This study explores both formal and informal arrangements for care of orphans in the Maseru district of Lesotho. The study adopted a qualitative approach using both in-depth interviews and documentary research as the primary methods of data collection. The research findings show that care of orphans in Lesotho is predominantly in the hands of non-governmental and church based organisations. The government’s role is limited to the provision of technical support, including the formulation of policies and laws and some welfare grant provision in the form of free primary education. Care of orphans in the communities is undertaken not only by the extended family members of orphans, but also non-relation community members. It is clear however that while such informal arrangements might provide care and protection to orphan, many are struggling in the face of extreme hardship and poverty. A crisis of social reproduction is therefore increasingly apparent in Lesotho.

Thesis (M.A.)--Union Institute and University, 2008. / Adviser: Daniel Metraux. Includes bibliographical references.

Inaug.-diss.--Rostock. / Lebenslauf. "Schriftum:" p. 9-11.

D.Ed. (Educational Psychology) / Hope builds resiliency and, therefore, as a protective phenomenon has particular relevance to orphans and vulnerable young people who face adversity on a daily basis. The HIV/AIDS pandemic is adding more strain to the already overburdened safety nets of families and communities in South Africa, where the emergence of child-headed households and the rising numbers of vulnerable young people calls for a more comprehensive response to address their needs and to protect their rights. Many are traumatised - suffering abuse or trying to cope with poverty and the pressures of daily living. Hope is unlikely to emerge and be sustained in young people left to fend for themselves. The purpose of this inquiry is to explore the processes of constructing hope in the lived experiences of young people from child-headed households to invite others to join the spaces of conversation in building support for orphans and vulnerable young people - domains that support a discourse of hope. A social constructionist inquiry with a grounded theory research design involving four young people representing the child-headed household was conducted at a secondary school in Soweto in partnership with a non-governmental organisation. Guided by narrative and participatory practices, the data collection process extended over nine months with the participants using the metaphor of a journey. The journey provided an opportunity to work in healing ways as a researcher to thicken stories of hope in their lives, at the same time providing rich data for analysis. The narrative approach seeks to ‘re-author’ problemsaturated stories - stories which are filled with the challenges of orphanhood, abuse, abandonment, poverty and neglect. Methods used included individual and group conversations, expressive art exercises and photo voice to capture their hopeful stories. The co-constructed hopeful stories were then used as data for analysis using a constructionist approach to grounded theory. This in turn helped to develop a conceptual framework to understand the processes of nurturing hope in the lives of orphans and vulnerable young people - based on their own voices. By identifying what helps young people to nurture hope in their lives, support structures that provide opportunities for growth rather than merely helping them to cope, invite us to challenge more conventional understandings of support for vulnerable young people. The v story of our journey provides a broader understanding of the processes of nurturing hope in the context of vulnerable young people. Findings offer an alternative view of hope from generally accepted Western understandings that are essentially individualistic. A 4-D understanding of hope is presented which recognises the importance of hope as a practice and the role of possibilities in empowering young people to transcend adversity in seeking a better future. Recommendations advocate raising standards in the support of vulnerable young people from a preoccupation with ‘coping’ strategies to an awareness of ‘hoping’ schemata – a repositioning that seeks to protect young people; to strengthen them to cope with adversity; to support them to meet their needs and protect their rights; and to find opportunities to transcend their adversities and realise their future aspirations.

