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(“I resigned because my sister helped bring me back home here...how tosay...if I resign...how to send (my child) to school…but it’s (my) fate...” )(Female, 46 yrs, Lower secondary education, Infected partner)“I do not have money to buy tonic. My husband only gives me RM20 toRM30...what can I buy? And I have to buy clothes and pay for mychildren’s school fees...Sometimes, I have to search for wild vegetables tomake food. Sometimes, go for chopping firewood...”(Female, 37 yrs, Primary education, Infected Partner)Their situation deteriorates when they themselves become sick and cannot continue towork. A couple could still resort to Employment Provident Fund while some others hadto rely on welfare or charity.“Dia potong EPF saya. Itu wang juga saya dapat...kalau tak dakerja...tak da wang. Saya sudah berhenti...sudah empat tahun. Mm...saya...dua tempat saya kerja...saya tak da sombong, tak da malas, tak da apapun...saya terus kerja juga. Sekarang saya kena sakit...saya berhentikerja...saya makan itu ubat ah...saya tak boleh...saya pusing...saya takboleh buat kerja.”(“They cut my EPF. That’s the only money I have...if not working...nomoney. I stopped working...already 4 years. Mm… I... (used to) workedin two places...I was not proud, not lazy...continue working. Now I’msick...I stopped working...I take the medicine ah...I can’t...I feel dizzy...Ican’t work.”)(Female, 44 yrs, No formal education, Infected Partner)Older HIV/AIDS respondents would face greater economic difficulties particularly ifthey had stopped work prior to diagnosis since they could not have planned for such afinancial burden brought about by HIV/AIDS. One retiree respondent was verytraumatised and desperate for financial aid as he had used up all his retirement funds thathe had withdrawn from the Employment Provident Fund since being diagnosed; he evenhad to sell off all property that he had - car, house, and even furniture leaving himthreadbare with his clothes and a sleeping mattress.“I’ve been working in hotel line for 20 years. Over 30 years. So I hadenough EPF at that time...So I thought I want to relax. That time I feeldifference in me. You know, I thought that I’m old. You know, so timefor me to relax. Time for me to enjoy life. Because when you workah...especially when you work in high level hotel industry, you have notime, not much time for yourself. So, I stopped (work), I went ah...Mecca,I came home, I thought want to relax but I became sick...Emm...like nowI finish all my money because I have, I though that HIV emm...won’t livelong...So, it’s my mistake once I withdrew my EPF, I finished all.Ah...because I thought if I die I won’t bring the money along so I finishmy money. That was my mistake. So now...I got nothing left. I have car, Isold. I have a house, I sold. I have even (sold) furniture, my roomfurniture I sold out...I have got nothing. I have only my clothesmy...mattress and nothing else.”67