This research captures a detailed exposition of an investigation into knowledge sharing in HIV/AIDS non-government organisations in South Africa. HIV/AIDS is a global challenge and one of the most severe problems facing our world today. South Africa is home to the largest population of people living with HIV/AIDS in the world. Knowledge management, and more specifically knowledge sharing, has been identified as a key area of focus that could be deployed to solve this problem. Despite the large number of NGOs that address HIV/AIDS in South Africa, very little research has focused on understanding this group of organisations. As such, this qualitative research contributed to the literature by examining the context in which South African NGOs work and develop an argument about the factors that influences knowledge sharing in HIV/AIDS NGOs in South Africa. A literature review provides an overview of the main contexts in which knowledge sharing has arisen. The literature shows that despite its importance for HIV/AIDS NGOs in South Africa, there is no framework which addresses intra-organisational knowledge in this context. It is an area that has received very little research attention, yet is of increasing importance in the light of the HIV/AIDS crisis in South Africa. This motivated the researcher to formalise, refine and validate a framework to address this issue. The research has resulted in a number of contributions to knowledge and benefits for the NGO involved. A key contribution is the development of a knowledge sharing framework that has been evaluated by HIV/AIDS NGO practitioners and internationally recognised knowledge management experts that can be used to support intra-organisational knowledge sharing in HIV/AIDS NGOs in South Africa. This framework consists of the identification of knowledge sharing component drivers required for effective knowledge sharing with the HIV/AIDS NGO and a method for implementation based on a knowledge sharing process. The research has also identified areas where there is a significant scope for further research and investigation.

Thesis (MTh)--Stellenbosch University, 2013. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The current situation around widowhood sexuality is unspeakably painful. It has been established through literature review in this study that widows are the most neglected group in many societies. In Zimbabwe the unprecedented rise in the number of widows has been caused by the proliferation socio-economic, political climate coupled with the devastating effects of HIV and AIDS pandemic. HIV and AIDS pandemic has caused unimaginable suffering among all segments of society in Zimbabwe but impacts more on women and girls. HIV has increased the number of young widows in the country. This is the group which is still sexual active and they are in the church in quest to find meaning in God. The study also explored how the patriarchal society and religious norms control and manipulate women‟s sexuality. The church and the community views sex and sexuality issues as private matters. Hence, the dilemmas of widowhood sexuality are created by widows‟ failure to publicly and or share their challenges with church leadership. However, it was made clear during the study that the quest for sexual meaning becomes a challenge due to the complexities caused by HIV and AIDS pandemic. The challenge shown in this study was how to do theology and be a church where we accept that all theological formulations and institutional designs are influenced by their context. Therefore, could it be moral for the church to teach that widows embrace other sexual alternatives that are less risk to contract or transmit HIV; such as masturbation, use of sex toys and vibrators? Can these help widows reduce their sexual tension and evoke pleasure? If such or more suitable means are availed by the church how should widows be enriched to live meaningful in their faith in God? For the church to teach widows to say “no” to sexual intimacy outside marriage sound irresponsible and unrealistic to prevailing statistics of widows and their ages in church. However, the dilemma is for them to engage in sexual intimacy without creating other existential issues leading them to live in guilt- feelings and in the process lose their meaning in their God. Is the church willing to look closely to widowhood sexuality in this era of HIV and AIDS pandemic? The HIV and AIDS pandemic challenges the church to formulate policies and reframe pastoral theology in a way that is relevant to allow widows discover a God who can be compassionate and trusted to give meaning in suffering. