Integrated Humanities SIA Proposal Literature Review
Zhang Yangfan
The online article AIDS hits Uganda’s villagers, written by Mercedes Sayagues, is useful as it tells us the severity of AIDS problem in Uganda. By providing the specific statistic that “an estimated 9.5 per cent of Uganda’s 19 million people are infected with HIV”, we are assured that this problem is challenging the local country. Not only the government is aware of the seriousness, the viewpoints given by Mr. Gary Howe, director for Africa at the UN’s International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), also shows the concern from the world. Hence we can know that the AIDS problem in Uganda attracts attention globally.
Moreover, from this article, we can learn how AIDS problem affects the economy of the country. When the males who are the main labors on farm infect HIV, they are no longer able to work. The agriculture productivity is thus reduced. As “agriculture accounts for 70 per cent of Uganda’s gross domestic product, 95 per cent of exports and 40 per cent of government revenue”, the HIV problem impacts on the country’s economy significantly.
In addition, HIV problem lowers the living standard of Ugandan. Lack of labours means less food and less income from cash crops. Medical bills consume any savings. Domestic animals and assets are sold to maintain basic living. The potential problem poverty is hence brought to the country. Furthermore, children have to drop out of school to farm. This implies that the next generation of the country will miss out the opportunity to access education. It will affect the prospect of the country in the long run. On the other hand, in this article, whether the Ugandan government is aware of this current phenomenon and the followed up action taken still remain unknown.
The article also points out that the local government may only look at the big picture of the impact brought by Aids on the agriculture of the country. The governors are not aware that many are still suffering and the young generation may be starving and lacking nutrition for growth. This implies that the relevant strategies executed by the government may not be much effective as seemed due to the lack of fist-hand information.
In conclusion, we feel that this article mainly focuses on the impact of AIDS problem on Uganda’s economy and how the country’s agriculture is affected. The solution mentioned such as better crop management is merely temporary. In order to relieve the country’s burden brought by AIDS problem fundamentally, something must be done to decelerate the rapid infection of AIDS. We will therefore move on to look for more relevant and helpful information which tells us more about the suggested solutions for Uganda’s AIDS problem.
Bibliography:
Mercedes Sayagues April 1999, ‘AIDS hits Uganda’s villagers’ Africa Recovery, [Online] Available at: http://www.un.org/ecosocdev/geninfo/afrec/subjindx/124aids1.htm
