Lessons Learned and Identified Strategies that Enhance the Participation of HIV/AIDS Affected Households into Productive Market

This paper discusses the lessons learned through a virtual information session about the participation of HIV/AIDS affected communities in productive markets. The paper discusses:

• The objectives of the session, which was to determine the factors that make for a successful business development services (BDS) intervention that targets HIV/AIDS affected individuals;
• The format of the session and the topics covered.

The paper lists the following lessons learned about HIV/AIDS affected individuals and households:

• The kinds of enterprises they operate;
• Micro enterprise development initiatives suitable for them;
• Reaching them without exacerbating stigma or breaching sound enterprise development practices;
• Capacity building to facilitate formal relationships between production clusters and suppliers in a value chain;
• Employment initiatives of firms that employ HIV/AIDS people;
• Market linkages between large firms and micro producers.

The paper concludes that:

• Microfinance practitioners have addressed the problem of poverty in HIV/AIDS affected communities;
• The virtual discussion has provided a platform to share ideas about innovative responses;
• Successful participation requires timely interventions, at the level of the household, community, firm and government;
• There is a need to:
  •  Connect HIV affected communities to productive markets;
  • Identify firms that can provide income growth for micro and small enterprises (MSEs) affected by HIV/AIDS;
  • Create an enabling legal environment that protects HIV/AIDS affected households.