Ethiopia: Traditional burial societies to help people living with HIV/AIDS

More than 2 million people - 200,000 of them children - are living with HIV in Ethiopia, according to the government. Some of these people living in Addis Ababa can now expect to receive assistance from community groups such as Idir’s. Idirs are community groups to which people pay subscriptions towards meeting funeral and mourning costs. They have a very long reach among communities and are found in almost all parts of the country. The increasing numbers of people living with AIDS has encouraged them to change their mandate and will focus on caring for those still alive as well as their more traditional roles.