Changes

It has been a strange few weeks. Post the elections the new Government has made a stream of appointments and announcements and we are now waiting for the trickle down effect of these to the district level . The new District Commissioner for Mazabuka will arrive soon and what he says and does is likely to have the most profound affect here, or maybe to be cynical little will change. For the time being people seem to have been placed on pause, just waiting to see what will happen next.

However, the major news is that the Bishop, the District AIDS Coordination Advisor (DACA) and my boss, has gone. His contract with the National AIDS Council (NAC) was coming to an end and he decided not to renew it. My feelings are mixed as at times, for example, in workshops, meetings, giving presentations, talking to the community, helping people to reach decisions and consensus, my boss can be very effective. And without doubt he also has a strong knowledge of HIV and AIDS policy, activities and issues.

But there is a but there has been a lack of focus and commitment from him to his role with tasks being started but rarely finished. Also he has had an over reliance on Judy and I to do the work rather than to support and advise him and others. Overall, there has been an interference of too many non-HIV work activities on a regular basis. Time to stop there I feel. So for now we have no boss, a pretty messy office (but the painting has started!) and are relying on NAC to recruit a new DACA as soon as possible, which based on their current record with other districts with vacant positions this could take a while; and possibly no one will even arrive before we leave.