Nelly Bassily | December 12, 2014
Our script of the week highlights community-based approaches to coping with the impact of HIV and AIDS.
One of the impacts of HIV and AIDS is that uninfected people must shoulder an increased workload. Africans have established a wide range of social support activities to deal with this issue. Sometimes these activities are initiated by the community itself, and sometimes they are started and/or supported by governments, NGOs or religious institutions. The wide range of strategies includes:
- loans and savings clubs
- shared child care
- labour-saving clubs
- funeral funds/burial societies
- social support groups
- community grain banks
Coping strategies that are developed locally are often the most practical and least expensive to implement. Broadcasters have an opportunity to promote and support local coping strategies by featuring them in radio programs.
This script features two hosts discussing a variety of approaches to the labour shortages that often result from HIV and AIDS. Please see the end of the script for descriptions of some of the coping strategies mentioned in the script.