The impact is felt most at the household level. AIDS causes personal pain and loss and cuts into income, human capital and time available to families. People with AIDS need physical care, counselling for coping and help in making arrangements for the future care of their dependants. Illness and death are costly. AIDS affects male and female survivors very differently.
Widows face a particularly difficult time because of socio-cultural and economic disadvantages.
Observers believe that desperate women are becoming sex workers, although little data exists on this subject. For the year 2000 it is expected that there will be around 398,000 orphans in the country.