Transitioning from institutional care of orphans to community-based care: The experience of Ethiopia’s Jerusalem Association Children’s Homes (original) (raw)
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Humanities and Social Sciences, 2017
In line with the government's poverty reduction strategy program, Ethiopian Catholic Church (ECC) Social Rehabilitation Strategy and ECC-Social and Development Coordinating Office of Harar (ECC-SDCOH), in partnership with Secours Catholique/Caritas France and DKA Austria, has implemented community Based Orphan and Vulnerable Children Prevention and Rehabilitation Projects in Kebele 02, Kebele 06 and Kebele 04 of Dire dawa administration with the objective to improve the social, economic and psychological situation of Orphan and Vulnerable Children living in the community with special emphasis to children of the street. This particular study has been conducted with the objective to investigate and analyze the impacts of social and capacity building service provision as well as project implementation experiences focusing on the life and livelihood (social, economic and psychological situation) of Orphan and Vulnerable Children living in the community with special emphasis to children of the street in order to identify, value and document success and failure stories thereby to scale up and better design future intervention; implementation strategies and service provision approach. In view of this, the study has purposefully selected sample group and conducted intensive discussion with targeted OVC; parents/guardians of targeted OVC; Community based organization (CBOs); governmental and non-governmental organizations, private firm owners, community representatives, and school communities with the view to generate primary information about the project and its impacts on the beneficiaries. Besides, the project has analyzed secondary documents such as project proposal, project terminal report, and other associated documents. The information gathered from the aforementioned sources has revealed that the project has significantly improved the social, economic and psychological situation of targeted Orphan and Vulnerable Children and their families. However, the study has also identified and documented certain limitation in the process of project implementation and management. In conclusion, this particular study has recommended that the work of ECC-SDCOH can be used as a model and hence be reproducible in future interventions for OVC in different localities.
Orphanage Welfare and Care Centre as Integration with Community
Arts and Design Studies, 2013
Islam glorifies the orphans and the evidence in the Qur'an was mentioned by 23 times with a word which refers to the orphans of poverty and destitution. This means, the orphans need care and defense of the community to enable them to live comfortably and perfectly the same as children who have a family or guardian. In Al-Quran and Hadith of the Holy Prophet clearly has insisted that tells us to do good to the orphans. Similarly, the majority of homes for orphans in the state, particularly in Mukim Batu, Gombak, mainly provides social services on a voluntary basis and not generates profits. Therefore, it is trying to give a good and comfortable life by giving protection to the poor orphans and the less fortunate. However, there are some home management orphans poor due to lack of assistance from the government, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and other assistance from individuals. Addition of complexity of the problem is that most of existing homes for orphans is not regist...
Ethiopian Childhoods. A Case Study of the Lives of Orphans and Working Children
Norsk Geografisk Tidsskrift - Norwegian Journal of Geography, 2008
The body of the thesis consists of five articles on childhood in Ethiopia. They are preceded by four chapters, which offer a well-documented and engaging discussion of the overarching theory, concepts, methods, and research questions. The articles are:
Journal of Public Health and Epidemiology, 2014
The aim of this study was to explore the psychosocial problems and coping strategies of orphan and vulnerable children living in two orphanages, namely Yenege Tesfa and Bridge of Hope Ethiopia orphan and vulnerable children care and support centers in Gondar town, North West Ethiopia. The research primarily used a phenomenological study design of the qualitative method. Qualitative data was collected from 1 March to 31 May, 2014, by using in-depth interview and focus group discussion techniques. The data were analyzed thematically using Nvivo 8 statistical software. A total of 20 indepth interviews and 4 focus group discussion (FGD) sessions were carried out. The study revealed that orphan and vulnerable children in the orphanages accessed all the basic services necessary to sustain their lives. Conversely, the study also revealed that the children suffered from a set of multidimensional and intertwined psychosocial problems that were the least addressed in the orphanages. Thus, interventions to promote the psychosocial wellbeing of the children should focus on addressing psychological problems, advancing socialization skills, organizing extracurricular activities and entertainments, and improving coping strategies.
Challenges of Orphan Caregiver Families in Jimma Town , Oromia / Ethiopia
2017
This study was conducted to understand the challenges faced by orphan caregiver families in Jimma town, Oromia, using phenomenological study design. Within the qualitative research approach, in-depth interviews, key informant interviews and focus group discussions (FGDs) were employed to generate information. Thirty care givers were interviewed and three focus group discussions were conducted. Kebele chair persons, religious leaders and community based organizations’ representatives participated in the focus group discussions. Data collection and analysis were simultaneously done whereby thematic analysis approach was followed. The study revealed that orphan care givers faced strong socio-economic challenges yet they are willing to continue to give care and support to the orphans. The caregivers are committed in caring and supporting the children but aging and limited economic capacity of their household severely challenge them. In spite of their positive view of caring and supporti...
2017
Although several studies have shown that children raised in institutional care facilities experience greater mental health symptoms than those raised in noninstitutionalized settings, children across sub-Saharan Africa are continually being placed in institutional care facilities. However, prior to the establishment of institutional care facilities, Africans relied on traditional cultural practices such as kinship fostering and shared child rearing to care for children, especially orphaned children. As traditional cultural practices continue to weaken, due partly to urbanization, institutional care facilities operated mostly by nonprofit organizations have become the primary alternative response to the care of orphans and vulnerable children. Traditional ways of intervening in cases of orphans and vulnerable children have been replaced with institutional care facilities, relegating the role of the extended family system. This paper examines institutional care facilities in the conte...
Intellectual, social and nutritional status of children in an Ethiopian orphanage
Social Science & Medicine, 1991
Children at the Jimma community orphanage between the ages of 5 and 14 years were given a battery of tests to assess their intellectual, social, and nutritional well-being relative to a group of family-reared controls. On two tests of intellectual ability, the Ravens Progressive Matrices and the Conservation test, the orphanage children performed as well as the family children. Children who entered the orphanage at an early age scored higher than those who entered later. On social-emotional measures of self-esteem, the orphanage children scored higher than or similar to the controls. However, in terms of their relationships with adults, the orphanage children reported fewer interactions and weaker attachments to adults. This was largely determined by the higher child:adult ratio in the orphanage than in family homes. Also, the orphanage children were more likely to be stunted but not more likely to be wasted than the family children. The former was attributed to the malnutrition experienced by children before they entered the orphanage, which in many cases was during the 1984 famine. Stunting was associated with lower Ravens scores. The generally favourable status of the orphanage children can largely be attributed to the noninstitutional orphanage rather than to their preorphanage family life. This raises disturbing questions about family life under conditions of economic stress.