The Socio Developmental Impact of HIV and AIDS Projects

• Updating of HIV/AIDS indicators

Description

Lack of HIV and AIDS indicators is one of the challenges that face most government institutions in tracking the impact of and response to the epidemic. The project aims to maintain and update existing published and unpublished HIV/AIDS and related indicators, prepared by Human Science Research Council (HSRC) and adopted by the South African government. The indicators contribute towards providing relevant information that will enable the Department of Social Development to create data point for the sixteen indicators identified for tracking the epidemic.

• Impact assessment of HIV and AIDS on social development services

Description

 

Department of Social Development is one of the main role players in rendering social services. High prevelance of HIV/AIDS in the country will have a impact on the services offered by the department and its provincial counterparts. As more people are infected with the virus daily, more challenges will be faced by the department to achieve its mandate. It is of critical importance by the department to have information about gaps regarding how the epidemic will affect its ability to render effective and sustainable services. The research will assist in identifying ways to coordinate research activities and develop a research strategy that seeks to effectively and comprehensively answer the major questions surrounding HIV/AIDS using the existing systems of care, support and treatment in the department.

• Review of the six pilot sites and assessment of local level functional integration of HIV and AIDS services

Description

 

The study aims at assessing the functional integration of HIV/AIDS in the provision of services at local level. The ability to integrate HIV/AIDS in the provision of services by local government will contribute to the sustainability of services rendered to communities. HIV/AIDS has a negative impact on the strategies put into place by national, provincial and local government if not mainstreamed in the planning, designing and implementation of services to be offered. To render services which are sustainable, it is vital to know the challenges posed by the epidemic and how it will affect beneficiaries. The review is conducted by Wits Consortium.

 

• Population HIV AND AIDS training programme

Description

 

The Course HIV & AIDS and Integrated Development – A Capacity Development Course for Government Managers and Planners

HIV & AIDS is a national priority. Since it is impacting on population trends and sustainable human development the Chief Directorate Population and Development, Department of Social Development, does have a two-fold responsibility in this regard:

• In terms of the Population Policy for South Africa, the Chief Directorate is responsible for increasing capacity and developing human resources to integrate population trends into development planning; and

• An important focus area of the Department of Social Developments’ five year Strategy on Population and Development is to address the socio developmental impact of HIV & AIDS on the basis of the demographic implications of the epidemic.

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• Economic impact of HIV and AIDS on urban and rural households and Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC)

Description

 

Orphans and vulnerable children mostly experience the catastrophic economic impact of HIV/AIDS at household level. Families and children are faced with the plight of looking after sick members and often this require medical attention. Given the high level of poverty and unemployment in South Africa, looking after sick members of the family impact on the strained economic circumstances of households. The economic impact study will assess households looking at issues such as:

• how do households cope with the added strain of additional expenses incurred through household sicknesses?
• which households tend to get sick and are they able to recover to their former levels of income?
• how does this process take place?
• what factors affect it?
• how do HIV and AIDS affect short and long term poverty?
• how is access to social capital affected?

This household survey would be a major step towards an understanding of the economic impact of HIV and AIDS on orphans and vulnerable children, and on households in urban townships and in rural areas, in South Africa. The understanding of the impact on all the dimensions of poverty would also be significant. The project is coordinated by The Joint Economics, Aids and Poverty Programme (JEAPP) in collaboration with DSD.