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In this piece for the Lancet, Kelley Swain reflects on the UNICEF video essay series, “Coping with COVID-19”, which invited 16 adolescent girls from nine countries to film their lives under lockdown—“unfiltered, unscripted, 100% real”.
Abstract
In recent years there has been a significant escalation in the number of orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) in South Africa, mainly due to the scourge of the human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS). The author argues that early childhood education interventions for OVC should be a priority of government since quality education and care programs in the early years can enhance the possibility of breaking the cycle of inequity in the lives of OVC and positively contribute to the economy of the country. Based on the educational, psychological and…
In this opinion piece for the Standard, Fredrick Mutinda of Changing the Way We Care describes the negative impacts that institutionalization has on children and the efforts to reform the care system in Kenya. "Many governments, including Kenya, are making important strides in reforming national child protection and care systems," says Mutinda. "In 2017, Kenya passed a moratorium on the registration of any new orphanages. With the support of multiple partners, the government has set new policy directions for reducing reliance on orphanages, reunifying children with their families,…
"The lockdown measures have increased the risk of children [in Nigeria] becoming victims of domestic violence, bullying and other forms of abuse," says Rev Ifeanyi Mbaegbu in this article. In the article, Mbaegbu explores many of the detrimental impacts on children and families that the lockdown measures put in place to reduce the spread of the coronavirus have had, including increased stress on families and abuse of children in the home. The article calls on parents to "ensure their children do not become victims of the effects of the measures taken to contain COVID-19. Frequent…
In this blog post for Hope and Homes for Children, Stephen Ucembe writes about the damaging impacts of orphanages in the African context. "In many countries in Africa, orphanages remain a legacy of colonial rule that continue to undermine traditional family and community responses to caring for vulnerable children," says Ucembe. "In the name of caring for children, across Africa, ever more buildings are constructed and filled with beds and subsequently filled with children to convey the illusion of protection," he continues. "Donors are convinced that 'orphan' children are…
"Have you ever wondered what it feels like to grow without the love and care of a family? Away from the normal community, and what it feels like to grow up in a children’s home or an orphanage?" asks Stephen Ucembe in this piece for the Daily Nation. In the article, Ucembe describes his experience growing up in an orphanage, where he was placed when his mother died. He also explains how it felt to have donors and volunteers visit the children's home where he was living. "They never knew of the sad and wistful feeling that swelled within me with each visitation, where I felt reduced to…
This opinion piece from the Daily Nation finds "strong evidence" of orphanage trafficking in Kenya. "Poor parents and guardians are easily deceived into handing over their children to such homes, lured by promises of a good education and life for them," says the author. The article notes the harmful impacts of institutionalization on children, particularly for those under the age of three. "Institutionalisation violates a child’s right to survival and development, parental care, freedom of association, freedom of worship, and other civil and socio-economic rights."
In response, the…