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die huidige situasie in verband met weduweeskap en seksualiteit is onbeskryflik pynlik. Dit het duidelik geword uit die literatuuroorsig in hierdie studie dat weduwees die mees afgeskeepte groep in baie gemeenskappe is. In Zimbabwe is die ongehoorde styging in die aantal weduwees te wyte aan die groei in die slegte sosio-ekonomiese en politiese klimaat tesame met die verwoestende gevolge van die MIV en VIGS pandemie. Die MIV en VIGS pandemie het ondenkbare lyding veroorsaak in alle areas van die gemeenskap in Zimbabwe, maar dit het 'n groter invloed op vroue en jong meisies. MIV het veroorsaak dat die getal jong weduwees in hierdie land gestyg het. Dit is ook die groep wat steeds seksueel aktief is en hulle kom na die kerk in 'n soeke om betekenis te vind in God. Hierdie studie ondersoek ook hoe die patriargale gemeenskap en sy godsdienstige norme vroue se seksualiteitbeheer en manipuleer. Die kerk en die gemeenskap beskou seks en seksualiteit as 'n private aangeleentheid. Die gevolg is dat die dilemma van weduweeskap en seksualiteit geskep word deur die weduwee se versuim om haar uitdagings in die openbaar of by die kerkleiers bekend te maak. Dit het egter gedurende hierdie studie duidelik geraak dat die soeke na seksuele betekenis 'n groot uitdaging is as gevolg van die kompleksiteite wat veroorsaak word deur die MIV en VIGS pandemie. Die uitdaging wat met hierdie studie beklemtoon word, is hoe om teologie toe te pas en 'n kerk te wees wat aanvaar dat alle teologiese formulering en institusionele ontwerpe ook deur hul konteks beïnvloed word. Is dit derhalwe 'n morele probleem vir die kerk om vir weduwees aan te beveel om seksuele alternatiewe te ondersoek wat minder risiko's inhou vir die opdoen of oordra van MIV; soos masturbasie, die gebruik van seksspeelgoed en vibrators? Kan hierdie alternatiewe metodes weduwees help om hul seksuele spanning te verminder en seksuele genot te ervaar? Indien hierdie, of ander geskikte metodes, deur die kerk benut word, hoe kan weduwees verryk word deur betekenisvol tot hul geloof in God te leef? Vir die kerk om weduwees te leer om “nee” te sê vir seksuele intimiteit buite die huwelik klink onverantwoordelik en onrealisties as die heersende getal weduwees in die kerk en hul ouderdomme in ag geneem word. Die dilemma is egter vir hulle om seksuele intimiteit te beleef sonder om ander eksistensiële vraagstukke te skep, wat hulle dwing om saam te leef met skuldgevoelens en in die proses betekenis in hul God verloor. Is die kerk bereid om noukeurig te kyk na weduweeskap en seksualiteit in hierdie era van die MIV en VIGS pandemie? Die MIV en VIGS pandemie daag die kerk uit om beleide te formuleer en pastorale teologie te herdefinieer op 'n manier wat relevant is tot die ontdekking van 'n God wat medelydend en betroubaar is en wat betekenis kan gee aan lyding.

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The research explores and examines the relationship that exists between religion and health. Four church health related activities were examined as case studies to assert their direct and indirect contribution to health and well being of communities on the Copperbelt Province of Zambia. The main thrust and perspective of the study is a theological position on the contribution of the Christian Church toward holistic health care and provision. The study is rooted in a large field of study called African Religiou s Health Assets Program [ARHAP] which has developed a theory to help establish the link that exist between religion and health in health care. The insights from the ARHAP theoretical framework are engaged in this study to identify the religious health assets known as tangible and intangible in each institution and how they contribute to health promotion and care . Key informants from each of the four religious health institutions were interviewed to establish and examine the kind of religious health assets they have and on how they affect and contribute to health outcomes. Through these case studies of four Christian religious health institutions, in Ndola and Masaiti districts, the thesis has shown that religious health institutions have diverse assets that enhance and contribute directly and indirectly to better health outcomes . These assets [referring to what is present in these institutions] are labeled as ‘religious health assets’ in this thesis . The findings of the thesis indicate that Christian religious health institutions have assets, which could be aligned and leveraged in public health policy for the well being of people and communities. / Thesis (M.Th.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2008.

