Table 1.

Household characteristics of elderly guardians providing HIV care for children.

Elderly guardian	Household characteristics
Nokutenda, age 79	Nokutenda stays with five grandchildren between the ages 4–12, of which one 8–year-old girl is HIV– positive and on ART. Nokutenda's husband, two sons and two daughters have all died and she survives through subsistence farming.
Sandra, age 59	Sandra lives with her husband, mother– in-law, her sick daughter and her three grandchildren. One of her grandchildren, a 16–year-old girl, is HIV-positive and on ART. Sandra and her husband provide for the household through subsistence farming.
Carolyn, age 56	Carolyn stays with her brother and 6– year-old niece, both of whom are HIV– positive and on ART. The 6–year-old girl is separated from her older brother who is under the care of other family members. Carolyn's son occasionally visits and supports Carolyn financially.
Tanyaradzwa, age 70	Tanyaradzwa stays with her two great grandchildren, including a 4–year-old boy who is HIV-positive and on ART. Her grandson (children's father) has gone to the city to look for work. The wife of her grandson has passed away. Tanyaradzwa receives help from her 10– year-old granddaughter to care for the boy.
Violet, age 67	Violet stays with three grandsons, the oldest being 12, HIV-positive and on ART. Her son (father of her grandchildren) and her daughter-in-law have both died. Violet sustains the household through subsistence farming.
Joanna, age 52	Joanna stays with her ill son, her sister's 20–year-old daughter and her brother's three boys, of which a 9–year-old is HIV-positive and on ART. Joanna works as a sales woman, buying and selling goods at the local market.
Cellestine, age 54	Cellestine and her husband live with their three grandchildren, of which the oldest, all –year-old girl is HIV– positive and on ART. Cellestine and her husband provide for the household through subsistence farming.
Marjorie, age 53	Marjorie stays with her 6–year-old grandson who is HIV-positive and on ART. She stayed with her daughter and son-in-law until recently when they both passed away. Marjorie sustains herself and her grandson through subsistence farming.