HIV/AIDS- Responding to a silent economic crisis

• by Jill Donahue, Kamau Kabbucho and Sylvia Osinde
• Jun 4, 2002
• 1 min
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This note talks about the impact of HIV/AIDS on the microfinance clients, their coping mechanisms, and role of microfinance in enabling the clients to cope with the crisis.

This note talks about the impact of HIV/AIDS on the microfinance clients, their coping mechanisms, and role of microfinance in enabling the clients to cope with the crisis. It details out the nature of economic impact during various stages of an HIV/AIDS infected person—early stages when symptoms appears, frequent hospital visits, bedridden, death and care for orphaned children. The note also describes coping strategies such as liquidating savings or selling productive assets in order to reduce the miseries arising out of the HIV/AIDS. It sees a significant role of microfinance for helping the clients to increase their business capital and accumulate savings.