This thesis critically examines one of the major hindrances to dealing adequately with the HIV and AIDS problem facing Africa – the issue of silence. The study has examined the hypothesis that there are cultural factors underlying the silence that surrounds the disease, which when investigated and identified, will provide cues for breaking the silence and a way forward for dealing with the HIV and AIDS epidemic. The study utilises the concept of ‘cultural context’ proposed by Hall and ‘dimensions of culture’ postulated by Hofstede, to investigate the cultural reasons behind the HIV and AIDS silence among the Zulu people in and around Pietermaritzburg in the Kwazulu Natal province of South Africa. Testing these theories in the field with participants in a community-based HIV and AIDS Project called the Community Care Project (CCP) the study found that cultural contexts strongly influence silence around HIV and AIDS. In terms of dimensions of culture, the area was found to exhibit high power distance, low uncertainty avoidance, high collectivism and is feminine in nature in terms of assertiveness, but having high gender inequality (high masculinity in terms of gender egalitarianism). The analysis of the results of the field research revealed that each of the dimensions of culture contributes in various ways to the silence around HIV and AIDS. The study argues that there are two kinds of silence, namely barren silence and fertile silence, existing on a continuum. In a low context culture, barren silence is the silence that exists as absence, because when people do not talk about the issue, then there is no communication at all about the issue. In a high context culture, fertile silence is the silence that exists as presence, because when people do not talk about the issue at hand, they may still be communicating about it – either through non-verbal signs, or through coded language. The concepts of barren and fertile silence provide new insights into the issues of stigma and discrimination. Reasons for the silence included stigma, rejection, gossip, witchcraft, shame, blame, discrimination, secrecy, judgement, suspicion and taboo. It was found that each of the themes had something to do with stigma and discrimination, and lead to infected persons keeping silent about their HIV and AIDS status. In the final chapter, the research shows that when an intervention such as CCP takes the question of fertile silence seriously, then it is much easier to break the silence around HIV and AIDS and to deal with stigma and discrimination. The research therefore concludes that the concept of ‘Fertile Silence’ and ‘Barren Silence’ has provided us with clues as to how to ‘break the silence’ around HIV and AIDS in a high context culture such as that of Africa. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2009.

This preliminary study examined the dominant frames used by the New York Times in the coverage of HIV/AIDS in Africa. The study also analyzed the tone of coverage used on HIV/AIDS stories on Africa and the volume of news coverage on the issue from January 2000 to December 2007. The results of the study indicated a dominant human disaster frame in the coverage of HIV/AIDS stories on Africa. Overall tone of coverage was neutral. However, findings indicated more negative tones of coverage than positive. The volume of coverage changed overtime. Ultimately, these media frames carry significant implications for public attitude and policy outcomes / Department of Journalism

HIV/AIDS epidemic has caused much devastation and has left many children destitute and in need of care and supervision. The present study investigated the psychological impact of caring on non-professional caregivers of HIV/AIDS orphans and children affected by HIV/AIDS. General systems theory stands as the epistemological framework informing the study. The study made use of a qualitative phenomenological approach to explore the lived experiences of eight non-professional caregivers who participated in the study .From the themes that were abstracted it was evident that caring for HIV/AIDS orphans is emotionally, physically and mentally strenuous for the caregivers. It was better recommended that caregivers be given recognition for their challenging work and be included in the planning and development of programmes that affect their caregiving role. Furthermore emotional, psycho-social, and income-generating skills support programmes including training and educational programmes should be implemented. This will alleviate the distress inherent to the caregiving role and to equip them with the necessary skills for handling the demands of their work. / Psychology / M.A. (Clinical Psychology)

