When tea is a luxury: The economic impact of HIV/AIDS in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe

• Published in: African studies (Johannesburg) Vol. 62; no. 2; pp. 213 - 241
• Main Authors: Grant, Miriam R., Palmiere, Andrew D.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Taylor & Francis Ltd 01.12.2003
• Subjects: AIDS; Death; Development; Diseases; Economics; Epidemics; HIV; Poverty; Regional studies; Social capital; Youth; Zimbabwe
• ISSN: 0002-0184; 1469-2872
• DOI: 10.1080/0002018032000148768

Health is a development issue in that loss of productivity, income and human potential all compromise the rate at which any country, developing or industrialised, can progress. However, the rapid spread of HIV/AIDS differs from most health issues in that it strikes people in the prime of life, who otherwise should have decades left in which to build the economic and social capital of their families and communities. While HIV/AIDS crosses all socio-economic groups, its impacts are greater on the poor, powerless and marginalised. During the last two decades, HIV/AIDS has become an increasingly global phenomenon, with recent warnings about high prevalence in both India and China. However, with twenty-eight million Africans living with HIV/AIDS, Africa has been hardest hit by the pandemic, with more than 70 per cent of all HIV/AIDS sufferers globally. Further evidence is just as devastating: Africa now has thirteen million orphans, 40 per cent of all children eligible for elementary school are not in school because they are providing care for sick relatives, and last year more than one million children lost their teachers to AIDS (CBC TV, "Canada and AIDS", interview with Stephen Lewis, June 18 2002).