130 Figure 4: Social capital in action
131 5.5.1 Networking for information acquisition
The term refers to a set of connections among people. In the context of my study, all support groups rely on their networks for information acquisition. They realised the importance of accessing information from their friends, neighbours and relatives every time when need arose.
They admitted that joining their various support groups was not because they knew more but because they needed to learn more. In social capital theory, networking occurs in three levels (bonding, bridging and linking ties,) The three groups showed evidence that they were able to develop and capitalise on these different network levels to facilitate coordination and cooperation of members and information exchange with the outside world.
A learning and sharing platform was sometimes given to the organisations outside the health sector such as Lesotho Planned Parenthood Association, World Vision, Red Cross and Blue Cross. In the six months of my observation, they had two groups of visitors who came to see how their support group operated. One group was from Partners in Health (PIH) because they were intending to introduce such groups in the rural clinics where PIH operates. The other group was a delegation from the Ministry of Health who had come to see the groups’ progress and who gave them learning materials (adherence flip chart, male circumcision flip chart and many brochures on health related topics). The Ministry also provided flip charts and stands and a blackberry cell phone which would be given airtime monthly to help them organise their meetings effectively and be able to liaise with other resourceful organisations where they would want to get the services from.
5.5.2 Interaction as a learning tool
The aspect of interaction appeared to be crucial as a learning tool and a means of building resilience. The significance of interaction becomes central when members identify individuals and organisations that can provide needed learning materials. An interaction facilitates participation of the three support groups; it enhances members’ involvement and opens learning opportunities. Both networking and interactions made it easier for the group to create connections and engage into learning. For instance, this was what Zille in the fathers-to-fathers group said:
132 I would like us to make our visitors aware that learning in this form does not change an individual overnight. Hence the need for interactions with various people who can support, motivate and assist us on several issues. They need to know that we are in the third year since the formation of the support groups in this hospital. Therefore, in short they need to have patience and strong interactions with people who understand the importance of learning in groups. Had it not been for individuals and group interactions outside this support group, some of us would have not gained knowledge we have now.
Through interactions these groups participated in broader learning systems in which their knowledge was distributed diversely to their families, their community members as well as in other districts such as Mafeteng and Mohales’ Hoek. Other formal and informal societies visited them to learn how they conducted themselves in a meeting.
Interaction also improved members’ confidence and expanded their horizons so they developed new ideas for resilience and self-sufficiency such as producing vegetables for marketing.
5.5.3 Sharing and learning
In the context of this study, sharing and learning entails using connections and relationships as a resource in order for support group members to solve their problems. Knowledge, skill and experiences were shared for learning purposes by these three support groups to anchor the learning process. This process of sharing and learning is a feature of communities or practice (Wenger, 1998). It is also regarded in the literature on social capital and lifelong learning (Field, 2002) as a process that contributes to building social capital. Moreover, this learning through a sharing process reflects the African communitarian commitment to the collective (Ntseane, 2011). Through these practices, members feel that their experiences are of value to others in the group, and they are therefore motivated to share more frequently.
5.5.4 People acting collectively
Communities of practice and social capital elements of cooperation and collective action are evident in this study when members shared roles in searching for their learning materials and discussed the benefits of their lessons together. This collective activity bound members in the three groups to develop a shared understanding of their learned material. Acting collectively therefore enhanced mutuality as all members in the three groups were able to trust each other to
133 bring needed information that would enlighten all members. Acting collectively enabled a rich fabric of connectivity among people.
5.5.5 Networks of relationships
Each individual amongst the support groups had their own network of relationships from whom they would gain information in order to benefit the whole group. These relationships enabled members to infiltrate the community without the need to set an appointment. Support group members relied on relationships to access information. Therefore, relationships of mutual acquaintances and recognition were crucial for all members.
Figure 5 illustrates the summary of overlaps in communities of practice and social capital theories.
Figure 5: Shared concepts between the two theories