Women’s Burden of Caring for Orphans: The bio-psychosocial and economic challenges for caregivers in a rural community in South Africa

Misheck Dube

doi:10.47577/tssj.v26i1.5304

Abstract

The practical activity of orphan-care in Social Work has received unquestionable and resounding globally attention. However, the skewed care of orphans towards women and its associated bio-psychosocial and economic challenges in the rural communities deserves special investigation and analysis. This article discusses women’s burden of orphan-care and associated bio-psychosocial and economic challenges experienced by carers in Alice in the Eastern Cape Province in South Africa. Using a qualitative research approach and voluntary purposive sampling to ensure that carers of orphans were engaged in the study, individual face-to-face interviews were conducted to engage twenty caregivers. Data were analysed thematically and backed by existing literature. The findings showed that women caregivers of orphans experienced a plethora of bio-psychosocial and economic issues when caring for orphans in the rural communities. The article makes relevant recommendations for the profession of Social Work and stakeholders of orphan-care.

Highlights

The world has unprecedented number of orphans due to various circumstances and situations surrounding orphan hood
5.1 Population and sampling method The population of the study comprised of women who cared for orphans in Alice Town in the Eastern Cape Province
The sections that follow provide information that has been analysed from the information provided by twenty (20) women who became part of the study

Summary

Introduction

The world has unprecedented number of orphans due to various circumstances and situations surrounding orphan hood. The care and support for the orphans tends to vary across the globe. The estimated number of orphans in the world stands at 157 million and a daily approximation of 5 700 additional children become orphaned (Gladney Centre for Adoption, 2021). The plight of orphans and orphan-care in South Africa is a fragile thematic area for social work practice as the number of orphans continue to increase exponentially. There have been significant re-arrangement in the care for orphaned children in South Africa with many of the orphans under the care of designated caregivers (Mejia-Pailles, Berrington, a McGrath & Hosegood, 2020). The definition of an orphan varies from one country to another, but the following aspects are common: age (being under 18 years old) and the death of both parents, regardless of how they died (Mamukeyani, 2021).

Objectives

Methods

Conclusion