Experiences of orphan care in Amach, Uganda: assessing policy implications
Abstract
Uganda is estimated to have around two million orphans constituting approximately 19% of all the children in the country. This paper presents findings from a study on the experiences of orphan care among Langi people of Amach sub-county in Lira District, northern Uganda, and discusses their policy implications. The study utilised the following methods in data collection: eight months of ethnographic fieldwork; 21 in-depth interviews with community leaders; 45 with heads of households caring for orphans; 35 with orphans; and five focus group discussions. The findings revealed that the Langi people have an inherently problematic orphan concept, which contribute toward discriminatory attitudes and practices against orphans. The clan based decision-making to care for orphans, the category of kin a particular orphan ends up living with, the sex and age of the orphan, as well as the cessation of the ‘widow-inheritance’ custom emerged as prominent factors which impact on orphan care. Thus there is the need to draw upon such local knowledge in policy making and intervention planning for orphans. The paper concludes with a discussion of potential approaches to alleviating the current orphan challenges among the Langi people. L'Ouganda a environ deux millions d'orphelins qui représentent plus ou moins 19% du total des enfants du pays. Premièrement, cette communication présente un résumé d'une étude des expériences de soins d'orphelins parmi le peuple Langi d'Amach, sous pays dans la région de Lira, au nord de l'Ouganda. Ensuite, elle aborde les implications de leur politique. Afin de rassembler des données, cette étude a employé les méthodes suivantes: le travail de terrain ethnographique (8 mois), des interviews détaillées auprès des chefs de la communauté (21), les chefs des familles qui accueillent des orphelins (45), les orphelins (35) et les discussions en groupes de foyer (5). Les résultats démontrent que le peuple Langi a un concept naturellement problématique des orphelins. La décision du clan par rapport à l'accueil des orphelins, la relation familiale de celui qui accueille l'orphelin ainsi que l'interruption de la coutume ≪veuve - héritage≫ ont ressorti comme des facteurs principaux qui ont un impact sur le soin des orphelins. Cette communication a pour but d'attire l'attention vers le besoin de puiser dans des savoirs locaux lors de la formulation d'une politique et lorsqu'on fait les préparatifs d'une intervention auprès des orphelins. La dernière partie de cette communication expose des approches potentielles qui mettront à terme les défis actuels des orphelins parmi le peuple Langi.
Categories: Care
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