Work, Family and HIV The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) epidemic is presenting one of the most critical challenges to societies, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. The epidemic is orders of magnitude more severe in sub-Saharan Africa than in most of the rest of the world: approximately 70 percent of persons living with HIV in 1999 resided in sub-Saharan Africa, and in seven southern African countries, 20 percent or more of adults 15-49 years of age are infected with HIV. At its worst in Botswana, the disease is currently infecting approximately 40 percent of reproductive age adults. Throughout the region, there has been a relative paucity in number of interventions targeting the workplace, where most adults spend the majority of their time. To address family and health needs at work, the Work, Family, and HIV project was launched as part of a research partnership between the Botswana Government and the Harvard School of Public Health. This project has gathered data that will offer an insight into the day-to-day impact of the HIV/AIDS epidemic on people’s lives, and also establish trends and statistics that shed light on the larger social and economic impact of the epidemic. The objectives of this project are to better understand the conditions faced at work, at home, and in the community by people in Botswana who are themselves affected by or are caring for others with health problems. Over 200 in-depth interviews were conducted in Lobatse, Molepolole and Gaborone, and a survey was administered to 1000 respondents in these locations. For more information, please see: Heymann SJ, Earle A, Rajaraman D, Miller C, and Bogen K. Extended Family for Children Orphaned by AIDS: Impacts on Child Well-Being & Economic Survival. AIDS Care Journal. Forthcoming. Kidman R, Petrow E, and Heymann SJ. Africa’s Orphan Crisis: Two Community-Based Models of Care. AIDS Care Journal. Forthcoming. Rajaraman D, Russell S, and Heymann SJ. HIV / AIDS, Income Loss & Economic Survival in Botswana. AIDS Care. Forthcoming. Heymann SJ. Forgotten Families: Ending the Growing Crisis Confronting Children and Working Parents in the Global Economy. New York: Oxford University Press, 2006. Gbadebo P, Rayman-Read AR and Heymann SJ. Biological and Social Risks Intertwined: The case of AIDS in Africa. In: Heymann SJ, ed. Global Inequalities at Work: Work’s Impact on the Health of Individuals, Families, and Societies. New York: Oxford University Press, 2003. Back to Global Initiatives
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