5.3 Support groups functioning as a community of practice
5.3.9 Crossing multiple boundaries
121 Wenger’s (1998) theory reflects what this support group member was saying in relation to how learning impacts on an individual’s sense of self.
The different communities of practice had ‘become associated with finding, sharing, transferring, and archiving knowledge, as well as making explicit ‘expertise’, or ‘tacit knowledge’ (Wenger 1998, p. 1). The support groups created a comfortable learning space. In the process they benefited from and developed networks amongst themselves and other support groups as well as amongst connections from inside and outside the district. As a result, they crossed multiple boundaries.
122 to share his knowledge with the group that would benefit from his intervention because he had previously identified the need raised from this support group.
Nkaoza: Can I be allowed to take these [instructional] steps with me next time and use them with a group of my burial society? Because previously we had a discussion on condom use and they said it tears off easily even if it is put correctly. But now I have learned that the little nipple on top of the condom is necessary to prevent it from breaking, so it has to be left hanging like a real nipple.
In addition, they considered running a myth campaign for youths as a means to create awareness of the damage that myths can do to spread HIV infection, and as a means to promote HIV prevention methods. The campaign illustrated efforts to cross multiple boundaries by shifting their focus from educating adults in a confined hospital space to holding a youth campaign. The chairperson for fathers--o fathers support group wanted to invite officials from the Ministry of Sports and Recreation responsible for youth activities, the District Administrator, District Councils, District Health Manager, Public Health Nurses and World Vision. The intention of the three support groups was to bring all the youth together (literate and illiterate) for educative sessions on myths and facts about HIV prevention. Their intention to address a larger audience meant involving relevant officials for moral support and guidance.
Chairperson: We have invited your offices [to a youth officer invited to the SG meeting]
because we intend to hold a big campaign to address all sectors of youth under the two principal chiefs in Botha-Bothe. We thought of outsourcing guidance from you so we do everything right. The youth encounter the same challenges imposed by their age. These three support groups are concerned about our youth and intend to protect our future leaders from HIV. Therefore, we thought a health campaign can be a cheaper means to address them in great numbers.
A member of the fathers-to-fathers support group also suggested that members pay a visit to the traditional initiation school owners (Bo-Ramephato) and hold an educative meeting with them that would propose the introduction of HIV education in the initiation school. This would take place while initiates were still in the Lesotho mountains where initiation schools take place. The aim of the speaker was to provide orientation on how HIV prevention can be enforced and the role that initiates can play when they come out of such a school. These plans indicate there was a determination to cross multiple boundaries through the use of local structures and authorities
123 such as initiation schools who may not be conversant about the prevention of HIV infection.
Rocky (in the fathers-to-fathers support group) highlighted that most members in the support group had attended initiation school during their youth. He considered that as an advantage for them to share their knowledge with the initiates. He was aware that if their behaviour was left unattended to, HIV would spread like a wild fire, therefore something must be done to save new initiates. This was where the element of crossing cultural boundaries could be seen among the support groups.
Rocky: you have heard that I am concerned about our initiation schools. We usually praise ourselves to be educated when it comes to health related issues. We need to demonstrate our education by imparting it to people who need it most. My plea right now is for us to propose a meeting with initiation school owners (Bo-Ramephato) to allow us time in their schools to educate their boys so they graduate with all sorts of information. I want to use my position in the initiation schools committee to take your request to the authorities to allow us time before initiation school term ends.
These support groups also aimed to cross geographic boundaries, for instance, visiting the nearby district (Leribe) to ensure establishment of new support groups, and gender boundaries, where they insisted on the inclusion of their alcoholic husbands, and social boundaries to share their experiences with a larger community through requesting slots in public gatherings. For example, the mothers-in-law support group recommended ‘hunting’ alcoholics who never bothered about health issues. The concern was that populations usually found in bars never attend any educational forums. The members were aware of their relationships with such populations. They quoted the common saying that if Mahomed would not go to the mountain then with God’s power the mountain has to move to him. Mothers-in-law were concerned that if they did not cross the boundaries and merely stayed confined in monthly support group meetings, the significance of their formation would not be known. Therefore, they were determined to make a positive impact by contacting neglected social groups. Mrs Blue pointed out that alcoholics are their sons, fathers to innocent children, husbands to their daughters and added that women too are alcoholics and need help before it is too late. She was worried that delaying to offer information delayed their behaviour change; as a result, more damage would occur. Mrs Blue expressed her concerns as follows.
124 Mrs Blue: I have previously asked if we are not running late to address the alcoholics. I have already proposed if fathers-to-fathers can join us to attempt the task. We need not forget the importance of relations we have with the alcoholics in the community. They form the best part of the population which, if neglected, could raise HIV infection rate higher than it is now. They need to change their sexual practices and maybe we could be lucky and rescue a lot of them even from alcohol. They need to be reminded of their responsibilities in their respective families which alcohol does not allow them to exercise.
The chairperson in the mothers-in-law support group was aware of the determination her members had towards the task of sharing and learning health information. She was aware that the group was indomitable in crossing the boundaries to disseminate their familiar and newly acquired medical discourses. This was expressed in her concerns that members should spread the word in relation to everything that they were taught.
The three support groups met individually to discuss strategies to ensure the success of their task to cross their district boundaries by taking the initiative to assist other districts such as Leribe and Mafeteng to establish their own support groups which could operate in a similar manner. They prepared different speakers during their invitations to these districts so they could demonstrate that every member had a voice and all had acquired the same knowledge.
In spite of their increased self-awareness most members felt the need for involving outsiders as knowledge experts to contribute to what they were learning. They wanted to do their own hunting first so that they could demonstrate their own learning, partly to impress their visitors with how they were seeking out knowledge but also to show how everyone was a participating learner.
Wenger emphasises that the act of being a community of practice deepens the mutual commitment of members when they take responsibility for a learning agenda which pushes their learning practices further. Activities towards this goal include exploring new knowledge. It was at this stage when the newly acquired knowledge and skills for implementing a new course of action became realised. This was confirmed by what the chairperson in the mixed support group said.
125 Chairperson: … Ladies and gentlemen, we have a new task to perform in this community which is to impart knowledge. Our level of understanding can be reflected by sharing what we have with people who do not have access to information. Joining the support group gave us new roles to act like basuoe (teachers) which we already perform in our families and different neighbourhoods. I just wanted to emphasise to all of us that we need to commit ourselves and extend the roles to the community at large. … when do we join Pela-tsoeu villagers to perform this task?
Brookfield (2000), Kegan (2000) and Guba and Lincoln (2005) describe the process of planning a course of action as acquiring technical and practical knowledge that allows members to share and interpret their experiences and construct new understandings. Their emphasis is on individuals being able to produce technically useful knowledge. These authors recognise knowledge as a key source of competitive advantage in the world. In the case of HIV infection, having knowledge about HIV and its prevention represents having a competitive advantage in the African context. Systematically addressing the kind of dynamic ‘knowing’ that makes a difference in practice requires the participation of people who are fully engaged in the process of creating, refining, communicating, and using knowledge.
The process of hunting and networking in communities of practice literature has strong connections to the relationship building process that is identified in social capital literature. The next section therefore expands on how the support groups utilised and expanded their social capital through their engagement as communities of practice.