22 - Reflections on the Changing Patterns of Care for Orphans
Corresponding Author(s) : Catrine Christiansen
CODESRIA Bulletin,
No. 02-03-04 (2003): CODESRIA Bulletin, Nos 2, 3 & 4, 2003
Abstract
becoming orphans or indirectly by, for example, having to share meagre household resources with orphaned relatives In such circumstances the traditional extended family mechanisms are strained to the utmost, and it is not uncommon for adults to refuse to take care of orphaned relatives. While the extended family system seems to be disintegrating, numerous non-governmental organisations have enhanced their capacity to care for children affected by Aids, especially orphans. Susan Hunter (1990) argued that orphans could be studied as a window onto the Aids epidemic. Likewise the patterns of care for orphans can be understood as a window onto the situation of families and other social networks.Research on patterns of childcare for orphans has produced knowledge on the immediate impacts on orphans’ health (including their psycho-social situation), education, nutrition and vulnerability to HIV. However research on the long-term consequences of the care
given to orphans and other vulnerable children, such as how childcare by people not belonging to the extended family influences children’s long-term well-being, competences and sociality, is comparatively absent. Besides the obvious time constraints the literature on changing patterns of childcare is often neither contextualised in the local setting nor in social science. However such in-depth knowledge is crucial. The phenomenon of a large number of children growing up as orphans
poses new problems for development at local, regional and national levels. For families, communities, national authorities and aid organisations a central aspect is the network of links between childcare and sociality, particularly the long-term influence of changing patterns of childcare for the organisation of civil society. This paper addresses two central issues that have
been neglected in the new field of Aids orphans: c ing concepts of care and the long-term influence of Aids orphans on emerging institutional settings for childcare.
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- Barnett, T., and Whiteside, A., 2002, Aids in the Twenty-First Century, New York: Macmillan.
- Bledsoe, C., 1995, Marginal Members: Children of Previous Unions in Mende Households in Sierra Leone, in Greenhalgh, S., ed., Situation Fertility. Anthropology and Demographic Inquiry, Cam-bridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 130-153.
- Carsten, J., 2000, Cultures of Relatedness. New Approaches to the Study of Kinship, Cambridge; Cambridge University Press: pp. 1-37.
- Chirwa, W. C., 2002, ‘Social Exclusion and In- clusion: Challenges to Orphan Care in Malawi’, Nordic Journal of African Studies, Vol. 11, No. 1, pp. 93-113.
- Farmer, P. 1992, Aids and Accusation. Haiti and the Geography of Blame, Los Angles: Uni- versity of California Press.
- Heald, S., 2002, ‘Aids and Anthropology’. Paper presented at Nordic Africa Institute, Sweden.
- Hunter, S., 1990, ‘Orphans as a Window on the Aids Epidemic in sub-Saharan Africa: Initial Results and Implications of a Study in Uganda’, Social Science and Medicine Vol. 31, No. 6, pp. 681-690.
- Hunter, S., and Williamson, J., 2000, Children on the Brink. A Joint Report on Orphan Estimates and Program Strategies, Geneva: UNAIDS/UNICEF.
- Jenkins, R. 1998, Questions of Competence. Cul- ture, Classification and Intellectual Disability, Cam- bridge: Cambridge University Press: 153-175 Katahoire, A. R. 1998, Education for Life. Mothers´ Schooling and Children’s Survival in Eastern
- Uganda, PhD Thesis, Copenhagen: Institute of Anthropology, University of Copenhagen, Kirumira, E. K., 1996, Familial Relationships and Population Dynamics in Uganda.
- A Case Study of Fertility Behaviour in the Central Region. PhD Thesis, Copenhagen: Institute of Sociology, Copenhagen University Klepp, K., Biswalo, P. M., and Talle, A., 1995, Young People at Risk. Fighting Aids in Northern Tanzania, Oslo: Scandinavian University Press.
- Mogensen, H. O., 1998, Mothers´ Agency – Others´ Responsibility. Striving for Children’s Health in Eastern Uganda, PhD Thesis, Copenhagen: Institute of Anthropology,University of Copenhagen.
- Ndulu, J., 1999, Sexually Transmissed Diseases in Zambia: Aspects of Biomedical and Traditional Health Care, Stockholm: Karolinska Institutet, Nnko, S., 2000, ‘Tanzania: Aids Care – Learning from Experience’, Review of African Political
- Economy, Vol 27, pp 547-557.
- Ntozi, J. P. M., 1997, ‘Effect of Aids on Children: The Problem of Orphans in Uganda’, Health Transition Review, Supplement to Vol. 7,pp. 23-40.
