CHALLENGES AND STRATEGIES FOR COPING WITH THE ORPHAN AND VULNERABLE CHILDREN AT FOSTER HOMES IN RUBAGA DIVISION

CHAPTER ONE

Introduction of the study

This chapter presents the general introduction of the study with particular focus on the background of the study, statement of the problem, research questions, study objectives, study scope, significance as well as the definitions of key concepts.

1.1 Background of the study

The Uganda Demographic and Health Survey (2006) defined an orphan as a child below the age of 18 or below age 15 with one or both parents deceased. The UDHS (2006) further defined a vulnerable child as one below the age of 18 or below age 15 who has a chronically ill parent or who lives in household where an adult has been chronically ill or has died in the 12 months preceding the survey. However, conventionally a vulnerable child is one who , when compared to other children using a selected set of criteria, is at a great risk of suffering significant physical, emotional or mental harm that may result in the child’s human rights not being fulfilled. Based on this definition, almost all children in Uganda are vulnerable.

Over the last three decades, the world has witnessed unprecedented upheavals manifesting through civil conflicts, epidemics and natural calamities of varying intensity and scale. As a result, many lives have been lost and maimed, leaving behind thousands of helpless dependants. Children in particular, have become susceptible to social and economic hardships due to loss of parents, illness in the home, displacement and often involuntary neglect. At the end of 2003, there were an estimated 143 million orphans in the world (UNAIDS, 2004). A major contributing factor to these figures is considered to be HIV and AIDS, without which the global number would be declining. In Sub-Saharan Africa, AIDS is said to have increased the number of children orphaned from all causes from 30.9 million in 1990 to 48.3 million by the end of 2005 (UNICEF, 2006).

Uganda has been prone to wars, civil unrest and disasters including road accidents, drought and famine. Uganda has also been severely affected by the HIV and AIDS epidemic, which has exceeded, in terms of cumulative deaths, morbidity and social disintegration, any major war or epidemic in its history. These calamities have together claimed thousands of people, most of them dying in their prime productive ages. Since its recognition in the early 1980‟s, AIDS alone has killed over 800,000 people and over 940,000 others are estimated to be infected (GOU – Ministry of Health, 2006). In the context of a country with high fertility, high adult mortality translates into a high orphan burden. In 2002, the number of orphans in Uganda was 1.8 million, representing 11.5% of all children in the country (GOU-UBOS, 2002). In 2006, there were an estimated 2.3 million orphans in Uganda, representing 14.8% of all children in the country (GOU – National Household Survey, 2006). This implies that the number of orphans had increased by 3.3% over the four years.

The orphans and vulnerable children face increasing challenges in accessing socio-economic and legal services. According to the situational analysis of OVCS in Uganda conducted in 2009 by the Ministry of Gender, Labor and Social Development, 96% of the children are vulnerable due to mostly orphanage as well as the un conducive social, economic and political environment in which they are growing. Within this environment, the rights of the OVCS are grossly abused and seeking redress is particularly hard given their level of vulnerability. Striking poverty, disease burden especially HIV/AIDS and the political unrests worldwide continue to leave many children orphaned and greatly vulnerable.

Although there has been increased commitment on the side of the government and NGOs to protect the rights of OVCS as explicitly indicated in the National Orphans and other vulnerable children policy (2004) and the National Strategic Programme Plan of Interventions for Orphans and other Vulnerable children (2004) as well as increased efforts in the provision of legal aid services, little is known about how OVCS in kampala and particularly in rubaga division. Furthermore, the rights of children are internationally, regionally and nationally recognized as indicated by the various legal and policy instruments like the Convention on the rights of a child (UN 1989), the African Charter on the rights and welfare of the child (1999) as well as the various national constitutions and Acts of parliaments worldwide. Besides being entitled to the whole set of rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) as well as other international, regional conventions and treaties, children need to be accorded special rights to facilitate their proper growth and development in all aspects of life (UNICEF, 2004).

