What is Mutapola?
Mutapola is the name of a woman being used by the campaign to give a human face to the sufferings and struggles of women and girls infected and affected by the HIV/AIDS pandemic. The name is used as a common entity representing all women and girls who need treatment and comprehensive care.

ActionAid, which relocated its headquarters from London to Johannesburg, launched a campaign called ‘The Mutapola’ Dec. 1/2004 to coincide with World AIDS Day. In Cameroon LUKMEF-Cameroon was commissioned by ActionAid/SIPAA to carry out preliminary ground work to launch Mutapola in Cameroon on 25/07/05-31/09/2005. Mutapola is the name of a woman who the charity is featuring in its campaign to highlight the plight of women and girl caregivers

What is Mutapola campaign all about?

Mutapola Campaign was first launched in Southern Africa, which has now been extended to Cameroon. It focuses on the problems that women face on HIV/AIDS. The campaign is devoted to supporting women and children infected and affected by HIV/AIDS. “The campaign hopes to restore the dignity of the woman and combat the pandemic. It uses men and boys as agents for change.”

What is the objective of Mutapola campaign?

It aims to give a voice to girls and women infected and affected by HIV/ AIDS. The campaign aims to promote and strengthen the rights of women and girls affected by HIV/AIDS in Cameroon. The four pillars of the Mutapola framework are:
1- The right to comprehensive treatment and care
2- The right to secure livelihoods (income and assets) and the right to food
3- Strengthening and building capacities of women organizations and activism of women and girls living with HIV/AIDS
4- Advocacy and campaigning for an enabling and legislative environment on paper and in practice, so that women and girls can claim and exercise their rights.
The campaign focuses on treatment literacy and nutrition and positive-living programmes, increased access to medical care, research and advocacy on health systems and community involvement in the roll-out of treatment programmes. It has four framework pillars, which include the right to comprehensive treatment and care and the right to secure livelihoods.
Other pillars are strengthening and building capacity and campaigning for an enabling legislative environment on paper and in practice so women can claim and exercise their rights. The campaign works within partnerships with local, national and sub-regional organisations on the basis of solidarity, influence, and reciprocal learning.

Why the name Mutapola?

Mutapola is the campaign voice of a woman living with the AIDS pandemic in Cameroon. She has many faces: young and old; affected or infected; urban and rural; married or single. There are many Mutapolas, with different experiences, and different realities. But while they might all appear different, one thing unites them, and that is why they might as well have one name - they are all women,” "Half the time Mutapola does not even know there is a law or policy that says she has entitlements. The invisible hand of age-old traditions and customs keeps pushing her down as she fights to move up."

When did Mutapola start?

The Campaign was launch in South Africa’s capital, Pretoria, (Dec.2004) and extended to Cameroon in July 2005. The initiative, sponsored by ActionAid/SIPAA, Martin Luther Martin King Jr. Memorial Foundation (LUKMEF-CAMEROON) was commissioned to do a ground work study and facilitate the launching. It aims to give a voice to girls and women infected and affected by HIV and AIDS to highlight women’s plight.

When was Mutapola lunched in Cameroon?

The campaign was launched in Cameroon in July 2005 by ActionAid/SIPAA with LUKMEF-Cameroon as the Local Organization commissioned to facilitate the launching. As the epidemic continues to claim more lives, more children will be orphaned. It is all very easy to investigate ways in which community responses can be strengthened to deal with the pandemic. This is why the first part of the launching of Mutapola in Cameroon took the form of a grassroot survey and documentation of problems faced by women in the South West Province of Cameroon as a sample space. Women are the most affected and infected and must have the right to comprehensive treatment, livelihood, food, strengthening and building capacity etc

Are men excluded? (Since a woman’s voice must be heard)

HIV/AIDS infects and affects women more than men. It is women who care for the sick and shoulder the burden; it is rare that you find a grandfather looking after the sick. If people get sick in the city they end up with grandmothers in the villages. 60 % of the people infected are women, so AAI has put a woman, Mutapola in the centre of the discussion. There are many different Mutapolas, with different experiences, and different realities. But while they might all appear different, one thing unites them; they are all women, and that’s why they might as well have one name.

What is the different between Mutapola and other AIDS projects?

Mutapola stresses on a woman because the most infected are targeted here. ‘’Right now, women and girls do not have voices around the issue of HIV/AIDS, where other projects are general.

How is the campaign helping women especially, where it has been launched?

Women are already questioning the traditional customs which have underpinned the spread of HIV - especially amongst girls and women and are putting on the table of law makers the realities of the pains and sufferings of women in the context of HIV/AIDS

Why do you believe Mutapola is necessary?

The campaign restores the dignity of the woman and combat the pandemic.

How many women are willing to talk?

READ THEIR STORIES ON PAGE XX