Exploring resilience in the case of AIDS among female-headed households in Northern Zambia

AIDS affects all facets of people¿s livelihoods through illness, death and the subsequent care of orphaned children. While AIDS has negative impacts on the livelihoods of many households, not all affected households experience a loss of livelihood security. Several factors condition people¿s ability to respond to AIDS impacts. This paper explores the concept of resilience in the context of AIDS-related adversity and suffering. In the paper resilience is seen as the responses that enable households to persist or adapt to the difficulties caused by AIDS. Using case material from Northern Zambia, specific attention will be paid to resource mobilisation and factors that enable resilience. Also, the paper examines some of the methodological implications relating to research on resilience.