Displaying 1 - 5 of 5
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…
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…
Abstract
The most distressing consequences of the HIV/AIDS pandemic's impact on children has been the development of child-headed households (CHHs). Child ‘only’ households challenge notions of the ideal home, family, and ‘normal’ childhood, as well as undermining international attempts to institute children's rights. The development of these households raises practical questions about how the children will cope without parental guidance during their childhood and how this experience will affect their adulthood. Drawing on ethnographic research with five child heads and their siblings,…
This is the summary report on the research phase of a project looking at the needs of child-carers in four African countries; Nigeria, Uganda, Angola and Zimbabwe. The research consisted of a literature review and participatory child-led research in one site in each of the four countries.
The research used an innovative child-led approach. In each site children who were carers of sick or disabled adults, elderly grandparents or young children came together for a workshop. At this workshop through a number of participatory activities they shared the stories of their lives as carers. They…
Farm Orphan Support Trust of Zimbabwe (FOST) undertook this study into child headed households on commercial farms in April/May 2002 with the aim of identifying their problems and needs and planning potential interventions.
The unique nature of farm worker communities makes them particularly vulnerable to the effects of HIV/AIDS. In particular, the lack of traditional safety nets within these communities increases the vulnerability of children, especially orphaned children.
The methodology employed for the study was action research oriented and involved interviewing 17 child headed…