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the participants more or less accept their condition and some have now learnt to cope andlive with it. However, some of the participants still have a problem coping with theirillness, and this lack of coping strategies and the lack of a support system undermine theirmental health or psychological well-being. Some resort to religion for solace, laughter,keeping themselves occupied with daily activities, and keeping themselves healthy.Without a doubt, social networks, especially with other PLHIV and with NGOs, offersolace, empathy and companionship.Mixed responses with regards to their spirituality or religious practices and beliefsfollowing their diagnoses were also found. Some participants turn to religion orspirituality to cope – “Pray constantly to God now. Worried about my future, let’s seehow. Just lots of prayer”, while a few others shun away from religious affiliationsperhaps due to shame or anger from the view that HIV is a punishment from God – “Irealise that we have to fight for what we need and what we want because God couldn’thelp you”. For a few, faith-based institutions also provide financial support, namely,paying for medications, and basic foods, such as rice, flour, sugar.PLHIV experience tremendous impact on their psychological well-being. Thispsychological impact is attributed by the negative consequences of disclosure, the need tomaintain secrecy, from the stigma and discrimination experienced or their perceived fearof stigma and discrimination, worries about their health, impending death and from theirown personal long term concerns and anxieties.There are also mixed feelings among participants as to how they see their life and whatthe future holds for them. Some have a positive outlook on life, whereas some are morenegative and pessimistic. Some of the concerns for the future are fear for the future oftheir children, especially for infected partners, fear of the unknown and fear of death.ECONOMIC IMPACTFrom the survey on needs assessment, less than a third of the study participants arecurrently employed in full or part-time work or self-employed. In the FGDs, participantsrevealed that HIV has a direct impact on a person’s work, income, career options or jobmobility. Many respondents who were sick could not continue to work. A majoritystopped working due to being incapacitated by HIV-related illness, forced to resign dueto open or tacit discrimination once diagnosis is revealed, or simply asked to leave theirjob. One woman stopped working because of an embarrassing side effect of HIVmedication which darkened her skin. Some, like the refugees, are forced to continueworking despite feeling sick. To many, the loss of work and income aggravates theirworry and anxiety, especially, with the increased financial burden of HIV treatment andsupplements.The economic impact on persons with HIV varies by sexual identity, class, gender andage. For example, transgender and sex workers in the study are found to be moreadversely affected than other groups. Once they fell ill and became very sick, they couldnot carry on with sex work. Some have returned to their families in the rural areas afterdiagnosis. A few stopped because they felt it was wrong to infect others. Indeed, someof the transgender sex workers in the study said they were almost destitute and on thebrink of being homeless, very sick and abandoned to die on the streets until they were,literally, rescued by WAKE (NGO). Often, this group faces double discrimination from130