This study explores the multiple ways in which Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) functioned through concrete biomedical institutions, namely, the Centres for Disease Control (CDC), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the World Health Organization (WHO). AIDS is viewed as a product of the full range of institutional practices in which it became embedded and in which it was set within the boundaries of Louis Pasteur's germ theory of disease (see the Preface section). This biomedical model of disease was materialized through journalistic practices and sold as news. Within these operative terms can be understood another analytical strategy that also designates the main domain of my study of this contemporary social form: I argue in this thesis that knowledge about AIDS was by no means dependent solely on the objective, scientifically determined, "received narrative" of biomedicine; what is today known as AIDS is also a product of a wide range of social practices produced and reproduced over time and space. AIDS is also an outcome of the resolutions, judgements and decisions that working journalists made over time in terms of what they generated or covered as news; the disease is also product of a large assortment of representational mirrors that I call `authentic voices', to take as good examples, the "narrative of moral protest", the narrative of a "homosexual disease", the narrative of a "heterosexual disease," and the narrative of a "modern-day Black Death" (plague). The story of AIDS in the media can also be seen to be defined by the proliferation of these authentic voices. From this reading, the distinctive trait of AIDS in the media lies in the fact that it is a constructed object, a disease framed through a specific structure of meanings. When we look at these structure of meanings we find that their moral and cultural assumptions and stereotypical connotations embody certain aspects of the organism of the society within which they were created and nourished over a much longer history. / Sociology / D.Litt. et Phil. (Sociology)

Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2013. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study focuses on the problem of VVF-HIV/AIDS, stigmatization, the threat to the human dignity of women and the role of the church, with specific reference to the role of Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA). In order to show this, models of practical theology methodology were used as theoretical and methodological basis for the study. Practical theology is as a study area deals with the praxis of God, i.e. salvific and eschatological involvement and engagement with the trajectories of human lives and the suffering of human beings. Within the context of theological reflection, it involves man’s attempt to express and portray the presence and will of God in such a way that meaning in life and comfort is contextually disclosed and discovered (Louw, 2008:71). Having established the latter, the focus falls firstly on the description of the conditions addressed in the study about VVF-HIV/AIDS and its prevalence in Northern Nigeria. A detailed contextual study also shows that a variety of factors impact negatively on the status and well-being of women in the area. Traditional, cultural, economic, political and religious factors are either uniquely applicable to or aggravate the status and well-being of the subjects of the research, namely women suffering from VVF-HIV/AIDS in Northern Nigeria. It specifically involves the social and political context in which they live. It also shows that the existence and extent of these factors increase the vulnerability of women to contracting the HIV as well as VVF. The extent to which these factors, in combination with the latter conditions specifically promote the stigmatization of these women and the forms such stigmatization takes are also explored. Moving on to the issue of human dignity: a historical overview is given of the concept and it is defined for the purposes of the study. The extent to which the human dignity is affected in the study area is then investigated in light of their context, with particular reference to the women suffering from VVF-HIV/AIDS. It is concluded that the stigmatization to which the VVF-HIV/AIDS sufferers in Northern Nigeria are subjected, indeed constitutes a serious threat to their human dignity. In answering the question of whether the church (ECWA) has a responsibility towards these women and to address the issue of their stigmatization, two pastoral theological perspectives were used, that of the nature of the church and that of the concept of human dignity from a theological perspective. According to this perspective human beings have been created in the image of God. Having established that, on theological grounds, such a