HVI Framework
The development of the HVI adopted the sustainable livelihoods framework in analyzing how households are affected by HIV and AIDS and their ability to cope with such shocks. A livelihood is sustainable when it can cope with and recover from stresses and shocks and maintains or enhances its capabilities and assets, while not undermining the natural resource base. Thus the more assets a household has, the lesser its vulnerability. A household livelihood generally has five assets, that is, human, physical, financial, social and natural capitals. Household vulnerability evolves from the impact of HIV and AIDS impacts on one or all of these assets. Fig 1 shows the five livelihood assets and how they are affected by HIV and AIDS. These assets are discussed below:
- Human capital - HIV and AIDS impacts on household demographic structure i.e., size and composition, and the mobility of household members.
- Natural capital - Household vulnerability increases environmental degradation and access to natural capital.
- Physical capital - This includes changes in household physical assets, access to extension services and changes in optimal farm household production.
- Financial capital - HIV and AIDS evoke changes in household financial assets, investment choices, household income and expenditure and market access.
- Social capital - The pandemic affects family social networks in terms of support, and inter and intra-relationships from government, community and other relatives.
Household exposure to HIV and AIDS is manifested in a number of ways including decline in agricultural productivity, reduction in participation in the market, reduction in number and quality of livestock, increased mobility of household members, increased environmental degradation, decline in household food consumption, erosion of household productive asset base, breaking down of social support networks, reduced household investments, increase in dependency ratios and uncertain access to behavioral change information, inter alia.
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