The study explored transforming social development project management practice into delivering sustainable benefits for orphans in Zimbabwe, in particular and more generally, in southern Africa. The endemic failures to deliver basic services to vulnerable children despite increased efforts necessitated this enquiry. Applying multiple research methods in combination, namely, guided story-telling and interviews, document review and media tracking, and practitioner-experiential-action-research (PEAR), the study confirmed that orphans in Zimbabwe lived under conditions of extreme deprivation and vulnerability (EDV). Management of service delivery for orphans was dependent on unpredictable short-term donor funding, undermined by a hostile ‘adult-world’ and political environment, bad governance, poverty, and AIDS. Public service delivery and social welfare system in Zimbabwe had collapsed, marred by corruption. Programmes were not informed by an accurate understanding of orphans and their desperate carers. Social development intents were not practiced. The situation was conducive to “corrupting” the otherwise “spiritual” - responsible, astute and ambitious child. Within such a milieu, traditional project management designed for ordered situations became inappropriate. Based on new understanding of orphans and their service delivery milieu derived from research findings, I propose a systems-oriented project management framework based on “pluralism”, “holism”, “totality” and “experiential learning”. The framework takes a multi-paradigmatic approach to solving complex problems of vulnerable children, mixing positivist, interpretive, emancipatory and postmodern systems ideas. The framework requires a balancing of morality and scientific empiricism in order to attain sustainable child development. In this regard, the thesis proposes ‘moral capabilities’ and additional project management knowledge suitable to the challenges of orphans in southern Africa. The systems approach promotes comprehensive delivery of basic needs of orphans, and continuous improvement of their long term holistic development. According to the framework, success of projects is measured by accrued benefits from the perspective of orphans, and not that of service providers. For its application, the framework adapts the project-spiral cycle, replacing the project life-cycle, recognizing that the needs of orphans go beyond single short-term project cycles. The spiral cycle builds on the strengths of conscious-experiential-learning in service delivery, and on dialogue and collective consensus with poor communities targeted by service delivery management systems. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville, 2010.

Sexual abuse of children is a major problem in South Africa. There is an increasing number of orphans in urban but also in rural areas of children and orphans who are sexually abused. The researcher experienced in her daily work as social worker in the rural area of the Oliver Tambo district Municipality children and orphans who are sexually abused. The aim of this study is to identify the risks factors contributing to the vulnerability of orphans towards sexual abuse. Purposive sampling was conducted among social workers who have experience with orphans who were sexually abused in the Ngqeleni and Port St Johns areas of the Oliver Tambo District in the Eastern Cape. Semi-structured interviews were conducted by the researcher with the social workers as well as document analysis from the files of orphans who were sexually abused from the caseloads of these social workers. From the data received it has been confirmed that family members where orphans grew up fail often to accept and to treat them like their own children, especially when they are not sharing the same clan name with the children. Orphans do not always get full support and protection like other children in the family. This situation makes it even more difficult for them to talk freely about their challenges. Lack of knowledge also plays a role to these children as they fail to report to government departments and community leaders. Looking at the vulnerability of orphans in the Oliver Tambo District, there is a definite need for social workers to empower orphans and their caregivers with knowledge in preventing orphans from being sexually abused. There is also a need for forensic social workers to help with the assessment of orphans who are sexually abused in order to assure more successful prosecutions of alleged perpetrators. / MSW (Forensic Practice), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

The aim of this study was to assess life satisfaction and coping behaviour of orphaned children. The study used a quantitative cross sectional survey research design. The sample comprised 466 participants including both male and female orphans (n= 235) and a control group of non-orphaned (n=231) children selected from primary and secondary schools in Mafikeng.The age of participants ranged from 9 to 16 years. Test of significance including student t- test and chi-test analysis were used to verify the study hypotheses. Results showed that, non-orphaned children report higher levels of life satisfaction and cope better compared to orphaned children. It was also found that gender does not play any significant role in determining life satisfaction and coping of orphaned children. Lastly, satisfaction with life of orphaned children is not dependent on the children's age, however the coping behaviour depends on the age of individuals. Recommendations were made in line with the findings of the study. / Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.(Clinical Psychology) North-West University, Mafikeng campus, 2013

