Displaying 1 - 10 of 19
Abstract
This paper challenges the view that, in the context of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, the African extended family is no longer able to care for and support orphaned children. The paper is based on a qualitative case study conducted in a South African urban area on the lived experiences of orphaned children aged 9–14. Data were collected from the children, their teachers as well as their main caregivers. The study found that, despite the poverty facing the extended family, emotional support, family cohesion and support for learning can serve to meet the educational needs of orphaned…
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…
Abstract
The representation of HIV/AIDS as a sexual and self-inflicted disease has drawn popular and scholarly attention to stigmatized populations. Little is known about the experiences of children with HIV-positive parents. This study reports on children’s experiences of living with HIV-positive parents within the family context of Bangladesh. A qualitative research design using in-depth interviews with 19 HIV-positive and HIV-negative children was undertaken. The results indicate that children felt high levels of psychological distress after learning of their parents’ HIV diagnosis.…
Abstract
The aim of this mixed-method study was to explore the trajectories of leaving home, and views and experiences among children and youth in the Kagera region in Tanzania, who have lived on the streets or been domestic workers. The main results showed that orphanhood and mistreatment were the main reasons for leaving home: few children lived with their parents before they left, and leaving home was a complex process over several years where three trajectories were identified. The children who had left home showed strong agency and competency but lived in vulnerable conditions,…
This report explores options for young people aging out of residential care in the UK (“care leavers”) and the potential challenges and costs of effective implementation of those options. The report identifies four options: (1) care-leavers stay in the same residential care home until the age of 21, (2) care-leavers live in a separate building but on the same grounds as the residential home they were living in, until the age of 21, (3) care leavers live in a different house until the age of 21 (like “supported lodgings”) where not everyone is from care, or (4) care leavers “stay close” to…
As a result of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, there are now more than 12 million orphans in sub-Saharan Africa. The majority of these children have been absorbed into their extended families. A minority of AIDS orphans and other vulnerable children are living in residential care facilities. Although concerns have been raised regarding the care received in such facilities, very little is known about children's perspectives on their own experiences residing in these institutions.
As part of an ongoing initiative to better understand the impact of HIV/AIDS in Southern Africa and what can be done to…
This paper investigates the time–space practices of young people caring for their siblings in youthheaded households affected by AIDS in Tanzania and Uganda. Based on qualitative exploratory research with young people heading households, their siblings, NGO workers and community members, the article develops the notion of sibling ‘caringscapes’ to analyse young people’s everyday practices and caring pathways through time and space. Participatory time-use data reveals that older siblings of both genders regularly undertake substantial caring tasks at the very high end of the caregiving…
Research was conducted in five Rift Valley towns (Eldoret, Kitale, Molo, Nakuru, and Naivash) in Kenya in 2011 to understand the link between emergencies and the perceived increase of children joining the streets. The findings are based on interviews with 3,138 children, of whom 2,696 were directly connected with the streets.
Findings show that food insecurity is one of the biggest factors (59%) that cause children to drop out of school and gravitate toward the streets to find food and earn money. Other major factors identified included abuse at home (23%), particularly when…
This article focuses on the resilience of children facing extreme hardship and adversity. It is based on participatory research with children living in child headed households in Rwanda. It emphasizes the importance of listening to children’s voices and recognizing their capacities when designing interventions to strengthen their psychosocial wellbeing.
This study shows that children have developed innovative coping strategies and some haveeven developed the capacity to thrive through their situation ofextreme hardship.The study of these coping strategies suggests that the children…
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…