Skovdal Morten, Magutshwa-Zitha Sitholubuhle, Campbell Catherine, Nyamukapa Constance, Gregson Simon
Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Øster Farimagsgade 5, 1014, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Biomedical Research and Training Institute, Harare, Zimbabwe.
Global Health. 2017 Jun 1;13(1):29. doi: 10.1186/s12992-017-0253-5.
Partnerships are core to global public health responses. The HIV field embraces partnership working, with growing attention given to the benefits of involving community groups in the HIV response. However, little has been done to unpack the social psychological foundation of partnership working between well-resourced organisations and community groups, and how community representations of partnerships and power asymmetries shape the formation of partnerships for global health. We draw on a psychosocial theory of partnerships to examine community group members' understanding of self and other as they position themselves for partnerships with non-governmental organisations.
This mixed qualitative methods study was conducted in the Matobo district of Matabeleland South province in Zimbabwe. The study draws on the perspectives of 90 community group members (29 men and 61 women) who participated in a total of 19 individual in-depth interviews and 9 focus group discussions (n = 71). The participants represented an array of different community groups and different levels of experience of working with NGOs. Verbatim transcripts were imported into Atlas.Ti for thematic indexing and analysis.
Group members felt they played a central role in the HIV response. Accepting there is a limit to what they can do in isolation, they actively sought to position themselves as potential partners for NGOs. Partnerships with NGOs were said to enable community groups to respond more effectively as well as boost their motivation and morale. However, group members were also acutely aware of how they should act and perform if they were to qualify for a partnership. They spoke about how they had to adopt various strategies to become attractive partners and 'supportable' - including being active and obedient.
Many community groups in Zimbabwe recognise their role in the HIV response and actively navigate representational systems of self and other to showcase themselves as capable actors. While this commitment is admirable, the dynamics that govern this process reflect knowledge encounters and power asymmetries that are conditioned by the aid architecture, undermining aspiring efforts for more equitable partnerships from the get-go.
伙伴关系是全球公共卫生应对措施的核心。艾滋病领域采用伙伴关系工作模式，越来越重视社区团体参与艾滋病应对工作的益处。然而，对于资源充足的组织与社区团体之间伙伴关系工作的社会心理基础，以及伙伴关系的社区表征和权力不对称如何塑造全球卫生伙伴关系的形成，人们所做的工作甚少。我们借鉴伙伴关系的社会心理理论，来审视社区团体成员在与非政府组织建立伙伴关系时对自我和他人的理解。
这项混合定性研究在津巴布韦南马塔贝莱兰省的马托博区进行。该研究借鉴了90名社区团体成员（29名男性和61名女性）的观点，他们总共参与了19次个人深度访谈和9次焦点小组讨论（n = 71）。参与者代表了一系列不同的社区团体以及与非政府组织合作的不同经验水平。逐字记录稿被导入到Atlas.Ti中进行主题索引和分析。
团体成员认为他们在艾滋病应对中发挥着核心作用。他们认识到孤立行事所能做的事情有限，因此积极寻求将自己定位为非政府组织的潜在伙伴。与非政府组织的伙伴关系据说能使社区团体更有效地做出应对，同时提升他们的动力和士气。然而，团体成员也敏锐地意识到，如果要获得伙伴关系资格，他们应该如何行动和表现。他们谈到必须采取各种策略来成为有吸引力的伙伴和“值得支持的”伙伴，包括积极主动和顺从听话。
津巴布韦的许多社区团体认识到他们在艾滋病应对中的作用，并积极应对自我和他人的表征系统，以展示自己是有能力的行动者。虽然这种承诺令人钦佩，但支配这一过程的动态反映了由援助架构所决定的知识碰撞和权力不对称，从一开始就破坏了建立更公平伙伴关系的抱负努力。
