This study was carried out against the background of HIV/AIDS having caused an orphan care crisis in Zimbabwe, with the brunt of care falling on the elderly who are themselves weak and frail due to age and socio-economic challenges. This burden fell on mainly the grandmothers who have had to bear the burden of caring for large numbers of orphaned grandchildren, with little or no support from the surviving members of the extended family or other sections of the community and government.
They faced a lot of challenges in their new care giving role which included lack of food, lack of money to pay for school fees for the orphans, etc, these challenges added on top of the health problems that the elderly caregivers were enduring with which were age related like BP, Back ache, Arthritis, diminished eye sight etc.
Against this background the study sought to determine the major causes of orphanage care, to identify the major challenges faced by these elderly caregivers in taking care of the orphans, and also to establish the coping strategies used by these elderly caregivers in upbringing the orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) under their care. The study also determined the role played by Government and other stakeholders in assisting this group and also made recommendations of interventions that can help. This study would assist Government and other aid organisations in their planning, decision making and strategy formulation.
Table of Contents
1 INTRODUCTION
1.1 Introduction
1.2 Background of the Study
1.3 Statement of the Problem
1.4 Purpose of the Study
1.5 Research Objectives
1.5.1 To identify the major cause of orphanage in the rural households.
1.5.2 To identify the challenges faced by the elderly in taking care of the orphans in their households.
1.5.3 To establish how the elderly deal with challenges faced in their care giving role.
1.5.4 To determine the role played by Government and NGOs in helping the elderly in performing their care giving roles.
1.5.5 To make recommendations and suggestions on how Government and NGOs can intervene.
1.6 Research Questions
1.6.1 What are the major causes of orphanage?
1.6.2 What challenges are faced by the elderly in taking care of the OVC?
1.6.3 How do the elderly deal with the challenges they face in looking after the OVC under their care?
1.6.4 To what extent does government and NGOs help the elderly?
1.6.5 What can be recommended /suggested on how Government/NGO can support the elderly caregivers?
1.7 Research Hypotheses
1.7.1 The major cause of orphanage is HIV and AIDS
1.7.2 The major challenge that affects the elderly in taking care of the OVC is lack of food.
1.7.3 The elderly caregivers cope to the challenges of care giving by selling assets.
1.8 Assumptions of the Study
1.7.4 The elderly are looking after orphans but the coping strategies are not known.
1.8.2 The elderly caregivers will be welcoming and willing to give out information about their predicaments.
1.9 Significance of the Study
1.9.1 New knowledge and understanding on how the elderly cope in disaster situations will be generated
1.9.2 Recommendations for better management of disaster situations involving the elderly will be shared.
1.9.3 New information on the elderly will be discovered to benefit organisations like Help Age International.
1.9.4 Future programming will be informed in the context of emergencies like climate change in terms of coping strategies of the elderly
1.9.5 The research act as an advocacy tool which will benefit the elderly who are normally marginalized.
1.10 Limitation of the Study
1.10.1 The problems anticipated in this study include limited literacy levels of the elderly due to eye sight and age related problems.
1.10.1 The cooperation of the elderly may be a challenge as they may expect some form of assistance after the interview.
1.11 Delimitations of the Study
1.11.1 This study will be carried out in Mbembesi, Ward 13 under Umguza District; Matabeleland North Province in Zimbabwe.
1.11.2 The respondents will be elderly people sixty (60) years and above looking after the OVC.
1.12 Chapter Summary
2 LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 Introduction
2.2 Definition of Key Terms
2.2.1 Elderly
2.2.2 Care
2.2.3 Orphan
2.3 Effects of HIV/AIDS on the Elderly Caregivers
2.4 Aids Orphan Crisis
2.5 Challenges faced by the Elderly in caring for the OVC
2.5.1 Role Reversal
2.5.2 Loss of Income
2.5.3 Stigmatization
2.5.4 Psychosocial needs
2.5.5 Educational needs of the OVC
2.5.6 Health Care needs
2.5.7 Shelter needs
2.5.8 Food and Nutrition needs
2.6 Elderly Caregivers’ Coping Strategies
2.7 Role of Govt and NGOs in bailing out the elderly and OVC
2.8 Policies on the Impact of HIV and AIDS
2.9 Chapter Summary
3 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
3.1 Introduction
3.2 Research Design
3.3 Research Methods
3.3.1 Population and Sample
3.4 Data Collection
3.4.1 Semi-Structured One-on-One Interview Guide
3.4.2 Data collection process
3.5 Data presentation and analysis
3.6 Validity of the Research
3.7 Chapter Summary
4 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
4.1 Introduction
4.2 Responsive rate
4.3 Demographics
4.3.1 Age
4.3.2 Sex
4.3.3 Marital Status
4.3.4 Number of OVC in household
4.3.5 Number of Adult Children Deceased
4.4 Causes of Orphanage Care among the Elderly Care givers
4.5 Challenges faced by the Elderly in Caring for Orphans
4.5.1 Poverty – The major challenge affecting the elderly caring for AIDS OVC
4.5.2 Food and Nutrition Challenges
4.5.3 Education Challenges - Failure to send children to school
4.5.4 Health Challenges affecting the Elderly Caregivers
4.5.5 Housing and Accommodation
4.5.6 Psychosocial Support and Protection
4.5.7 Water Shortage
4.6 Coping Capacity of the Caregivers
4.7 Coping Strategies used by the Elderly to care for the OVC
4.7.1 Remittances from Children
4.7.2 Utilization of Safety Nets (Begging/Well wisher/Community)
4.7.3 Selling of Assets
4.7.4 Livelihood Projects
4.7.5 Child Labour
4.7.6 Food Consumption Adjustment
4.8 External Support
4.8.1 Government Assistance
4.8.2 Non-governmental Organizations
4.8.3 Churches
4.8.4 Politicians
4.9 The good aspects of the Elderly Care giving roles
4.10 Chapter Summary
5 CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
5.1 Introduction
5.2 Review of Objectives
5.3 Conclusions
5.3.1 Major cause of orphanage care in elderly headed households
5.3.2 Challenges faced by the elderly in Orphan care
5.3.3 Coping Strategies
5.3.4 Role played by Government and NGOs
5.4 Recommendations
5.4.1 Recommendations to Government
5.4.2 Recommendations to Non Governmental Organisations and other Stakeholders
5.5 Directions for further research
5.6 Chapter Summary
Research Goals and Themes
This study aims to investigate the coping and survival strategies utilized by elderly caregivers in rural Zimbabwe who are raising orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) in the context of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The research seeks to identify the primary causes of orphanage in these households, the significant challenges faced by these elderly individuals, and the role of external support systems, providing data to inform future policy interventions and support programs for this vulnerable group.
