ANNUAL CONFERENCE 2005

In association with Development Policy and Practice and the International Development Centre at the Open University

Milton Keynes, UK
7th-9th September 2005

Connecting people and places: challenges and opportunities for development

HIV/AIDS PARALLEL SESSION ABSTRACTS

Session F: September 9th, 10.15-11.45

APPLYING DIETARY DIVERSITY AND INDICES OF HOUSEHOLD COPING STRATEGIES TO DISTINGUISH BETWEEN TWO HIV/AIDS IMPACTED, MIGRATION DEPENDENT COMMUNITIES IN MATABELELAND, ZIMBABWE.. McKernan, Centre for Sustainable Livelihoods, E. Lenihan, Director, Centre For Sustainable Livelihoods, M.Kiely, Department of Food and Nutritional Sciences, National University of Ireland, Cork.

Rural communities in Matabeleland, Zimbabwe are heavily impacted by HIV/AIDS and are particularly vulnerable to food and nutrition insecurity. This study explains the differences in food security between two similar, AIDS impacted rural communities by examining the nature of the AIDS impact in both locations. The study was designed to assess vulnerability to food and nutritional insecurity in the context of HIV/AIDS. During 2003, a cross-sectional household-based survey was conducted by the same researcher among 147 households in Huwana ward (pop 8,800), Bulilima, Matabeleland South and 126 households in ward 3 (pop 5500), Tsholotsho, Matabeleland North. Both locations are situated in communal lands, are in the same agroecological zones, and depend heavily on migration as a livelihood strategy. Tsholotsho, which had, on average, significantly lower dietary diversity and adopted more coping mechanisms for food shortage, had a significantly higher HIV/AIDS prevalence and impact. Affected households were impacted in more diverse ways. Illness and death of migrant members was more prevalent, as was the associated burden on households. The different nature of the AIDS impact on similar communities may help explain significant differences in dietary diversity and the adoption of coping mechanisms for food shortage. In this study, the Tsholotsho community where migrant members were particularly affected, was more vulnerable to the vicious cycle of HIV/AIDS and malnutrition. In rural locations in Southern Africa that depend heavily on migration as a livelihood strategy, variables such as the specific impact of HIV/AIDS on migrants, fostering of orphans of AIDS, remittance loss and distraction of farming/off farm work due to caring, should be factored into future assessment protocol.

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN HIV/AIDS AND MIGRATION : A RURAL/URBAN STUDY IN SOUTHERN ZIMBABWE.
L. Harris, Centre for Sustainable Livelihoods, E. Lenihan, Director, Centre for Sustainable Livelihoods, National University of Ireland, Cork.

Research indicates that migration and mobility increase vulnerability to HIV/AIDS, for both the mobile person and their partners at home. Migrants and mobile populations may be highly marginalised while in their country of migration. They may be subject to discrimination, xenophobia, exploitation and harassment, and have little or no legal or social protection in the communities they have moved to. This marginalisation increases vulnerability to HIV infection and also the difficulties of living with HIV/AIDS. Since the mid 1990's however there has been a significant shift in the migration patterns of Zimbabwe, as the economic and political climate in the country has deteriorated Zimbabwe has found itself increasingly exporting labour to other countries in the region and abroad. A cross-sectional, household based survey was conducted among 169 rural households in Tsholotsho, Matabeleland North and 101 urban households in Plumtree town, Matabeleland South, Zimbabwe during 2003. The majority of households in both research locations had members that had migrated to find work. A significant proportion of these migrant members had contracted HIV while away from home and in most cases, this impacted negatively on the resources and welfare of their households. Rural households were much less able to cope with the stresses placed upon the household by the presence of a sick migrant, the children of a migrant worker or the death of a migrant, than urban households. There is an urgent need to address the particular vulnerabilities of migrants to HIV/AIDS. The responses must address the root causes, as well as the immediate causes of vulnerability in host countries through targeted education and relevant support services.