- Nyembedha, E. O., Wandibba, S., and Aagaard- Hansen, J., 2002, ‘Changing patterns of Orphan Care Due to the HIV Epidemic in Western Ke- nya, Social Science and Medicine, Vol. 57, No. 2 pp. 301-311.
- Radstake, M., 2000, Secrecy and Ambiguity: Home Care for People Living with HIV/Aids in Ghana, Research Report No. 59, African Studies Centre.
- Schweitzer, P. P., 2000, Dividends of Kinship. eanings and Uses of Social Relatedness, London: Routledge.
- Smide, B. 2000, Self-care, Foot problems and Health in Tanzanian Diabetic Patients and Comparisons with Matched Swedish Diabetic Patients. Uppsala: Acta Universitatis.
- Whyte, M. and Whyte, S. 2002, ‘Children’s Children: Rethinking Relationships between Alternate Generations in Eastern Uganda’.Paper presented at ASA conference, Arusha.
References
Barnett, T., and Whiteside, A., 2002, Aids in the Twenty-First Century, New York: Macmillan.
Bledsoe, C., 1995, Marginal Members: Children of Previous Unions in Mende Households in Sierra Leone, in Greenhalgh, S., ed., Situation Fertility. Anthropology and Demographic Inquiry, Cam-bridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 130-153.
Carsten, J., 2000, Cultures of Relatedness. New Approaches to the Study of Kinship, Cambridge; Cambridge University Press: pp. 1-37.
Chirwa, W. C., 2002, ‘Social Exclusion and In- clusion: Challenges to Orphan Care in Malawi’, Nordic Journal of African Studies, Vol. 11, No. 1, pp. 93-113.
Farmer, P. 1992, Aids and Accusation. Haiti and the Geography of Blame, Los Angles: Uni- versity of California Press.
Heald, S., 2002, ‘Aids and Anthropology’. Paper presented at Nordic Africa Institute, Sweden.
Hunter, S., 1990, ‘Orphans as a Window on the Aids Epidemic in sub-Saharan Africa: Initial Results and Implications of a Study in Uganda’, Social Science and Medicine Vol. 31, No. 6, pp. 681-690.
Hunter, S., and Williamson, J., 2000, Children on the Brink. A Joint Report on Orphan Estimates and Program Strategies, Geneva: UNAIDS/UNICEF.
Jenkins, R. 1998, Questions of Competence. Cul- ture, Classification and Intellectual Disability, Cam- bridge: Cambridge University Press: 153-175 Katahoire, A. R. 1998, Education for Life. Mothers´ Schooling and Children’s Survival in Eastern
Uganda, PhD Thesis, Copenhagen: Institute of Anthropology, University of Copenhagen, Kirumira, E. K., 1996, Familial Relationships and Population Dynamics in Uganda.
A Case Study of Fertility Behaviour in the Central Region. PhD Thesis, Copenhagen: Institute of Sociology, Copenhagen University Klepp, K., Biswalo, P. M., and Talle, A., 1995, Young People at Risk. Fighting Aids in Northern Tanzania, Oslo: Scandinavian University Press.
Mogensen, H. O., 1998, Mothers´ Agency – Others´ Responsibility. Striving for Children’s Health in Eastern Uganda, PhD Thesis, Copenhagen: Institute of Anthropology,University of Copenhagen.
Ndulu, J., 1999, Sexually Transmissed Diseases in Zambia: Aspects of Biomedical and Traditional Health Care, Stockholm: Karolinska Institutet, Nnko, S., 2000, ‘Tanzania: Aids Care – Learning from Experience’, Review of African Political
Economy, Vol 27, pp 547-557.
Ntozi, J. P. M., 1997, ‘Effect of Aids on Children: The Problem of Orphans in Uganda’, Health Transition Review, Supplement to Vol. 7,pp. 23-40.
Nyembedha, E. O., Wandibba, S., and Aagaard- Hansen, J., 2002, ‘Changing patterns of Orphan Care Due to the HIV Epidemic in Western Ke- nya, Social Science and Medicine, Vol. 57, No. 2 pp. 301-311.
Radstake, M., 2000, Secrecy and Ambiguity: Home Care for People Living with HIV/Aids in Ghana, Research Report No. 59, African Studies Centre.
Schweitzer, P. P., 2000, Dividends of Kinship. eanings and Uses of Social Relatedness, London: Routledge.
Smide, B. 2000, Self-care, Foot problems and Health in Tanzanian Diabetic Patients and Comparisons with Matched Swedish Diabetic Patients. Uppsala: Acta Universitatis.
Whyte, M. and Whyte, S. 2002, ‘Children’s Children: Rethinking Relationships between Alternate Generations in Eastern Uganda’.Paper presented at ASA conference, Arusha.