Studia Filologiczne UJK

Summary

HIV is a gendered disease that affects more women than men in sub-Saharan Africa. Women, because of their physical and genetic makeup and social roles as mothers, daughters, sisters, girlfriends, wives and caregivers experience the disease differently from men. The socio-economic, cultural and religious factors that promote the spread of HIV among men and women differ, pointing to a need for educational and communication programmes that speak to women both as a collective and as individuals. This study thus argues that information that is targeted at women specifically should be produced, translated and disseminated in language that women understand so that they can make informed decisions about their health. A gendered approach to HIV has the capacity to bring change to the lives of African women as the information will be speaking to their experiences. The translated texts should take into account the needs of the target audiences so that the texts are functional and accessible. Using African languages has the capacity to promote comprehension, hence change as shown in Zimbabwe where information dissemination is done using English, Shona and Ndebele, the three official languages of the country. Although not all the languages are covered in the country, using the three major languages to speak to women is a major step. It is recommended that more African countries adopt a gendered approach to educate the public about HIV as such an approach leads to informed decision-making.