Although the above legal instruments provide a universal guide to the protection and advancement of the rights of the children in general, there has been great realization for the need to enhance the protection of the rights of orphans and other vulnerable children at all levels of socio-economic and political organization (UNDP, 2008). With several studies done all around the globe showing the increasing number of OVCS due to striking poverty, diseases especially HIV/AIDS as well as armed conflicts, putting up special avenues through which the rights of OVCS can be advanced is of paramount importance (International AIDS Alliance, 2008).

Children in the foster care system are usually removed from their parent’s care due to parental neglect, abuse, and abandonment. Since the beginning of the foster care system there has been a dramatic increase in the number of children in foster care (Canton, 2009). Due to their past history, many foster children suffer from physical, mental, and behavioral issues; this makes it vital that they be placed with a stable foster home (Newton, Litronwnik, & Landsverk, 2000). According to the latest Administration for Children and Families (AFCARS, 2010) report, there were over 400,000 children in the United States living in foster care, yet there were only 170,000 foster homes. Over the past 60 years the trend has shown an ever increasing demand for foster homes, however over the past 10 years, the number of available foster homes in California has dropped 30% (Bell, 2010).

Due to the rising number of orphans & vulnerable children in rubaga division kampala. This study intends to investigate into the challenges and strategies for coping with the orphan and vulnerable children at foster homes in rubaga division.

1.2 Statement of the problem

Uganda as a country has been prone to wars, civil unrest and disasters including road accidents, drought and famine, family break down, HIV and AIDS epidemic, which has exceeded, in terms of cumulative deaths, morbidity and social disintegration, all these calamities has increased on the suffering leading to the need for the development of forster homes to be in position to take care of orphans and vulnerable children.

Forster homes in Uganda has not been given much priority by the government as a result Uganda has only 82 approved foster homes as of march, 2019, thought there are many orphans and vulnerable children in Uganda who stay in the streets of Kampala and some in the villages who live in despicable conditions and as a result foster homes which exist have very few facilities which are not able to provide suitable facilities to enhance better quality of life for these children .

Its against this background that this research intends to investigate into the challenges and strategies for coping with the orphan and vulnerable children at foster homes in Rubaga Division, Kampala .

1.3 Objectives of the Study

1.3.1 General Objective

The overall objective of this study is to examine the challenges and strategies for coping with the Orphan And Vulnerable Children at foster homes in rubaga division

1.4 Objectives

To examine the challenges orphans and vulnerable children face in forster homes
To investigate the strategies for coping with the orphan and vulnerable children at forster homes.

To investiaget the benefits of forster homes to orphans and vulnerable children.

1.5 Research Questions

What are the challenges orphans and vulnerable children face in forster homes?
What are the strategies for coping with the orphan and vulnerable children at forster homes?

What are the benefits of forster homes to orphans and vulnerable children?

1.6 Scope of the Study

1.6.1 Time scope

The study will be carried from May 2019 to August 2020.

1.6.2 Content Scope

The study will include the following;the challenges orphans and vulnerable children face in forster homes, the strategies for coping with the orphan and vulnerable children at forster homes and the benefits of forster homes to orphans and vulnerable children.

1.6.3 Geographical scope

The study will be carried out from the forster homes in Rubaga division.

1.7 Significance of the study

The study will enable future researcher have information on the challenges orphans and vulnerable children face in forster homes
The study will also provide relevant infortion on the strategies for coping with the orphan and vulnerable children at forster homes.

The study will enable the government of Uganda have information on the benefits of forster homes to orphans and vulnerable children.

1.8 Definition of key Concepts

Orphan: Any person who is below the age of 18 years, who has lost one or both parents due to death (MoGL&SD, 2009).

: Any child below the age of 18 years who has lost one or both parents to any cause (World vision 2000).

Violence against children: All actions or omissions/inactions that harm children’s physical and emotional wellbeing. It includes sexual, physical, emotional abuse, child neglect and abandonment, subjection of children to hazardous work, conscription in armed conflict and child sacrifice (Hunter & Williamson, 2000).

Vulnerable child: A child who is suffering and/or is likely to suffer any form of abuse or deprivation and is therefore in need of care and protection;

This is a child who, based on a set of criteria when compared to other children, bears a substantive risk of suffering significant physical, emotional or mental harm.

Research writer