Community mobilization for HIV prevention: An evaluation of individual and collective action in a rural South African intervention

Issues: Traditional, information-giving approaches to HIV prevention have only limited effects on reducing risk behaviors. Community mobilization is seen as a tool for moving beyond information-giving and involving communities in social change for HIV prevention. However, calls for community mobilization within HIV prevention literature often fail to recognize the complexities of implementing such work.

Description: The Intervention with Microfinance for AIDS and Gender Equity (IMAGE) is a South African HIV prevention project guided by theories of community mobilization. IMAGE aimed to reduce gender-based violence and HIV by partnering 10 sessions of participatory gender training with group-based microfinance. During the 6-month period following training, participants engaged in community mobilization in an effort to shift structural barriers to risk-reduction in communities. This research evaluates how IMAGE implemented community mobilization by drawing on semi-structured interviews with IMAGE planners, facilitators, and participants. Data were analyzed within QSR N6, a qualitative software package.

Lessons Learned: IMAGE participants took part in two distinct types of community mobilization: collective and individual action. Collective action (marches to local hospitals, partnership with neighborhood police, committee for supporting rape survivors) was implemented with help from IMAGE staff. Individual action (talks with children, advice to neighbors, marriage counseling) occured within a shorter time frame and was more participant-driven.

Recommendations: Often cited as a tool for enabling collective societal change, community mobilization can be challenging to implement. This research suggests that in future HIV interventions, community mobilization should be planned to include both individual and collective efforts by participants.