Education status among orphans and non-orphans in communities affected by AIDS in Tanzania and Burkina Faso

Abstract


The AIDS pandemic has created an estimated 15 million orphans who may face elevated risk of poor health and social outcomes. This paper compares orphans and non-orphans regarding educational status and delay using data collected in three low-income communities affected by AIDS in Tanzania and Burkina Faso. Orphans were significantly more likely not to attend school than were non-orphans and also to be delayed when in school, though, after controlling for confounders, the risk was borderline and non-significant. Multivariate analysis indicates that variables such as age, religion, family of origin, the relation between the child and the head of household and the dependency ratio of the household better explain differences in education than does orphan status. This study suggests, therefore, that orphans’ educational status is relatively equivalent to non-orphans perhaps as a result of family based or community program safety nets.



Other articles

Influence of household food security in the implementation of orphans and vulnerable children programs in Buuri district of Meru county, Kenya

The issue of orphans and vulnerable children can no longer be ignored in the present world if the millennium development…

Read more

Nutritional status, psychological well-being and the quality of life of AIDS orphans in rural Henan Province, China

objective To assess the influence of orphanhood due to AIDS on children’s nutritional status, psychological well-being and…

Read more

The extent of community and public support available to families caring for orphans in Malawi

There are an estimated 15 million AIDS orphans worldwide. Families play an important role in safeguarding orphans, but they…

Read more

The role of culture in psychosocial development of orphans and vulnerable children

Orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) remain a pressing challenge for many countries in sub-Saharan Africa due to HIV/AIDS.…

Read more