An ecological framing of HIV preventive intervention: a case study of non-government organizational work in the developing world

Abstract

The work that non-governmental organizations (NGOs) perform in terms of HIV and AIDS is wide-ranging. Financial resources are available from government and other agencies if NGOs can frame their work in alignment with their interests. We take the particular case of Disha Foundation, an NGO working in Nasik, in the state of Maharashtra in India, whose clients are migrant workers. Drawing upon a broad notion of frame, we focus on the way in which activities such as ‘intervention’, ‘prevention’, ‘empowerment’ and ‘community’ in the HIV field can differ radically from articulation (at a government level) to practice (of NGOs). Disha’s interventions can be described as ecological, in so far as they map and change root causes. Thus, Disha can be seen as doing HIV prevention. Further, we argue that framing HIV funding calls primarily in terms of ‘quality of life’ would facilitate the work of NGOs, especially of ecological interventions.