Care & protection for orphaned children in Sub-Saharan Africa : a case study of the Kingdom of Swaziland

Abstract

At the end of 2003, it was estimated that there were 143 million orphans in 93 countries around the world (UNICEF, 2004c), with the percentage of orphaned children significantly higher in Sub-Saharan Africa (UNICEF, 2003). Countries with high orphan rates are facing a critical challenge in finding sustainable solutions for the care and protection of the thousands of children left orphaned and vulnerable within their borders. If orphaned children are not cared for and protected adequately, the long-term consequences on a country's political, economic and social structures and overall stability will be devastating (UNAIDS, 2006).

This report analyzes the main approaches used in Sub-Saharan Africa for the protection and care of orphaned children, while presenting some of the key challenges confronted by these different approaches. A policy discussion on the two dominant approaches, these being community-based and residential care, used today by policy makers at the national and international level seeking sustainable solutions for the care and protection of orphaned children is presented. Through an eleven-month work placement with an NGO based in Manzini, Swaziland that utilized both residential and community based strategies, I was able to analyze both systems of care and determine to what extent they were meeting the needs of orphaned children.

A case study on Swaziland is presented, with an analysis of Swaziland's National Plan of Action for Orphaned and Vulnerable Children, which reveals the many existing obstacles and challenges that may prevent or impede the realization of the goals outlined in the plan.

The importance that community-based care has in responding to the orphan crisis is acknowledged, while emphasizing that residential care may be needed in some cases where other care arrangements are not available. Therefore, this report argues that both residential and community-based care strategies must be incorporated into national and international plans for the care and protection of orphans in order to ensure that all children are adequately provided for in Sub-Saharan Africa in the future.