Abstract
The paper examines the significance of the traditional safety net to provide security and help to orphans and vulnerable children (OVC). (Abbreviation OVC, as conceptualised by UNICEF (2001)). It questions the scenario of societal breakdown due to HIV/AIDS by asking how the traditional safety net operates, nature of solutions to the OVC problem it provides and its sustainability. No geographical region in Ghana has been so affected by the HIV/AIDS pandemic than the Manya Krobo District in Ghana. While analysing the role of the work of the Manya Krobo Queen Mothers’ Association (QMA) and five private caregivers, the perceptions of three OVC are presented: on how it is to be an OVC, what their dreams and hopes are for the future, and their awareness of HIV/AIDS. It is observed that even though the QMA serves as a good role model for how to address the OVC problem, it has its limitations. The traditional extended family system is under pressure, but not about to break down. As the effectiveness of its support will depend on the contribution of the wider Ghanaian society, localised solutions have to be scaled up to make an impact. Thus, the breakdown scenario needs to be nuanced and contextualised. The vulnerability of the local place under study relates to unemployment and migration, economic poverty and social–cultural marginalisation. These factors are intertwined with the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
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Notes
This definition of OVC has been subjected to critique, however. According to Atobrah (2004), a child is not considered adult in Africa until he/she leaves home to marry, which could be over the age of 18 years. Hence, some children are excluded from the category of OVC. This anomaly may underestimate the orphan situation in some countries. Although the appropriateness of this definition of what constitutes an OVC is open to debate, we have chosen to use it in this paper.
An example of an orphan care program built almost entirely upon community volunteers is the FOCUS (Families, Orphans and Children under Stress) program, inspired in 1993 by FACT (Family AIDS Caring Trust) of Zimbabwe and the Orphans Integration and Education Component of the Burundi MAP (World Bank 2006).
Currently, 28 new Districts have been created out of the 110, bringing the total number of Districts to 138.
The study of the OVC in Odumase is part of a large research project titled The New Faces of Poverty and Ghana. One of the objectives of this project has been to identify different sites of poverty in the country to locate new and changing poverty situations. The time frame for the sub-study on OVC was limited and allowed only a brief fieldwork. For the same reason, few respondents were chosen for interviews. We are aware that this may cause concern of representativeness. We are aware of these inadequacies, but this article must be defined as ‘work in progress’. Hence, we would like to provide more substance to the ethnographies of the children and caregivers at a later stage.
The interviews were conducted either in English or the local language by an experienced research assistant originally from the area. The first fieldwork session was undertaken by three senior researchers and one research assistant. The second fieldwork session was undertaken by the research assistant and one senior researcher.
Not all of the Queen Mothers are members of the Queen Mothers’ Association.
Attendance at the school on the day of the interview was 410 out of 450 pupils. Participation was voluntary and children could come and go as they wished.
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Acknowledgements
The authors would like to acknowledge all the individuals and organisations that have contributed with information, particularly our research assistant Kojo Gyabaah, and also Manye Esther Narketie (Vice President of the Manye Krobo Queens Mothers Association). Funding for the preparation of this paper has come from the Norwegian Council of Universities Committee for Development Research and Educations (NUFU) Research Project on the New Faces of Poverty in Ghana. We also appreciate the excellent comments and inputs provided by the anonymous reviewers of Geojournal and Catriona Turner.
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Lund, R., Agyei-Mensah, S. Queens as Mothers: the role of the traditional safety net of care and support for HIV/AIDS orphans and vulnerable children in Ghana. GeoJournal 71, 93–106 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10708-008-9145-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10708-008-9145-9