

Any suggestions?

Francis Were

ProNut-HIV wrote:

 New Era ( http://www.newera.com.na/ ) (Windhoek)

14 November 2007

Emma Kakololo
Rundu
On Monday, Rundu was blazing with the scorching sun. The temperatures
soared close to 40 degrees Celsius. It was not even noon yet, and most
of the people in the informal settlement of Ndama, were gathered under
the trees, drunk, as they continued to sip the whole day long on their
favourite home-brewed concoction, mutoho.
Mutoho or muheturo (when sugar is added) is an alcoholic sorghum beer
whose overuse many villagers are battling to overcome. The Kavango
Region has the highest poverty and unemployment rate in the country,
accompanied by other social ills such as illiteracy, and most
significantly HIV/AIDS not to mention alcohol abuse.

II like it a lot. I can't drink tombo. This one is strong," said
40-year-old Malinus Manda-vera before trying to swallow a mouthful of
mutoho, but almost choking on it as some of it escaped through his nose.
Tombo is another home-brewed beer made from not only sorghum but also
millet. Like tombo, excessive use of mutoho can cause serious health
problems. Nevertheless, for the unemployed tuberculosis sufferer
Mandavera, mutoho is a very nutritious drink and in fact very cheap.
"This drink makes me full, while tombo makes me want to wee-wee all the
time. It (tombo) also takes away my appetite for food.

"One cup of this (400 ml) is only 50 cents. When I don't have the
money, my friends here are always willing to share their drinks with me.
"My problem is I'm sick. I have got this HIV virus in my body," said
45-year-old Lazarus Mungomba who made no secret of his HIV status as he
took out his hospital chart to prove it. "As you see on my card, today I
must go back for my checkups. I got this virus in my body, was feeling
very hungry, and decided to pass by for a drink.

"The nurses tell us to eat good food, but we don't get any assistance.
I don't get enough food to eat because I also don't have a job." Owner
of the business Julia Nyemba Thomas' hands looked as though they were
burnt by the chemical content of her concoction.

Every time someone buys a drink, a part of her hand disappears in the
liquid, while she tries to stir the brew with the cup in her hand,
before finally scooping it full with the liquid. Thomas was surrounded
by four big tanks each 110 litres. She said she makes N$800 daily from
the sale. A United Nations Develop-ment Programme (UNDP) researcher
Sebastian Levine argues that Namibia's Vision 2030 will remain a
far-fetched dream for as long as the Human Development Index (HDI) is
deteriorating.

Levine said at the launch of his report recently that contrary to the
vision of Vision 2030, life expectancy has worsened over the years and
might take the country more than three decades (by 2045) to reach the
levels of 1991 when life expectancy was 61 years. Life expectancy stands
at 49, while 69 is the desired age set by Vision 2030.

According to Levine, this "long-term decline" in life expectancy was
pulling down the HDI despite improvements in household income and
educational attainment, the other two dimensions of human development.
"Life expectancy is falling because the HIV pandemic is so strong that
it more than offsets the positive effects of improvements in the other
dimensions of human development," he said.n another recent study by the
UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), around 120000 Namibian children under the
age of 17 are claimed to have lost one or both parents, of which about
57000 have been orphaned by HIV/AIDS. The national HIV prevalence rate
is 19.6 according to UNAIDS, with rates reaching up to 40 percent in
certain areas.

"I fear really what would happen to my children when I am not here
anymore," said the father of five Mungomba.

"Before the disease, I was strong and self-employed. I would make
benches from wood to sell. However, this disease made me so weak and
always hungry. I can't even provide for my children anymore."




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