HIV/AIDS, declining family resources and the community safety net

Figures & data

Figure 1.  Children of HIV/AIDS caregivers in Botswana face heightened risks; figure reproduced from Heymann (2006).

Figure 2.  Orphan caregivers face greater financial problems due to caregiving; figure reproduced from Heymann (2006).

Figure 3.  Working adults’ sources of support in caring for orphans; figure reproduced from Heymann (2006).

Figure 4.  Estimated probability that a household will have financial difficulties because of orphan care based on income level and receiving orphan assistance in households not caring (a) and caring (b) for adults; figure reproduced from Miller, Gruskin, Subramanian, Rajaraman, and Heymann (2006).

Table 1. Community initiatives that address families’ time and economic burdens.

Targeting time poverty
Community-based day care centers	Provide a safe environment for children aged 0–6 years and enable adults to work
After-school programs	Provide important academic and emotional support to children and youth while enabling adults to work
Home-based care programs	Enable parents living with AIDS or caring for the chronically ill to spend more time with their children and continue to work.
Targeting economic poverty
Microfinance programs	Help families realize higher returns for their labor and invest in their children's health and education
Job skill training	Provides a critical stepping stone to better paid jobs
Workplace policies	Provide flexible schedules and paid leave to care for sick children and adults while continuing to earn an income
Social insurance groups	Help informal workers to cover expenses if illness requires them to temporarily stop working
Community gardens and grain banks	Generate extra resources for distribution to the most vulnerable families