responsibility exists, a possible pastoral theological model for addressing the issue of the stigmatization of women suffering from VVF-HIV/AIDS was proposed. The church’s response to the challenge of VVF-HIV/AIDS is to come from its deepest theological convictions about the nature of creation, the unshakeable fidelity of God’s love, the nature of creation, the nature of the body of Christ and the reality of Christian hope. The creation narrative, which affirms that humanity is created in the image of God, links human beings to the love of God, which is modelled in the incarnation of Jesus. Moving on to the data analysis, the extent of the challenges of VVF-HIV/AIDS sufferers and the level of knowledge of the pastors of the subject of the stigmatization of young adult females sufferers of VVF-HIV/AIDS and their treatment of the issue were evident. Finally, recommendations were drawn up in order to provide basic understanding and awareness to ECWA on how to objectively address the problem of VVF-HIV/AIDS in Northern Nigeria. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie studie fokus op die probleem van VVF-HIV/AIDS, stigmatisering, die bedreiging van die menslike waardigheid van vroue en die rol van die kerk (ECWA). Om dit aan te toon, word die model van die praktiese teologie metodologie gebruik as 'n teoretiese en metodologiese basis vir die studie. Praktiese teologie handel oor die praxis van God, d.w.s. die verlossingsboodskap en eskatologiese betrokkenheid by en verbintenis met die trajekte van die menslike lewe en die lyding van die mens. Binne die konteks van teologiese refleksie, d.w.s. die menslike poging om aan 'n beeld van die teenwoordigheid en wil van God op so 'n manier uitdrukking te gee, word die betekenis daarvan in die lewe en troos kontekstueel geopenbaar en ontdek (Louw, 2008:71). Na laasgenoemde val die fokus eers op die beskrywing van die voorwaardes in die studie oor VVF-HIV/AIDS en die voorkoms daarvan in die noorde van Nigerië. ’n Gedetailleerde kontekstuele studie toon ook dat 'n verskeidenheid negatiewe faktore ‘n impak op die status en die welsyn van vroue in die area het. Tradisionele, kulturele, ekonomiese, politieke en godsdienstige faktore waarvan 'n paar óf uniek van toepassing is óf ‘n verswarende effek het op die navorsingskonteks van vroue wat in die noorde van Nigerië aan VVF-HIV/AIDS ly en spesifiek op die sosiale, politieke konteks waarin hulle leef. Daar word ook aangetoon dat die bestaan en omvang van hierdie faktore die vatbaarheid van vroue vir die kontraktering van die MIV-virus sowel as VVF, verhoog. Daar word ook gekyk na die wyse waarop hierdie faktore in kombinasie met bogenoemde voorwaardes spesifiek die bevordering van die stigmatisering van hierdie vroue teweegbring en na die vorme wat hierdie stigmatisering aanneem. Die kwessie van menslike waardigheid word ondersoek deur 'n historiese oorsig van die konsep te gee. Dit word vir die doeleindes van die studie gedefinieer. Die mate waarin menslike waardigheid in die studiearea ‘n rol speel, met spesifieke klem op die konteks van vroue wat ly aan VVF-HIV/AIDS, word ook nagegaan. Daar word tot die gevolgtrekking gekom dat die menswaardigheid van die VVF-HIV/AIDS lyers in die noorde van Nigerië tot 'n groot mate in die lig van die stigmatisering hulle aan onderwerp word, aangetas word. Ter beantwoording van die vraag of die kerk (ECWA) 'n verantwoordelikheid teenoor hierdie vroue het om hul stigmatisering aan te spreek, word twee pastorale teologiese perspektiewe gebruik: dié van die aard van die kerk en van die konsep van menswaardigheid vanuit 'n teologiese perspektief waarvolgens die mens na die beeld van God geskep is. Nadat vasgestel is dat, op teologiese gronde, so 'n verantwoordelikheid wel bestaan, word 'n moontlike pastorale teologiese model vir die aanspreek van die kwessie van die stigmatisering van vroue wat ly aan VVF-HIV/AIDS voorgestel. Die kerk se reaksie op die uitdaging van VVF-HIV/AIDS spruit uit sy diepste teologiese oortuigings oor die onwrikbare getrouheid van God se liefde, die aard van die skepping, die aard van die liggaam van Christus en die werklikheid van die Christelike hoop. Die skeppingsverhaal, wat bevestig dat die mensdom in die beeld van God geskep is, verbind die mens aan die liefde van God, wat in die inkarnasie van Jesus gemodelleer word. Daar word dan beweeg na die data-analise, die omvang van die uitdagings van VVF-HIV/AIDS lyers en die vlak van kennis van die pastore oor die onderwerp van die stigmatisering van die jong volwasse vroulike lyers aan VVF-HIV/AIDS en hulle behandeling van die probleem. Ten slotte word aanbevelings gemaak ten einde basiese begrip/bewustheid te verskaf oor hoe die ECWA die probleem van VVF-HIV/AIDS in die noorde van Nigerië objektief kan aanspreek.

