Frei Universität Berlin

Scientific Project for Master′s Thesis in Sociology

“Living in Rich Man’s Garbage” -
Social Change in Lesotho Owing to HIV and AIDS – The Tin/Can-Village Approach to Orphan Care and Social Change

Presented by

Claude Bartelmus

01.12.2004

Table of Contents

1. INTRODUCTION ... 5

2. METHODOLOGY ... 8

3. DEFINITIONS ... 12
3.1 SOCIAL CHANGE ... 12
3.2 AIDS AND HIV ... 13
3.3 ORPHANS ... 14

4. LESOTHO, THE SMALL KINGDOM IN SOUTHERN AFRICA ... 15
4.1 HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE ... 18
4.2 MOSHOESHOE THE GREAT ... 19
4.3 LIVING IN THE APARTHEID ERA ... 20
4.4 LESOTHO’S DISTRICTS AND CHIEFTAINSHIP ... 20
4.5 LESOTHO’S DEMOGRAPHIC FACTS ... 21
4.6 LESOTHO’S ENVIRONMENT ... 22
4.6.1 LESOTHO’S WASTE MANAGEMENT ... 24
4.6.2 THE BASOTHO’S MENTALITY REGARDING THEIR ENVIRONMENT ... 26
4.7 LESOTHO’S LEGISLATION ... 28
4.8 SOCIO-ECONOMIC BACKGROUND OF LESOTHO’S POPULATION ... 30

5. LESOTHO’S CULTURAL AND SOCIAL SITUATION ... 35
5.1 HOW BASOTHO LIVE ... 36
5.1.1 HEALTH-SITUATION BESIDES HIV AND AIDS AMONG BASOTHO’S POOR ... 40
5.1.2 FAMILY FORMS AND ORPHAN CARE IN LESOTHO ... 40
5.1.3 LESOTHO’S HOUSEHOLDS ... 43
5.1.4 BASOTHO INCAPABILITY IN MAKING OWN DECISIONS ... 44
5.2 THE SIGNIFICANCE OF SEX IN AFRICAN SOCIETIES ... 46
5.3 MARRIAGE AND THE MINORITY STATUS OF WOMEN IN LESOTHO ... 47
5.3.1 MARRIAGE LAW AND IMPLEMENTATION ... 48
5.3.2 THE SPECIAL STATUS OF WOMEN IN LESOTHO’S SOCIETY ... 50
5.3.4 AGE AND SEXUAL VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN ... 51
5.4 MEN’S ROLE IN LESOTHO’S SOCIETY ... 53
5.5 CHILDREN’S STATUS IN LESOTHO’S SOCIETY ... 54
5.6 THE SITUATION OF ORPHANS AND VULNERABLE CHILDREN IN LESOTHO ... 57
5.6.1 THE GOVERNMENT’S POSITION REGARDING ORPHANS AND ADOPTION IN LESOTHO ... 58
5.6.2 OTHER ORPHAN CARE SYSTEMS IN LESOTHO ... 60
5.6.2.1 YOUTH BEWARE ... 60
5.6.2.2 MANTSASE CHILD VILLAGE ... 62
5.6.2.3 MOYENI DEVELOPMENT SUPPORT GROUP ... 66

6. HIV AND AIDS A MODERN EPIDEMIC ... 69
6.1 THE MEANING OF HIV AND AIDS TO LESOTHO’S POPULATION ... 71
6.1.1 HIV AND AIDS IN LESOTHO ... 73
6.1.2 PEOPLE LIVING WITH HIV AND AIDS ... 74
6.1.3 WOMEN AND HIV AND AIDS ... 75
6.1.4 MEN AND HIV AND AIDS ... 77
6.1.5 HIV AND AIDS-RELATED STIGMA AND DISCRIMINATION ... 77
6.1.6 LESOTHO’S GOVERNMENT POLICIES REGARDING HIV AND AIDS ... 78
6.1.7 THE KING’S POINT OF VIEW ... 80
6.2 CHILDREN AFFECTED AND ORPHANED BY HIV AND AIDS ... 81
6.2.1 CHILDREN AS VICTIMS OF EXPLOITATION AND ABUSE ... 86
6.2.2 RIGHTS OF CHILDREN AND THE ROLE OF EDUCATION ... 87
6.2.3 CHILDREN AS WINDOWS OF HOPE ... 91
6.3 THE ROLE OF CULTURE IN THE SPREAD OF HIV AND AIDS ... 92
6.3.1 CULTURE, SEXUALITY AND NEGOTIATING SAFE-SEX ... 93
6.3.2 THE CULTURE OF SILENCE AND SUPERSTITION ... 94

7. KEY APPROACHES TO FIGHTING HIV AND AIDS IN LESOTHO ... 96
7.1 LESOTHO CHILD COUNSELING UNIT ... 96
7.2 TRADITIONAL LEADERS, TRADITIONAL HEALERS, AND INITIAL SCHOOL LEADERS ... 98

8. SOCIAL CHANGE IN LESOTHO’S SOCIETY ... 101
8.1 SOCIAL CHANGE IN LESOTHO TO CURB THE HIV AND AIDS EPIDEMIC ... 103
8.1.1 CHANGING BASOTHO SELF-CONFIDENCE ... 104
8.1.2 CHANGING BASOTHO BEHAVIOR ... 105
8.2 SOCIAL CHANGE FOR AN EFFECTIVE AND COMPREHENSIVE RESPONSE TO HIV AND AIDS IN LESOTHO ... 105
8.2.1 PREVENTION ... 105
8.2.2 TREATMENT AND CARE ... 107
8.2.3 LESSENING THE IMPACT ... 107
8.2.4 SYSTEMIC DEVELOPMENT ... 108

