Displaying 1 - 10 of 30
Abstract
Debates around the psycho-social deficits experienced by children in child headed households are necessary for the transformation of child welfare policies, philosophies and practices in Zimbabwe and beyond. This qualitative study used a case study design to explore the manifestations of the core psycho-social deficits associated with children domiciled in child headed households. The study was conceptualised around the following research question: What are the manifestations of psychosocial deficits among children living in child headed households of Mabvuku and Tafara suburbs of…
A study conducted by the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (MoHSW) (2011) on assessment of the situation of children in institutional care in Tanzania indicated that there are more than 500 residential care centres. It is estimated that there are 40 residential care centres providing support to almost 2000 orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) in Dar es Salaam (MoHSW 2011). Unfortunately, in Tanzania apparently no recent nationwide comprehensive situational analysis has been conducted of OVC in various alternative care systems, other than a baseline survey on a situational…
This chapter from Social Work Practice in Africa: Indigenous and Innovative Approaches showcases examples of home-grown indigenous and innovative models of social work practice in Uganda, including local models for addressing the HIV/AIDS orphan crisis in Rakai district. "The documentation of these local models thus sets in motion the conditions necessary to achieve the indigenisation of the social work curriculum, that is, social workers having a clear understanding of the…
Abstract
Background
This article is based on information collected about the situation of double orphans who are heading households in Rakai District, Uganda. The information will be used as justification and guidance for planning actions to improve the situation of these and similar children. This research is thus the first step in an Action Research approach leading to specific interventions. The aim of this article is to describe the situation of these orphaned children, with an emphasis on the psychosocial challenges they face.
Methods
The study involved interviews, focus…
ABSTRACT
In Uganda, incidences of disease and social unrest resulting in parental deaths have created a large orphan population throughout the country. This study explored the experiences of orphaned children who specifically take on the role of being both mother and father to their siblings. The researcher had discussions with 34 child-headed households throughout Uganda over the course of three months. The young people discussed their experiences of loss, reactions of self along with the reactions of the community, the vulnerabilities they face, coping with loss and daily stressors,…
Summary
CARE Rwanda’s Nkundabana (Kinyarwanda for “I love children,”) approach provides a community-based solution to the overwhelming problem of child-headed households (CHHs) and households in which adults are unable to provide adequate care for children. Challenged by the impact of civil war, genocide and HIV/AIDS, Rwanda is confronted with one of the highest percentages of orphans in the world. Communities already overburdened by social fragmentation, loss of labor from the HIV/AIDS pandemic, and crippling poverty are unprepared to care for the children left behind. Even the…
In 2017, the USAID Displaced Children and Orphans Fund (DCOF) of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) engaged the USAID-funded MEASURE Evaluation to build on and reinforce progress in advancing national efforts on behalf of children who lack adequate family-based care in Uganda. MEASURE Evaluation worked with a Country Core Team (CCT), led by the Ministry of Gender, Labor and Social Development (MGLSD) and comprising government partners and other stakeholders, to design, plan, and conduct a participatory self-assessment of the national alternative care system. The…
Abstract
This qualitative ethnographic case study explored the phenomenon of Child- Headed Households (CHHs) in rural Zimbabwe from the perspectives of a Shona community. My intention was to gain an understanding on how these children access necessities like food, clothing, shelter, education, health care, and cope on a daily basis without parental care, or adult supervision. The perceptions of both the orphaned children and the adults in their community were investigated through the integrative lens of the Shona philosophy of unhu, Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, and Bronfenbrenner’s ideas…
This country care review includes the care-related Concluding Observations adopted by the Committee on the Rights of the Child. The Committee's recommendations on the issues relevant to children's care are highlighted, as well as other care-related concluding observations, ratification dates, and links to the Universal Periodic Review and Hague Intercountry Adoption Country Profile.
This study sought to inform improvements in service delivery of Retrak’s Independent Living programme by listening to and documenting the voices of participants. The interviewees were asked for feedback on the support they received and their ideas for improvement and aspirations. The ideas and experiences of these young people highlighted the importance of supportive relationships, gaining skills and finding employment, as well as feeling included and accepted by their communities. The stories they shared have provided Retrak with valuable insights into how to better support our…