Poverty and social inequalities are leading co-factors in HIV transmission while at the same time HIV and AIDS induces and deepens poverty. Of great concern to CULINKE therefore is the effect of HIV and AIDS on the productive life of the people. The scourge has emerged as a cause of poverty and is officially recognised as a threat to development in Kenya. This is the reason CULINKE has put it at the core of her poverty reduction agenda.

CULINKE acknowledges one major impediment to the consolidation of tangible gains made through her initiatives; the problem of HIV/AIDS, and the fragile health system in an impoverished set-up and uses the Socio-cultural platform to tackle the epidemic by advocating safe sex for adults, abstinence, delay of indulgence in sex by youths through peer education and drama, respect for family values e.g. being faithful and societal integration of AIDS orphans through educational, psycho-social support and vocational trainings. Poverty reduction cannot take place without a comprehensive and multi-sectoral approach to the HIV and AIDS question. Using the above strategies, CULINKE mainstreams HIV and AIDS prevention, care support and treatment in all her poverty reduction efforts. 

HIV eliminates people in the productive and reproductive stages of their lives thus obstructing production in all sectors of development. Indeed poverty and health are so intricately intertwined that three out of the eight Millennium Development Goals-MDGs are aimed directly at improving global health as a way of fighting world poverty. Without financial support, genuine policy reform and multi-sectoral approach to the health question, it is unlikely that the goals will be met or sustained by 2015. Viability in both human and infrastructural development can only be attained by a healthy nation.