The people in the community are telling Martha she deserved to get HIV. They are saying it was her fault that she has HIV. Ignoring someone is stigma. The two women do not sit with Martha. They talk about her as if she is not there. Excluding someone from activities is stigma. Martha and her family were not invited. The man is telling them to go away. They don't want to "catch" HIV from Martha. Stigma affects everyone in Martha's family. Think of a time when you felt blamed, ignored, or excluded. How did it make you feel? Did you deserve this treatment? How does stigma affect those who are sick? It affects the way they feel. It affects the way that they work. It may affects services they receive from the government. It affects their income and their family members. Additional Information for the Trainer Impact of Stigma Stigma affects those with HIV in many ways. Stigma affects their emotions: they may feel guilty, ashamed, and depressed. These feelings may cause a lack of appetite. They may not feel able to do normal activities or chores around the home because of these feelings. Stigma affects their work: Stigma may put people's land at risk. If the community will not buy or sell to those with HIV, they lose income and sink into poverty. Children may be unable to attend school because of a parent's sickness and loss of income. Some property owners may send away a sick tenant. Stigma affects their social life: Community members may exclude those with HIV from social activities because of fear or misunderstanding. This separates those with HIV from normal activities. They may feel lonely, and disconnected from others in the community. Stigma affects their spiritual life: Sickness and guilt about the illness may separate them from religious institutions (churches, mosques, etc). Religious leaders may condemn the sick for sinful actions which caused the illness.
The people in the community are telling Martha she deserved to get HIV. They are saying it was her fault that she has HIV. Ignoring someone is stigma. The two women do not sit with Martha. They talk about her as if she is not there. Excluding someone from activities is stigma. Martha and her family were not invited. The man is telling them to go away. They don't want to "catch" HIV from Martha. Stigma affects everyone in Martha's family. Think of a time when you felt blamed, ignored, or excluded. How did it make you feel? Did you deserve this treatment? How does stigma affect those who are sick? It affects the way they feel. It affects the way that they work. It may affects services they receive from the government. It affects their income and their family members. Additional Information for the Trainer Impact of Stigma Stigma affects those with HIV in many ways. Stigma affects their emotions: they may feel guilty, ashamed, and depressed. These feelings may cause a lack of appetite. They may not feel able to do normal activities or chores around the home because of these feelings. Stigma affects their work: Stigma may put people's land at risk. If the community will not buy or sell to those with HIV, they lose income and sink into poverty. Children may be unable to attend school because of a parent's sickness and loss of income. Some property owners may send away a sick tenant. Stigma affects their social life: Community members may exclude those with HIV from social activities because of fear or misunderstanding. This separates those with HIV from normal activities. They may feel lonely, and disconnected from others in the community. Stigma affects their spiritual life: Sickness and guilt about the illness may separate them from religious institutions (churches, mosques, etc). Religious leaders may condemn the sick for sinful actions which caused the illness.
DRCModule_6_LPlan_Eng.docx