9. TLHOKOMELO SOCIETY, THE TIN/CAN-VILLAGE ... 110
9.1 HISTORY OF THE TIN/CAN-PRODUCTS AND THE TIN/CAN-VILLAGE ... 112
9.2 TIN/CAN-HOUSE TECHNOLOGY: A CONTRIBUTION TO SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT ... 114
9.3 TCV – A MEANS OF SOCIAL CHANGE ... 117

10. CONCLUSION ... 121

LIST OF ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS ... 125
LIST OF FIGURES ... 127
LIST OF MAPS ... 127
LIST OF PICTURES ... 127
LIST OF TABLES ... 128

REFERENCES ... 129
WEBSITES ... 134
INTERVIEWS ... 135
APPENDIX ... 136
INTERVIEWS ... 136
MINDMINUTES ... 219

1. Introduction
This paper discusses social change within Lesotho’s society and its response in regard to the increasing number of children orphaned by HIV and AIDS. Social change in Lesotho is analyzed and compared with conventional social-science theories, including recommendations for further actions. A recently registered local non-governmental organization (NGO), the Thlokomelo Society, is taken as an example to demonstrate the complex situation of HIV and AIDS and orphan-care in Lesotho.

Lesotho is a small mountainous kingdom entirely surrounded by The Republic of South Africa (RSA). Since independence in 1966, the country has experimented with various forms of government, which have all been characterized by political instability. However, Lesotho has recently moved significantly towards democracy, and international observers declared the general elections in 2002 as both free and fair. Lesotho has scarcely any natural resources, and those available are inefficiently used. The economy is highly dependent on RSA. Development in the country is hampered by the lack of any feasible agricultural or industrial base and the brain and labor drain into RSA.

Like other developing countries in southern Africa, Lesotho is currently experiencing a food crisis made worse by the impact of the prevailing HIV and AIDS pandemic. Lesotho is facing an HIV and AIDS crisis of tremendous proportions. The pandemic is regarded as a principal obstacle in combating poverty and promoting sustainable human development. With almost one third of the adult population infected with HIV, Lesotho has the fourth highest prevalence rate in the world. Among the 49 least-developed countries (LDC) – classified by the United Nations (UN) as particularly poor and vulnerable – Lesotho ranks first. In other words, no other country in the world is as underdeveloped and, at the same time, faced with an HIV and AIDS crisis of comparable magnitude.¹

According to the UNAIDS Report on the Global HIV and AIDS Epidemic, an estimated five million people around the world became infected in 2001, 800,000 of whom were children. Over the next decade, without effective treatment and care they will join the ranks of the more than 20 million people who have died of AIDS since the first clinical evidence of HIV and AIDS was reported in 1981. Almost half a generation is going to die in the future because of AIDS. As stated by the UNAIDS Report the climax will take place around 2010.²

These deaths are going to leave behind a huge number of orphans. The surviving family members and society will not be able to handle this new challenge of caring for orphans without significant societal change, since the government has no institutions in place, mainly relying on the traditional extended family structure and private initiatives and faith-based organizations (FBO). Social change is already taking place within the traditional system of orphan care by extended family members, which is exemplified by the increasing number of households headed by children. This development makes a guided intervention by society very urgent. In addition, Lesotho’s laws often discriminate against women, children, and people with disabilities.

This thesis illustrates various issues concerning the development of social change within Lesotho’s society brought about by HIV and AIDS. It also outlines the importance of further social changes to gain control of the pandemic. Chapter one, the introduction, is followed in chapter two by a description of the methodology used for this paper. Chapter three defines the terms HIV and AIDS, social change and orphans as they are used in this paper. Chapter four presents a historical overview of Lesotho, its political structure, demographic characteristics, and socio-economic background. Chapter five illustrates various aspects of Lesotho’s cultural and social situation. Chapter six discusses HIV and AIDS in general, as well as the particular situation in Lesotho. Diverse methods of combating HIV and AIDS in Lesotho are presented in chapter seven. Chapter eight deals with social changes in Lesotho’s society brought about by the HIV and AIDS pandemic. Chapter nine introduces the Tin/Can-Village³, Thlokomelo Society, the connection between tin cans and the fight against HIV and AIDS will be shown and why tin cans may support social change within Lesotho’s society will be explained. This thesis ends with a brief conclusion that summarizes the main findings and points to future work and research.

2. Methodology

“The methodological thrust of the grounded theory approach to qualitative data is towards the development of theory, without any particular commitment to specific kinds of data, lines of research, or theoretical interest. So, it is not really a specific method or technique. Rather, it is a style of doing qualitative analysis that includes a number of distinct features (...).”⁴

My investigation centers on social change in Lesotho’s society occurring due to the pandemic of HIV and AIDS with a focus on the integration of orphans.

[...]

1 UNDP PAGES, 2003, p. 9.

2 UNAIDS, 2002, pp. 20-23.

3 In this thesis Tin/Can written with a back slash symbolizes Tin/Can Products.