"Putting AIDS in its Place" : How HIV/AIDS affects livelihood strategies in Mwanza City, Tanzania

Abstract: The general aim of this essay is to situate the AIDS-epidemic in its socio-economic context, in order to see how HIV/AIDS affects households at a micro level. The material for the study was gathered during a minor field study conducted in Mwanza City, Tanzania.  The majority of the population in Tanzania is not part of the formal economic sector and does not enjoy the security of public health care, pension and other forms of support. Instead of being employed in the formal sector these people draw on different informal sources to secure their livelihoods. This has created a context where people are vulnerable in a situation of crisis. Since the 1980s - when the first cases of HIV were recorded in Tanzania - the epidemic has grown and HIV now constitutes one of the major threats to livelihood security.  But what impact does HIV/AIDS have on livelihood strategies in an urban setting? And how does the AIDS-epidemic affect society in general? Theses questions are investigated using qualitative methods and the data is analyzed by means of a livelihood framework.  From the gathered material I could conclude that HIV/AIDS indeed affects the livelihood strategies of afflicted households. Social capital – in the shape of support from family, friends and other networks – turned out to be an important resource. There is, however, an inequity in access to this resource. Stigmatisation has a negative impact on the social capital and increases the vulnerability of the afflicted households.  The essay deals with these issues in a wider perspective in relation to the role of the state and other actors and it is concluded with a discussion on the role of livelihood studies in the prevailing discourse on HIV/AIDS.