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ABSTRACT
Background: The prevalence of malnutrition in Nigerian orphanages is not clearly defined despite the high burden. This study was conducted to determine and compare the nutritional status of children living in orphanages and children living in the host communities.
Methods: It was a comparative cross-sectional study. A multistage sampling technique was used to select 180 under-five children each from orphanages and host communities. A pre-tested questionnaire was used to obtain data on socio-demographic characteristics and nutrient intake. Weight, height, mid-upper-arm…
ABSTRACT
Schools in migrant-sending contexts often educate many children whose parents live abroad and decide to ‘leave’ or ‘send’ their children to be raised ‘back home’. Yet there has been little attention to how transnational child-raising is enacted by non-kin actors within educational institutions. This paper addresses this absence, exploring Lagos private schools as crucial sites of care for children with parents in the diaspora. Examining educators’ perspectives on schooling children ‘sent back’ to Nigeria from the UK and USA, the paper argues that they undertake intensive and…
Abstract
Orphanages have traditionally played a key role in meeting the needs of abandoned and displaced children. This is still the case in many countries like Nigeria where they provide shelter for children of all ages presenting a variety of needs. For those defined as orphaned and vulnerable, there are few alternatives and no budgetary allocations for residential provision. In this situation, the management of orphanages has become a salient issue and the dearth of research is serious as social and family systems are under increasing pressures and more children from Africa are entering…
ABSTRACT
Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC) and their families face many challenges but there are opportunities to provide care and support programmes for them in their communities. This paper presents the achievements and implications of HIV Programme Development Project (HPDP) funded by World Bank on care and support services for OVC in Osun State, Nigeria. Eight Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) were engaged by Osun State Agency for the Control of AIDS (OSACA) as part of HPDP to provide care and support services for OVC between year 2013 and 2015. Using…
ABSTRACT: The level of poverty in Imo state since the present democratic dispensation is easily discernable especially when the conditions of orphans in the state are considered. This study investigates and assesses the experiences of orphaned and vulnerable children (OVC) who live with poverty, insecurity and social stigmatization in Owerri due largely to reasons of loss of parent(s) or being born by parents who are not there to take responsibilities for them. The purpose of the study is to inform and reform social policy by providing a better understanding of the suffering of orphans in our…
Abstract
Introduction: The population of orphaned children is increasing at devastating levels especially in sub-Saharan Africa. Orphaned children are at increased risk of health and social problems, including nutritional problems. In Nigeria only very little data exists on the nutritional status of children living in orphanages. This study therefore aimed to assess the eating patterns, dietary diversity and the nutritional status of children residing in orphanages in southwestern Nigeria.
Methods: The study was a descriptive cross-section al study among 260 children in selected…
Abstract
This article examines the aftercare experiences of young people who have recently left a residential care institution in Lagos State, Nigeria. The study adopted a phenomenological qualitative research design with 20 care leavers, and data collected were analyzed using Attride-Stirling’s thematic networks analytical tool. The young care leavers’ aftercare experiences were marked by many challenges with employment, finances, living and surviving alone, accommodation, and social integration. These challenges were due to inadequate preparation for independent living, as well as their…
Abstract
For decades now, the phenomenon of child trafficking has generated global outcries that necessitated the introduction of conventions, protocols and a range of policy measures at international, national and regional levels to address this issue. However, while these legal standards endeavour to combat this menace, child traffickers in Nigeria seem to have switched to another line of operation commonly referred to as ‘baby factories’. This new venture involves the establishment of structures where pregnant girls are kept until delivery, and their babies are sold like commodities to…
Abstract
Worldwide, the population of orphans and vulnerable children is estimated to be around 160 million with sub-Sahara Africa accounting for 80% of these children owing largely to the effect of HIV/AIDS, civil wars, road accidents, sectarian violence, terrorism, and other factors. Efforts have been made over the years by governments and development partners to mitigate the effects of orphanhood, but these efforts have failed to achieve the required objectives because various socio-demographic factors influence receipt of support services provided to OVC. This study therefore, examined…
Abstract
HIV and AIDS are reported to be one of the leading causes of death in Nigeria, behind other child-related death illnesses – influenza and pneumonia (CDC, 2013). The presence of HIV and AIDS in a family, including related orhpanhood because of the disease has a significant impact on the health and wellbeing of children. It also dramatically impacts the long-term implications and costs to society. However, there remains a notable disparity between the contributions made by different actors – including all levels of the Nigerian government, international donors, private organizations…