Increasing access to loans for HIV-infected women

A workshop about the "Report on current status of access to loans at the Vietnam Bank for Social Policies of women living with and affected by HIV" just held in Hanoi.
December 13, 2020 | 07:53
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Participants suggested enhancing authorities’ attention to HIV prevention and control, supporting livelihoods for HIV patients, and improving the role of socio-political organisations in helping borrowers use loans effectively. Photo: UN Women/Ngoc Duong

This is an activity in the joint project between UN Women and Vietnam Women's Union, about empowering women infected and affected by HIV.

The project aims to promote gender responsive policies that support people with HIV and capacity building for women living with and affected by HIV.

Speaking at the event, Country Representative of the UN Women in Vietnam Elisa Feznandes said the event aims to seek measures to improve HIV-infected women’s access to loans and legal assistance, as well as their livelihoods.

She added that households affected by HIV easily fall into poverty due to higher antiretroviral (ARV) cost, thereby affecting their access to education and other opportunities.

According to her, HIV-infected women not only need ARV drug and medical services but also social support and livelihood guarantee.

Increasing access to loans for women living with and affected by HIV
Country Representative of the UN Women in Vietnam Elisa Feznandes speaks at the event. Photo: UN Women/Ngoc Duong

"Nearly 50% of HIV-infected women in the surveyed areas say they do not know where to go to get loans, only a few HIV-infected women can get loans from the Vietnam Bank for Social Policies. In addition, complicated procedures are a major barrier facing HIV-infected women in accessing capital. Stigma and discrimination, as well as fear of HIV status, are also a major challenge," Nguyen Thi Tuyet Mai, research team leader shared during the workshop.

Deputy Director of the VBSP’s Credit Department for students and other social beneficiaries said the loan programme for HIV patients and their families is piloted in 15 cities and provinces during 2016-2020. The bank has so far offered loans worth VND14 billion (USD 605,000) to them.

However, the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs reported that only 84% HIV patients and families received loans, or 16.7% of eligible ones in accordance with the Prime Minister’s Decision No.29/2014/QD-TTg.

During the workshop, agencies and departments also shared ideas to better understand the challenges facing HIV-infected women in accessing credit provided by the Vietnam Bank for Social Policies and offer solutions, propose policies to improve their access to loans and livelihoods.

In recent times, UN Women has collaborated with many agencies and organisations to build capacity and support empowerment of groups and networks of HIV-affected women.

With the assistance of UN organisations in Vietnam, the VWU has for many years been actively supporting HIV-infected women through a series of models, including building capacity for women living with HIV to participate in building and implementing related policies and programmes towards ensuring equality.

Vietnam has been named as one of the world’s top four performers in terms of providing the best HIV/AIDS treatment, alongside Germany, Switzerland, and the UK, and the country aims to eradicate HIV/AIDS by 2030, according to Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long.

HIV/AIDS in Vietnam has been gradually bought under control, with the infection rate in the community falling to below 0.26%.

Most notably, the Vietnamese HIV/AIDS prevention and control programme has helped roughly 500,000 people to avoid being infected with HIV, while more than 200,000 individuals have had their lives saved from HIV/AIDS.

According to a report released by MoH, the country is estimated to have approximately 230,000 people currently infected with HIV/AIDS, ranking fourth in Southeast Asia, although new infections among gays has witnessed a significant increase.

Funding sources for HIV prevention and control still largely rely on international aid, accounting for up to 45%, which has been significantly reduced recently.

With international aid undergoing a recent decrease, the country has become proactive in providing a budget for these activities, with more than 55,000 people out of 150,000 people infected with HIV receiving anti-retroviral (ARV), the Deputy Prime Minister affirmed during a teleconference held in order to mark the 30-year response to HIV/AIDS prevention and control, along with World AIDS Day on December 1.

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