Source: Times of Zambia
IN recent memory, Solwezi has witnessed an influx of people from all over and that has taken a toll of the town's social life.

Call it civilisation but it has been a clash of cultures,ideas and lifestyles revolving around an idea of hope and prospect of getting a job in the mines or doing business with the mine.

The migration of a mostly restless young people has come with lots of concern, especially in the area of health, particularly the spread of HIV, which now has a female face in Solwezi, with the prevalence rates standing at nine per cent.

People from the Copperbelt, North-Western Province and other parts of Zambia are rushing to the town as it is considered to be the "New Copperbelt".

Socially this has given rise to prostitution, illegal shebeens and rampant theft of copper ore, gambling, diesel vending and anything else of value.

Solwezi is basically a linear town, with most shops and offices concentrated along the tarred road. Anything that's away from this, like the guesthouses built in residential suburbs, is signposted from this main road - and rarely far from it.

A job in the mines or business with mines means leaving for long periods away from one's family and living in an area with an active sex industry. This creates potential incentives for multiple, concurrent partnerships.

With migration rates increasing, the prevalence will only get worse unless something is done, and yes something is being done already.

There is no doubt, that migration is fueling the risks of HIV in Solwezi.

Solwezi town being adjacent to Kansanshi Mine has grown from a town of less than 10 000 people to a sprawling shanty town of some 400,000 since First Quantum Minerals (FQM) re-opened the Kansanshi mine in 2004. Kansanshi mine is the main industry of Solwezi and is located about 14 kilometers out of the town centre

Stories of sex workers and child prostitutes make sad hearing. They book rooms, and charge their clients differently.

Seeing young girls dancing their night away in bars and some shabeens really does make the heart bleed.
"We face a lot challenges in this town. It's good that the mine is doing every thing possible to address health issues," says 17-year-old Rachael Mahwibi, who is married with two children.

Another youth, Jairen Maluya, 20 dropped out of school, in grade nine. She lives with her parents; her dream is to get married and have a family.

Asked why she cannot further her education, she mentioned lack of sponsorship. With this kind of scenario lots of young people are vulnerable to all kinds of vices.

"I have been through an HIV test and I am negative. I worry about many my fellow youths, who go out in bars and fall in the trap of prostitution," she says.

The effects of migration and over population are obvious.

Well, it is now plain to see that Solwezi is no longer a rural dwelling it used to be.

It is a daily experience, to see lots of people, cars, buses and trucks coming in and out of town.

People are building houses, young and old professionals go about driving around, some pushing trolleys from the only supermarket in town, Shoprite.

The main road is littered with piles of salaula (secondhand clothes), simple electronics and so forth.

Cabbages, pineapples, groundnuts, potatoes and other vegetables form a huge part of the merchandise.

No doubt, resumption of major mining activities has everything to do with the gold rush.

With such challenges, FQM has stepped up robust campaigns to sensitize people about HIV/AIDS.

The challenge of people migrating to the town can no longer be ignored, which is why the mining giant is investing heavily the health sector. One such tool being used addressing issues surrounding HIV/AIDs are road shows, community outreach programmes targeting ordinary people.

The road shows, which have components of drama, music, quiz, and education, seem to be striking a code with the communities in several communities, whose members turn up in huge numbers.

"This is great because it is arming people with a lot of right information. We need such because a lot people's lives are wasting away," says Francis Mutumwa 30, who went through the tent.
During the road shows, several people win prizes like bicycles. This only happens when a member of the community manages to publicly answer questions concerning HIV/AIDS, malaria and cholera. books, drinks, soap, condoms are distributed to several participants.

Simultaneous to the road shows are mobile clinics where voluntary testing and counseling (VCT) are done. Tents are often mounted and every quarter, hundreds of people go through those tents.

So far the response has been massive. After VCT, one is given chitenge materials.

"We can't ignore the challenge of HIV. We are doing everything to control the spread of HIV," says FQM's health projects and programmes adviser Gertrude Musunka.

Mrs Musunka is working with a team, of ambitious men and women called the Health Resource Person Network (HRPN), who carry out VCT and health related issues like malaria, which is endemic in Solwezi, due several streams that are breading grown for mosquitoes.

"We don't do the treatment. When we find someone is positive, we refer him or her to the hospital for further attention," she says.

Malaria tests are also done regularly people are given Coartem (artemether and lumefantrine)

Besides, VCT, malaria testing, people are tested for high blood pressure (BP) and sugar.

Road shows are seen to be effective ways of reaching people, with redemptive knowledge on matters of health.

Indeed, health issues are a matter of life and death and one cannot take chances.

"The mobile clinics and road shows have been very helpful to our communities. A number of people, especially women are victims of HIV/AIDS in Solwezi," says Fridah Mumba, 48, who won herself a bicycle after answering questions on HIV and malaria.

She is also worried about teenage prostitution and early marriages, attributing them to high illiteracy levels in the new Copperbelt. Her appeal, to fellow community members is simple. "Go for VCT and know status so that you can plan for future".
Mrs Mumba, a vendor who doubles as a peasant farmer, says she would use the bicycle for regular visit to her family field, some few kilometres from Solwezi boma.

Her biggest worry and frustration is that lots of people, especially young people in Solwezi are idle, which is why they slip into unproductive ventures like abuse of alcohol and other vices detrimental to their health.

The upgrading of Solwezi General Hospital to a modern health institution which is almost complete has also been an area focus for the mining company.

The sum of KR12 million was pumped into the project, which included the construction of the first-ever high cost ward with bed capacity of 24 and a new administration blocks,

Migration is one of many social factors that contribute to AIDS pandemic.

The chances of spreading HIV are high when people migrate from previously high prevalence areas to new areas with low infection. This is true of Solwezi

The prevalence rate of HIV in solwezi stands at nine percent. The ambitious mobile health clinics and outreach programmes are meant to sensitize and engages communities on matters of HIV, Malaria and Cholera.

So far, 4,966 people have passed through the mobile clinics and Mrs Musunka, is happy that the project has gained momentum, going by the crowds and long queues that characterise them.

The area of focus is the communities around Solwezi and the Trident area, where a new mine was opened. Ndola has also been included in the road shows.

The road show mixes entertainment like talent shows, poetry, sports and dance, with life skills activities and educational tools that demonstrates the spread of the disease.

The combination of education and entertainment makes learning about HIV/AIDS a more engaging experience for young and old people. The people are also encouraged to take an active role in their own protection. Counselors and HIV tests are made available at all road show stops.

In the Trident community, health/road shows were conducted in Chovwe, Khankhozi, Musele, Wanyinwa, Kisasa and Chitungu. A team of five health care professional from the District Health Board and the network of community HRPNs) supported the activity.

Fifty newly-trained peer educators in Chovwe and Kankonzhi joined in to practice their newly acquired skills and knowledge during the Health shows in their respective communities.

Ultimately, the road shows model is proving to be a popular platform of health education and VCT.

The road shows are indeed an effective dialogue about HIV/AIDS among communities.

• Zambia