The Impact of HIV/AIDS on Poverty at Household Level: The Case of Two Kebeles in Addis Ababa

Tadege, Aster (2005) The Impact of HIV/AIDS on Poverty at Household Level: The Case of Two Kebeles in Addis Ababa. Masters thesis, Addis Ababa University.

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Abstract

This research has focused on assessing the impacts of Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS) on poverty at household level with regard to issues related to challenges being faced by affected households and individuals. A survey was conducted on 100 households and 50 orphans, three focus group discussions, and interviews with key informants from relevant organizations in two kebeles of the Addis Ketema sub-city. Emphasis was put on examining the nature of the problems the household faced when the breadwinner is ill/die. Thus changes in income and expenditure patterns, on family structure, and coping strategies of households was analyzed. The study has confirmed that the major problem of HIV/AIDS affected households which aggravate their poverty was lose of income. The majorities of the victims are unemployed, some stopped working because of illness and some of the unemployed revealed that they were discriminated in some organizations since they were asked a results of HIV test to be recruited. In addition, most of the households do not have access to basic facilities such as housing and other related facilities like water and toilet within the dwellings. As a result, households affected by HIV/AIDS need access not only to care and support but also to the means to maintain an income and pursue alternative livelihoods. HIV/AIDS generated various types of households such as female headed, grandmother headed, child headed, and dissolved households. Women are found to be more vulnerable to HIV/AIDS mainly due to social, economic and cultural influences imposed on them. Since they cannot work in many types of jobs like men, HIV positive women go to charity organizations before being ill. 74.3 percent of the clients of the specific NGO in the study area are found to be women. They are also found to be abused by their husbands to the extent that they were forced to make sexual intercourse against their will by HIV positive husbands, become pregnant and give birth to HIV positive child. The main coping strategies used by HIV/AIDS affected households are searching assistance from a charity organization, selling assets and using previous savings, dispersing siblings, returning to parents' home, and using holy water. The majority of the affected households cope with HIV by searching assistance from charity organization, though the support they get was not adequate to fulfil even the basic needs. A significant number of households dispersed the family member to various extended families such as grandmothers, aunts and uncles. Because of lose of income, some widowed women returned to parents' home with their children. The major problem of HIV/AIDS affected households and individuals is shortage of income, as a result of which they lack basic necessities. Thus it is recommended that the financial assistance flow in the name of HIV/AIDS should properly reach the affected and infected individuals and households, and Antiretroviral drugs should be made available so that the infected individuals get them easily.

Item Type:	Thesis (Masters)
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Impact, Poverty, HIV/AIDS, Household, Income, Expenditure, Coping strategy.
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HV Social pathology. Social and public welfare R Medicine > RA Public aspects of medicine > RA0421 Public health. Hygiene. Preventive Medicine
Divisions:	Africana
Depositing User:	Tim Khabala
Date Deposited:	04 Oct 2018 08:22
Last Modified:	04 Oct 2018 08:22
URI:	http://thesisbank.jhia.ac.ke/id/eprint/5872

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