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Orphanhood and the Living Arrangements of Children in Sub-Saharan Africa

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  • Beegle, Kathleen
  • Filmer, Deon
  • Stokes, Andrew
  • Tiererova, Lucia

Abstract

Summary Increasing adult mortality due to HIV/AIDS in Sub-Saharan Africa raises considerable concern about the welfare of surviving children. Studies have found substantial variability across countries in the negative impacts of orphanhood on child health and education. One hypothesis for this variability is the resilience of the extended family network in some countries to care for orphans--networks under increasing pressure by the sheer number of orphans in many settings. Using household survey data from 21 countries in Africa, this study examines trends in orphanhood and living arrangements, and the links between the two. The findings confirm that orphanhood is increasing, although not all countries are experiencing rapid rises. In many countries, there has been a shift toward grandparents taking an increased childcare responsibility--especially where orphan rates are growing rapidly. This suggests some merit to the claim that the extended network is narrowing, focusing on grandparents who are older, and may be less able than working-age adults financially to support orphans. However, there are also changes in childcare patterns in countries with stable orphan rates or low HIV prevalence. This suggests that future work on living arrangements should not exclude low HIV/AIDS prevalence countries, and explanations for changes should include a broader set of factors.

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  • Beegle, Kathleen & Filmer, Deon & Stokes, Andrew & Tiererova, Lucia, 2010. "Orphanhood and the Living Arrangements of Children in Sub-Saharan Africa," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 38(12), pages 1727-1746, December.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:wdevel:v:38:y:2010:i:12:p:1727-1746
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    Cited by:

    1. Benta A. Abuya & Maurice Mutisya & Elijah O. Onsomu & Moses Ngware & Moses Oketch, 2019. "Family Structure and Child Educational Attainment in the Slums of Nairobi, Kenya," SAGE Open, , vol. 9(2), pages 21582440198, June.
    2. Mather, David, 2011. "Poverty, AIDS, Orphanhood, Gender, and Child Schooling in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Review of the Evidence," Food Security International Development Working Papers 119319, Michigan State University, Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics.
    3. Katja Coneus & Andrea Mühlenweg & Holger Stichnoth, 2014. "Orphans at risk in sub-Saharan Africa: evidence on educational and health outcomes," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 12(4), pages 641-662, December.
    4. Omar Mahmoud, Toman & Thiele, Rainer, 2009. "Does AIDS-related mortality reduce per-capita household income? Evidence from rural Zambia," Kiel Working Papers 1530, Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel).
    5. Hagen, Jens & Omar Mahmoud, Toman & Trofimenko, Natalia, 2010. "Orphanhood and critical periods in children's human capital formation: Long-run evidence from North-Western Tanzania," Kiel Working Papers 1649, Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel).
    6. Monica Grant & Sara Yeatman, 2014. "The Impact of Family Transitions on Child Fostering in Rural Malawi," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 51(1), pages 205-228, February.
    7. Roelen, Keetie & Delap, Emily & Jones, Camilla & Karki Chettri, Helen, 2017. "Improving child wellbeing and care in Sub-Saharan Africa: The role of social protection," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 309-318.
    8. Bose-Duker, Theophiline & Henry, Michael & Strobl, Eric, 2021. "Child fostering and the educational outcomes of Jamaican children," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 87(C).
    9. Lauren Gaydosh, 2015. "Childhood Risk of Parental Absence in Tanzania," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 52(4), pages 1121-1146, August.
    10. Kathleen Beegle & Michelle Poulin, 2013. "Migration and the Transition to Adulthood in Contemporary Malawi," The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, , vol. 648(1), pages 38-51, July.
    11. Cassandra Cotton, 2021. "An Enduring Institution? Child Fostering in Sub‐Saharan Africa," Population and Development Review, The Population Council, Inc., vol. 47(4), pages 1179-1206, December.
    12. Lauren Bachan, 2014. "Anticipatory child fostering and household economic security in Malawi," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 30(40), pages 1157-1188.
    13. Amon Exavery & John Charles & Asheri Barankena & Shraddha Bajaria & Epifania Minja & Jacob Mulikuza & Tumainiel Mbwambo & Amal Ally & Remmy Mseya & Godfrey M Mubyazi & Levina Kikoyo & Marianna Balampa, 2022. "Impact of household economic strengthening intervention on food security among caregivers of orphans and vulnerable children in Tanzania," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 17(2), pages 1-19, February.
    14. Webbink, Ellen & Smits, Jeroen & de Jong, Eelke, 2012. "Hidden Child Labor: Determinants of Housework and Family Business Work of Children in 16 Developing Countries," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 40(3), pages 631-642.
    15. Hagen, Jens & Omar Mahmoud, Toman & Trofimenko, Natalia, 2010. "Orphanhood and Critical Periods in Children's Human Capital Formation: Long-Run Evidence from North-Western Tanzania," Proceedings of the German Development Economics Conference, Hannover 2010 33, Verein für Socialpolitik, Research Committee Development Economics.
    16. World Bank, 2012. "Swaziland - Using Public Transfers to Reduce Extreme Poverty," World Bank Publications - Reports 12321, The World Bank Group.
    17. Karimli, Leyla & Ssewamala, Fred M. & Ismayilova, Leyla, 2012. "Extended families and perceived caregiver support to AIDS orphans in Rakai district of Uganda," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 34(7), pages 1351-1358.
    18. Omar Mahmoud, Toman & Thiele, Rainer, 2013. "Does Prime-Age Mortality Reduce Per-Capita Household Income? Evidence from Rural Zambia," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 45(C), pages 51-62.
    19. Cyprian Misinde, 2019. "Child Living Conditions and Orphanhood Status in Uganda: an Extension of the Application of the Intrinsic Value Approach to Child Poverty Measurement," Child Indicators Research, Springer;The International Society of Child Indicators (ISCI), vol. 12(1), pages 277-298, February.
    20. Cassandra Cotton & Shelley Clark & Sangeetha Madhavan, 2022. "“One hand does not bring up a child:” Child fostering among single mothers in Nairobi slums," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 46(30), pages 865-904.
    21. Laura Camfield, 2011. "Outcomes of Orphanhood in Ethiopia: A Mixed Methods Study," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 104(1), pages 87-102, October.
    22. Adhvaryu, Achyuta R. & Beegle, Kathleen, 2009. "The long-run impacts of adult deaths on older household members in Tanzania," Policy Research Working Paper Series 5037, The World Bank.
    23. Roby, Jini L. & Erickson, Lance & Nagaishi, Chanel, 2016. "Education for children in sub-Saharan Africa: Predictors impacting school attendance," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 64(C), pages 110-116.
    24. Ruth Evans, 2015. "HIV-related stigma, asset inheritance and chronic poverty: Vulnerability and resilience of widows and caregiving children and youth in Tanzania and Uganda," Progress in Development Studies, , vol. 15(4), pages 326-342, October.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    orphans sub-Saharan Africa HIV/AIDS household structure child fostering;

    JEL classification:

    • C72 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Game Theory and Bargaining Theory - - - Noncooperative Games
    • D82 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Asymmetric and Private Information; Mechanism Design
    • L14 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Transactional Relationships; Contracts and Reputation

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