ABSTRACT
This chapter examines adherence to HIV antiretroviral therapy in a marginalised informal rural settlement (Chivanhu Village) in Masvingo Province. Deep levels of poverty and vulnerability mark the daily lives of Chivanhu villagers as they pursue, on a precarious and uncertain basis, livelihood activities. Aggravating their dire situation is an exceedingly high prevalence rate of HIV, with many adults dying from AIDS. Most Chivanhu households are headed by women (as either de facto or de jure heads). Women bear considerable responsibility for ensuring food security in the village alongside caring for children and HIV-infected family members. The many daily challenges faced by the villagers in accessing HIV therapy, and adhering to it, speak to the overall absence of the state locally. In general, HIV-infected villagers navigate their way through the troubling tensions embedded in their lives, including between hiding their HIV status (because of stigma) and an intense desire to lead a healthy life (if only for the sake of their children, a stance most prevalent amongst women). Villagers show considerable resilience in reclaiming their lives so as to live “normal” lives under conditions of chronicity.
