A reassuring touch at a protest rally demanding access to life-saving drugs, just to say that everything is going to be fine. HIV is not caused by poverty, but its development into full-blown AIDS is certainly assisted by poor nutrition and a lack of access to a better lifestyle. Part of the government's reluctance to get going with treatment programs is the fear that anti-retrovirals will not be effective among nutrition-deprived communities. Only a few years ago, some people who were open about their HIV status were stoned in public; today, society is far more accepting and nurturing.