The challenge of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in rural Ethiopia: Averting the crisis in low AIDS-impacted communities

Findings from fieldwork in Kersa woreda, Eastern Hararghe Zone, Oromiya Region

by Clare Bishop-Sambrook
Population and Development Service
FAO Gender and Population Division

The seriousness of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Ethiopia is widely acknowledged. By the end of 2002, it was estimated that 1.7 million people in the country had already died from AIDS and a further 3 million were living with the disease. Ethiopia is classified as belonging to the ‘next wave countries’ with large populations at risk from HIV infection which will eclipse the current focal point of the epidemic in central and southern Africa.

Little work has been done on the nature of the disease in rural areas, despite the fact that 85% of the population lives in rural areas and that the agricultural sector plays a central role in the Ethiopian economy. With rural HIV prevalence rates estimated at 3.7% (in 2002) it suggests that the disease is at a much earlier stage of its trajectory in rural communities in comparison with urban areas where prevalence rates are estimated to be 13.7%. This presents a window of opportunity for addressing the epidemic in rural areas before it takes a debilitating grip on rural livelihoods.

The paper reports on the findings from fieldwork conducted in two rural communities in Kersa woreda, Eastern Hararghe Zone, Oromiya Region, located in eastern Ethiopia. The study set out to identify the status of the epidemic in the urban hinterland and rural areas; potential sources of susceptibility to infection for different members of rural households; and potential bridging populations. The recommendations demonstrate how the agricultural sector can be utilised to inform and empower rural communities to maintain prevalence rates at relatively low levels, as well as reduce the vulnerability of AIDS-impacted households.

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