JUNE 2003 — This referral directory is one of the results of the combined efforts of the Addis Ababa Health Bureau, the Regional AIDS Council Secretariat and many other partners involved in providing services to people affected by HIV/AIDS in Addis Ababa, including orphans and vulnerable children.

The needs of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLHA) and their families are diverse and need to be addressed holistically. PLHA and their families have psychological needs, such as emotional support; socioeconomic needs, such as income to cover basic household survival expenses like food and housing; medical needs, such as treatment information and treatment; and human rights and legal needs, such as access to care, protection against violence and discrimination and protection of inheritance rights.

As PLHA progress to recurrent illness, the services they need will change. Providing comprehensive care across a continuum, from home and community to institutional services and back, will ensure that the specific needs of PLHA and their families are met.

This referral directory is a step in the process of establishing an effective referral network of services to meet the variety of needs PLHA and their families may have.