Date of Award

6-2012

Document Type

Open Access

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Department

Sociology

First Advisor

Janet Grigsby

Language

English

Keywords

HIV, community outreach, resouces, programs, stigma

Abstract

The positive association between poverty and ill health is one that is supported by a number of variables. More specifically, the association between poverty and the contraction of Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is one that sticks out in recent literature but frequently goes unacknowledged within mainstream society as a result of heavy stigmatization. After interning at a local HIV/AIDS community outreach center for several months, I have witnessed this stigmatization firsthand and recognize the value of educating others about this crucial topic. In my thesis, I explore the personal struggles of clients and employees at this local HIV/AIDS community outreach center. Through face-to-face interviews with all of the employees at the Center, I have been able to provide a more in-depth analysis of what it takes to run a community outreach program of this nature and the types of resources that they provide to their impoverished clients on a regular basis. The resources that the clients rely on in the absence of outside support and the community that has been built at the Center emphasize the degree to which community reliance in the face of financial instability holds true with these programs. The purpose of this research is to raise awareness about the HIV/AIDS virus, promote the importance of community outreach programs, and hopefully combat some of the associated stigmatization.

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