Sexual abuse of children is a major problem in South Africa. There is an increasing number of orphans in urban but also in rural areas of children and orphans who are sexually abused. The researcher experienced in her daily work as social worker in the rural area of the Oliver Tambo district Municipality children and orphans who are sexually abused. The aim of this study is to identify the risks factors contributing to the vulnerability of orphans towards sexual abuse. Purposive sampling was conducted among social workers who have experience with orphans who were sexually abused in the Ngqeleni and Port St Johns areas of the Oliver Tambo District in the Eastern Cape. Semi-structured interviews were conducted by the researcher with the social workers as well as document analysis from the files of orphans who were sexually abused from the caseloads of these social workers. From the data received it has been confirmed that family members where orphans grew up fail often to accept and to treat them like their own children, especially when they are not sharing the same clan name with the children. Orphans do not always get full support and protection like other children in the family. This situation makes it even more difficult for them to talk freely about their challenges. Lack of knowledge also plays a role to these children as they fail to report to government departments and community leaders. Looking at the vulnerability of orphans in the Oliver Tambo District, there is a definite need for social workers to empower orphans and their caregivers with knowledge in preventing orphans from being sexually abused. There is also a need for forensic social workers to help with the assessment of orphans who are sexually abused in order to assure more successful prosecutions of alleged perpetrators. / MSW (Forensic Practice), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

Published Article / This paper explores comparatively the voices of the orphaned adolescents living in an orphanage and foster homes. Currently the emphasis is on children's rights; it is believed that children have rights to have their opinions heard, to refuse a demand, to voice their dissatisfaction and, in the case of orphans, to question the reasons for their status. This study is qualitative in nature and utilises the discourse analysis approach (analogue and dialogical method). A sample of ten orphaned adolescents (OAs) was randomly selected in an informal settlement in Inanda. Semi-structured interviews and diaries were used to collect data. Critical consciousness is explored in addressing silences using the adolescents' lenses as a platform for meaning-making. Through in-depth interpretation of their problems, self-awareness of the OAs was also attained, which is best for a person to develop and thrive (or not) despite challenges.

In the absence of support programmes for HIV and Aids orphans in the Fezile Dabi Region this research set out to design guidelines towards an ecosystemic support programme to support HIV and Aids orphans in the Fezile Dabi Region. The literature review revealed that HIV and Aids orphans experience a wide range of support needs. Their psychosocial needs impair normal development due to unhappiness, stress, stigma, discrimination and a lack of care, love and support. In addition to this, emotional needs, which emanate from a lack of security and safety manifest in sadness, disruptive behaviour, poor relationships, poor self-image and isolation. Socio-economic needs expose them to poverty and being vulnerable to child labour with little reward, and deprive them of opportunities to obtain a proper education. All the above-mentioned problems lead to educational needs that manifest in poor school attendance, poor concentration, learning breakdown and dropping out of school. In addition to this, physical needs that stem from malnutrition caused by poverty and a low standard of living have an impact on the physical growth and health of the HIV and Aids orphans. In order to find out whether the abovementioned discussion holds true for HIV and Aids orphans in the Fezile Dabi Region, qualitative, phenomenological research by means of structured individual interviews was conducted with a convenient and purposive sample of 43 Black HIV and Aids orphans in the Fezile Dabi Region. The focus of the interviews was to gain a better understanding of the support needs that these learners experience due to HIV and Aids, and to explore how they are supported in dealing with these needs. The empirical research revealed that the HIV and Aids orphans in the Fezile Dabi Region who took part in my study experience psychosocial, emotional, socio-economic, educational and physical needs. Many of the needs, in the absence of strong community-based support in the region, are not supported adequately. Despite the identified needs, the data revealed strong tenets of resilience among the participants who took part in the study. In contrast to the literature, the findings of my study revealed that a number of the HIV and Aids orphans in the Fezile Dabi Region apparently manage to establish good social relationships that help them cope with their problems. Furthermore, they aspire to obtain a good quality education and have ambitions and goals in terms of their future careers that they would like to achieve. Based on the literature review and the interview data, guidelines towards an ecosystemic support programme for the HIV and Aids orphaned learners in the Fezile Dabi Region were designed. / PhD, Learner support, North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2012