Civil Society's Shortcomings: An Analysis of the Relationship between Civil Society Organizations and Women's Economic Status in Uganda and Rwanda

The HIV rate among men and women is becoming increasingly disparate particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. A report by UNAIDS (2016) found women comprise 56% of new HIV infections and called for economic empowerment programs to... [ view full abstract ]

The HIV rate among men and women is becoming increasingly disparate particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. A report by UNAIDS (2016) found women comprise 56% of new HIV infections and called for economic empowerment programs to reduce economic gender inequalities. Through program and document analysis, this paper examines how civil society organizations (CSOs) attempt to influence HIV rates by addressing these inequalities. The International Community of Women Living with HIV Eastern Africa (ICWEA), one such CSO, will serve as a case study; this will be done via interview with women in Uganda during the summer of 2017. Although CSOs may provide alternatives to governmental processes, numerous organizational and political challenges often inhibit their success. Barriers such as limited interactions with their constituency and attention prioritized to specific programs may have resulted in ICWEA’s suboptimal impact. In addition, changing female economic independence may be blocked by cultural gender stereotypes that any CSO could not alter. This paper will also compare ICWEA to other similar CSOs and illustrate some of the limitations regarding current HIV policy, gender, and CSOs.