E of wealth in Uganda, with 69.2 of IDPs in the lowest quintile and only 0.9 of females and 3.0 of males completing secondary education [22]. Efforts made by international, national and local agencies have led to a significant increase in the number of PLHIV on HAART: from 1228 people in 2004 to 9994 people by the end of 2007, though this is still a very small proportion of those in need of HAART. In addition, the number of health facilities providing HAART in northern Uganda increased from 5 to 35 during this period [30]. Uganda also has one of the highest fertility rates in the world: on average, each Ugandan woman has 6.7 children, with even Chaetocin chemical information higher fertility rates in northern Uganda, at 7.5 children per woman [22]. Having children in Uganda is highly regarded, with a woman’s identity particularly tied to her ability to have children [31]. Study participants Twenty-six participants, 12 male and 14 female participants, were selected for this study using purposive sampling techniques. Participants were identified with the assistance of three interviewers, one woman and two men, all senior community-based HIV counsellors from Comboni Samaritans of Gulu. Comboni Samaritans is a community-based AIDS organization and its counsellors have extensive experience in providing PLHIV with psychosocial support, community-basedcare and adherence support for HAART. The interviewers AKB-6548MedChemExpress Vadadustat confidentially approached HIV-positive clients from villages surrounding Gulu town who were receiving ongoing psychosocial support from Comboni Samaritans. The participants were HIV-positive, lived in Gulu district or the surrounds and were willing to participate in the study. A wide range of participants were selected to ensure representation from various ages between 15 and 49 years, sex, residence, number of children and time since HIV diagnosis. Overall we aimed for equal sex breakdown and included HIV-positive men who had fathered children and HIV-positive women who had had children and/or pregnancies since their HIV diagnosis. We also selected a few participants who had not had children since their HIV status was diagnosed. The mean age of the participants was 35 years, with an age range of 20 to 42 years. Nineteen of the participants were married: two were single, two widowed and one separated. All but two participants had children (number of children ranged from 0 to 7), and five participants had children who had died due to AIDS and other infectious diseases. Five male participants had fathered children and three female participants had given birth to children since their HIV diagnosis. Twenty participants lived in the Gulu Municipality area while six lived in Opit sub-county, one of the sub-counties of Gulu District. Only eight participants had some secondary school education. Nineteen participants were Catholic. The participants had known their HIV status for between 2 and 20 years and just over half of them (16/26) were on HAART. All participants were attending the HIV clinic at St. Mary’s Hospital, Lacor and Comboni Samaritan supported them with food supplements, school fees for education of their children and psychosocial support. Most of the participants lived in simple brick houses or mud huts with grass-thatched roofs, as is typical for the population in this area. Some of the participants were peasant farmers eking out a living from the land, but a few others had small businesses that brought in extra money to support the family. Data collection and an.E of wealth in Uganda, with 69.2 of IDPs in the lowest quintile and only 0.9 of females and 3.0 of males completing secondary education [22]. Efforts made by international, national and local agencies have led to a significant increase in the number of PLHIV on HAART: from 1228 people in 2004 to 9994 people by the end of 2007, though this is still a very small proportion of those in need of HAART. In addition, the number of health facilities providing HAART in northern Uganda increased from 5 to 35 during this period [30]. Uganda also has one of the highest fertility rates in the world: on average, each Ugandan woman has 6.7 children, with even higher fertility rates in northern Uganda, at 7.5 children per woman [22]. Having children in Uganda is highly regarded, with a woman’s identity particularly tied to her ability to have children [31]. Study participants Twenty-six participants, 12 male and 14 female participants, were selected for this study using purposive sampling techniques. Participants were identified with the assistance of three interviewers, one woman and two men, all senior community-based HIV counsellors from Comboni Samaritans of Gulu. Comboni Samaritans is a community-based AIDS organization and its counsellors have extensive experience in providing PLHIV with psychosocial support, community-basedcare and adherence support for HAART. The interviewers confidentially approached HIV-positive clients from villages surrounding Gulu town who were receiving ongoing psychosocial support from Comboni Samaritans. The participants were HIV-positive, lived in Gulu district or the surrounds and were willing to participate in the study. A wide range of participants were selected to ensure representation from various ages between 15 and 49 years, sex, residence, number of children and time since HIV diagnosis. Overall we aimed for equal sex breakdown and included HIV-positive men who had fathered children and HIV-positive women who had had children and/or pregnancies since their HIV diagnosis. We also selected a few participants who had not had children since their HIV status was diagnosed. The mean age of the participants was 35 years, with an age range of 20 to 42 years. Nineteen of the participants were married: two were single, two widowed and one separated. All but two participants had children (number of children ranged from 0 to 7), and five participants had children who had died due to AIDS and other infectious diseases. Five male participants had fathered children and three female participants had given birth to children since their HIV diagnosis. Twenty participants lived in the Gulu Municipality area while six lived in Opit sub-county, one of the sub-counties of Gulu District. Only eight participants had some secondary school education. Nineteen participants were Catholic. The participants had known their HIV status for between 2 and 20 years and just over half of them (16/26) were on HAART. All participants were attending the HIV clinic at St. Mary’s Hospital, Lacor and Comboni Samaritan supported them with food supplements, school fees for education of their children and psychosocial support. Most of the participants lived in simple brick houses or mud huts with grass-thatched roofs, as is typical for the population in this area. Some of the participants were peasant farmers eking out a living from the land, but a few others had small businesses that brought in extra money to support the family. Data collection and an.