Thesis (MPhil (Sociology and Social Anthropology))--University of Stellenbosch, 2010. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study gives us insight into the daily lives and battles for survival of poor women in an age of HIV/AIDS in rural areas of the Western Cape, South Africa. I set out to get an understanding of the shortcomings of the current interventions aimed at combating HIV and AIDS. Soon after I commenced my fieldwork I realised that it is the socio-economic circumstances of the people I encountered that was mostly responsible for their HIV positive status or the reason why they are living with HIV/AIDS rather than the choices they make. However, most of the interventions aimed at combating the global HIV/AIDS epidemic focuses on behavioural interventions or the provision of medical care. By entering the spheres in which women living with HIV/AIDS live their daily lives I aimed to get a better comprehension of the challenges they encounter and why the interventions that focus on behaviour and medical treatment fail to address the needs of these women. In doing so I learned about their struggles to merely stay alive and that protecting yourself against a disease like HIV/AIDS can appear as a luxury. A luxury you cannot afford when your only means of an income is your body which you need to barter in exchange for money or food and shelter. I learned about their powerlessness in protecting themselves against the disease and the loneliness they have to endure once they learn they are infected with the virus. In addition to this, it also came to my attention that their conditions of poverty are of such an extent that even ‘free’ medical treatment can sometimes be too expensive for them to afford because of hidden costs such as transport. At the end of my study it was my conclusion that we need to pay more attention to the root causes of the spread of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in order to combat it successfully, also at the entry levels of the healthcare system. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die studie bied insig in die daaglikese lewens en stryd om oorlewing van arm vroue in ‘n tyd van MIV/VIGS in die landelike gebiede van die Wes-Kaap, Suid-Afrika. Ek het die studie begin met ‘n poging om die tekortkominge van die huidige intervensies om MIV/VIGS te bekamp beter te verstaan. Kort nadat ek met my veldwerk begin het het ek reeds tot die besef gekom dat die die sosio-ekonomiese omstandigehede die oorsaak is dat die vroue met die virus leef, eerder as die keuses wat hulle vrywilliglik maak. Ten spyte van my bevinding fokus meeste intervensies tans op gedragsveranderinge en mediese behandeling. Ek het die lewensruimtes van hierdie vroue binnegegaan in ‘n poging om die daaglikse uitdagings te verstaan, asook die redes hoekom die huidige intervensies nie hierdie vroue se behoeftes aanspreek nie. Deur dit te doen het ek geleer hoe dit as ‘n luuksheid beskou kan word om jouself teen infeksie met die virus te beskerm. ‘n Luuksheid wat jy nie kan bekostig indien jou lyf jou enigste bron van inkomste is wat jy moet gebruik om geld mee in te win of kos en woonplek te verseker nie. Vroue is dikwels magteloos om hulself teen infeksie met MIV/VIGS te beskerm en die eensaamheid waarmee hul moet saamleef wanneer hul wel met die virus ge-infekteer is. Dit het ook onder my aandag gekom dat die armoede van so ‘n aard is dat selfs ‘gratis’ mediese behandeling soms onbekostigbaar is as gevolg van versteekte kostes, soos vervoer. Aan die einde van my studie was dit my gevolgtrekking dat daar meer aandag geskenk moet word aan die oorsake wat aanleiding gee tot die verspreiding van die MIV/VIGS epidemie indien ons dit suksesvol wil bekamp, ook op die intreevlakke van die gesondheidstelsel.