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.




Christopher Oleke Astrid Blystad Ole Bjørn Rekdal Karen Marie Moland | source: SAHARA-J: Journal of Social Aspects of HIV/AIDS 144 |
Categories: Care


Other articles

Emerging health disparities in Botswana: Examining the situation of orphans during the AIDS epidemic

Botswana has the second highest HIV prevalence rate and highest rate of orphanhood in the world. Although child mortality…

Read more

The Role of Residential Homes in the Care of Orphans Affected by HIV

There is a general recognition in the international development community that children in situations of vulnerability –…

Read more

Providing Protection or Enabling Exploitation? Orphanages and Modern Slavery in Post-Disaster Contexts

Orphanages are a common child protection response to humanitarian crises spurred on by media and NGO depictions of the disaster…

Read more

Parental death during childhood and adult depression

Parental death during childhood is widely viewed as an event so traumatic that it produces not only immediate grief and…

Read more