The vulnerabilities of children, families, and communities are compounded by the geographic concentration of the pandemic. Vulnerable children are cared for by vulnerable families and reside in vulnerable communities. Many communities hardest hit by HIV/AIDS are already severely disadvantaged, with high poverty, poor infrastructure, and little or no access to even the most rudimentary services. In fact, communities with the highest infection rates are often the most impoverished and marginal because these are the conditions conducive to rapid HIV transmission.

The vulnerability of a particular community can be measured along a number of dimensions, including HIV/AIDS prevalence, the existing orphan burden, the community 's economic strength, including the availability of health and education services.

The Impact of HIV/AIDS on communities:

• The labor pool is reduced, particularly for agricultural labor and for skilled labor, including health workers and teachers.
• Poverty increases
• Infrastructure deteriorates
• Access to health care and education is reduced
• Mortality is elevated
• The community has fewer resources to marshal for mutual aid
• Communities suffer a general loss of resilience

WISHH projects aim at providing means for economic development in such communities. In such communities, the HIV/AIDS affected households will be systemically included in the target groups of household food security and nutrition projects.

Overview

Nutrition and HIV

HIV Literature Database