The Impact of HIV/AIDS on Rural Household Welfare in Rukungiri District-Uganda

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The Impact of HIV/AIDS on Rural Household Welfare in Rukungiri District-Uganda

Journal Title: International Journal of Modern Engineering Research (IJMER) - Year 2015, Vol 5, Issue 1

Abstract

Many able bodied household members in Rukungiri district have died of HIV/AIDS. Consequently there are many house heads (often young and married) whose partners died. This study investigated the impact of HIV/AIDS on rural household welfare in Rukungiri district. A control group approach was used. Data was collected by the use of questionnaires and empirical observation from both the affected households and unaffected households. The study aimed at finding out how HIV/AIDS has led to depletion of households’ productive assets. A binary logistic regression analysis was used to establish whether there is a significant difference in the sources of income for medical expenses between the affected households and unaffected households with the aim of finding out the extent to which HIV/AIDS has led to depletion of households’ productive assets and consequent deterioration in households’ welfare. The study has established that HIV/AIDS has led to deterioration in the welfare of the affected households through exhaustion of savings and increased borrowing, with the end result of depletion of productive assets leaving the survivors with minimal means of survival. Productive assets commonly depleted include; land, cattle, goats, chicken, sewing machines, wheelbarrows and bicycles. However, affected households have adopted many coping strategies including those that aim at improving food security, raising and supplementing their incomes so as to maintain their expenditure patterns, and coping with loss of labour. Since emergency traditional indigenous groups are already operating in all the communities in the district acting as a source of psychosocial support to individuals and communities affected by HIV/AIDS with their activities such as assisting with burial ceremonies, communal farming, supporting sick patients, rebuilding dwellings and rehabilitating farms, supporting survivors and creating income generating activities and providing material support, the study recommends government support in collaboration with donor agencies to provide them with training in HIV/AIDS home care support and enough funds to enable them meet their requirements. Government in collaboration with NGOs operating in the area should introduce short-term training courses in the affected areas to empower the survivors with practical skills and equip them with capital that can enable them create jobs for themselves. Further, improving agricultural yields through teaching them modern farming practices, provision of free anti-retroviral therapies by the government to all the affected households, accompanied by provision of food rations for boosting nutritional requirements would reduce the depletion of productive assets of these households

Authors and Affiliations

Robert Mugabe

Keywords

EP ID EP94822
DOI -
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