- Impact of the HIV/AIDS epidemic on intergenerational family structures
- Challenges faced by elderly caregivers, including financial hardship, health issues, and food insecurity
- Survival and coping strategies, such as remittances, asset liquidation, and child labor
- The effectiveness of current government and NGO support mechanisms
- Advocacy for social protection policies and sustainable support for elderly-headed households
Excerpt from the Book
4.5.1 Poverty – The major challenge affecting the elderly caring for AIDS OVC
Millennium Development Goal (MDG) number one calls for the eradication of poverty and hunger, but from the findings of this research there seems to be cases of elderly people heading poverty stricken households. In their advanced ages ranging above 60years they remain breadwinners yet they had no source of income or livelihood. Some of the participants were too old to obtain any gainful employment or perform any other meaningful income generating activities, let alone domestic chores yet they had orphans under their care to provide for. One of the participants said during the interviews;
“The biggest problem is that of money, because you need money for everything. But I am old and where do I get the money from” Gogo Ndlela – 62 years old
This finding confirms what HelpAge International (2005) reported: that 100 million older people live on less than a dollar a day while 80% of older people in developing countries have no regular income. According to HelpAge International (2002) and UNAIDS (2008), the elderly in Africa do not possess the economic resources to care for orphaned children. The participants actually expressed their lack of resources for income generation. One participant said that she was now old and frail and could not work anymore, but she was worried because she had children under her care who look up to her for food to eat. The death of their economically active children robbed them of the people who were supposed to be taking care of them as dependants. The elderly people in this study needed someone to assist them with resources for providing care to the OVC.
Summary of Chapters
1 INTRODUCTION: Outlines the research scope, detailing the HIV/AIDS-induced orphan care crisis in Zimbabwe, the study's purpose, research questions, and the theoretical framework.
2 LITERATURE REVIEW: Explores existing studies on the impact of HIV/AIDS on the elderly, the challenges they face, and known coping mechanisms, while highlighting policy gaps.
3 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY: Describes the qualitative phenomenological approach, purposive sampling of 15 participants in Mbembesi, and data collection techniques via semi-structured interviews.
4 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: Presents primary findings regarding demographic profiles, the central role of HIV/AIDS in orphanage, and the multifaceted challenges and survival strategies employed by caregivers.
5 CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS: Synthesizes research findings into final conclusions and proposes policy and support interventions for government and NGOs.
Keywords
HIV/AIDS, Elderly Caregivers, Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC), Rural Zimbabwe, Coping Strategies, Poverty, Food Insecurity, Social Protection, Intergenerational Care, Family Structure, Psychosocial Support, Disaster Management, Asset Liquidation, Child Labor, Sustainable Livelihood
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this research?
This study focuses on identifying the coping strategies and survival mechanisms used by elderly individuals in rural Zimbabwe who have become the primary caregivers for orphans following the death of their parents due to HIV/AIDS.
What are the central themes discussed in the work?
The study centers on the socio-economic impact of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, specifically the vulnerability of the elderly, poverty-stricken households, the burden of care, and the lack of systemic government support for these families.
What is the primary research objective?
The primary goal is to unearth and analyze the survival strategies employed by elderly caregivers to overcome extreme poverty, food shortages, and caregiving duties, and to make policy recommendations for improved intervention.
Which scientific methodology was utilized?
The research employed a qualitative phenomenological case study design, utilizing semi-structured one-on-one interviews to gather narrative data from 15 elderly participants in the Mbembesi area.
What topics are covered in the main body of the work?
The body of the work covers demographic profiles of participants, the causes of orphanage, thematic challenges such as housing, healthcare, education, and nutrition, and an analysis of coping strategies like asset selling, reliance on remittances, and community safety nets.
Which key terms define the work?
Key terms include HIV/AIDS, OVC (Orphans and Vulnerable Children), elderly caregivers, poverty, coping strategies, and social protection.
How does the death of an adult child affect the elderly in this study?
The death of adult children due to HIV/AIDS removes the primary support system for the elderly, leaving them both emotionally devastated and forced into an unplanned role as breadwinners for orphaned grandchildren without a reliable income source.
What role does the Xhosa culture play in this study?
The Xhosa culture is identified as a preservative element for family relationships, which has helped maintain a bond between grandparents and grandchildren, mitigating the impact of loneliness despite the extreme financial hardships.
How effective are current government and NGO interventions according to the participants?
The participants generally perceive these interventions as inadequate, erratic, and unsustainable, highlighting that current support does not address the fundamental, long-term financial needs of elderly-headed households.
- Citar trabajo
- Marks Chitaka (Autor), 2012, Coping Strategies for the elderly looking after Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC) in rural Zimbabwe, Múnich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/338727
