Itezh-tezhi Widows and Widowers Association

Itezhi –Tezhi Widows and Widowers Association (IWAWA) is a Zambian CBO originally formed by a group of men and women living in Itezhi –Tezhi District. Membership of themselves HIV+ and /or suffer negative social and economic marginalisation as a consequence of living in a household affected by HIV/AIDS. The founding group shared a vision of a society free from HIV/AIDS and socio –economic marginalisation of those infected or affected by HIV/AIDS, and proposed the formation of a community – based organisation providing care and support for people living with or affected by HIV/AIDS and at the same time advocating for wide recognition of needs and rights of these people. Thus was formally registered as a CBO with the Registrar of Societies on 24th January 2008. IWAWA has effectively formed and are now providing support for 26 self-help support groups consisting primarily of widows and widowers as a result of AIDS. These support groups form the basis of IWAWA. The support groups are the heart of IWAWA and they serve as a platform from which IWAWA is disseminating knowledge and information regarding HIV/AIDS to the ITT community. The support groups have, with technical support from IWAWA, initiated small income generating activities to mitigate the economic consequences that the relatives are often facing after the loss of a family member, such as providing enough food for the household. Often the members of the support groups are themselves HIV-positive (HIV+). The groups are also providing food, shelter and education for orphaned children that have lost their parents to AIDS.