Orphans at Risk in Sub-Saharan Africa: Evidence on Educational and Health Outcomes

Abstract

Die Dis cus si on Pape rs die nen einer mög lichst schnel len Ver brei tung von neue ren For schungs arbei ten des ZEW. Die Bei trä ge lie gen in allei ni ger Ver ant wor tung der Auto ren und stel len nicht not wen di ger wei se die Mei nung des ZEW dar.Dis cus si on Papers are inten ded to make results of ZEW research prompt ly avai la ble to other eco no mists in order to encou ra ge dis cus si on and sug gesti ons for revi si ons. The aut hors are sole ly respon si ble for the con tents which do not neces sa ri ly repre sent the opi ni on of the ZEW.Download this ZEW Discussion Paper from our ftp server:ftp://ftp.zew.de/pub/zew-docs/dp/dp11008.pdf Das Wichtigste in Kürze Non Technical SummaryMortality rates among prime-age adults are dramatically high in many sub-Saharan African countries, and, as a consequence, the number of orphaned children is high and increasing. In this paper, we identify the educational and health effects of orphanhood in sub-Saharan African countries. We draw on comparable data for eleven sub-Saharan African countries with especially high rates of orphanhood. We define an orphan as a child with at least one deceased biological parent. In the analyzed countries, 10% or more of children under the age of 15 growing up in private households are orphans. It is very likely that the high incidence of parental death not only impacts the demographic composition of the respective countries, but also affects human capital formation. Therefore, on the micro level, we seek to examine how being an orphan affects individual schooling and health outcomes. More specifically, our research compares the educational and health outcomes of orphans living under the same conditions as non-orphans. We also examine the impacts of various family structures and compare social orphans (non-orphaned children not living with a biological parent) to orphans. In sum, our findings suggest that in most countries, orphans and social orphans growing up under the same conditions as non-orphans are significantly worse off in terms of their observed educational and health outcomes. Compared to children whose parents are alive and live with their biological parents, orphans lag behind in education. Our estimations indicate that orphaned children lag behind their non-orphan counterparts in cumulative school participation by onefifth to one-half of a year. Children are especially harmed by not growing up with a biological mother. In most countries, we observe hardly any additional effect of growing up without a father. The findings call for policies that specifically address the situation faced by orphans in sub-Saharan African countries. According to our results, policy measures should seek to specifically assist children whose mothers are alive, but absent from the household. Abstract: In this paper, we examine how orphanhood affects children's educational and health outcomes in eleven sub-Saharan African countries. Our analysis is based on a comparison of orphans and non-orphaned children living under the same conditions. ...

Short-term and delayed effects of mother death on calf mortality in Asian elephants

“…Besides such immediate effects on calf mortality, maternal death can have longer term consequences for the offspring if the lack of continued maternal care means lower body condition or health also for those offspring who did not die immediately after their mother. Such effects are well documented in some shorter-lived animals where maternal separation and lack of secure attachment are known to have long-term changes in brain, health, and behavior (e.g., Conti et al 2012 ; Rivarola and Renard 2014 ) and humans where maternal loss can have long-lasting psychological, educational, and health consequences (e.g., Akerman and Statham 2011 ; Lahdenperä et al 2011 ; Coneus et al 2014 ). We also found delayed effects from maternal death: if the mother had died at least 2 years ago and the calf had survived the first years following maternal death, it nevertheless continued having an increased risk of mortality particularly at ages 3 and 4.…”

A School Support Intervention and Educational Outcomes Among Orphaned Adolescents: Results of a Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial in Kenya

“…While some researchers have found significant impacts on test scores (Baird et al, 2011), the present finding is consistent with another orphan study using a standardized national test (Iritani et al, 2016). Orphaned youth may not be able to take full advantage of learning while attending school due to their lack of emotional support or even abuse by their caregivers and low educational expectations (Coneus, Mülenweg, & Stichnoth 2014; Evans 2002; Goldberg & Short 2012; Morantz et al, 2013; Ng’weshemi et al, 2002). In addition, unstable housing, caring for sick caretakers, taking on adult responsibilities at home, or other disadvantages that orphan youth face may contribute to their poor performance (Carrol & Boker 2003).…”

Regional inequalities in single orphanhood, child nutrition and social protection in South Africa: a spatial econometric approach

“…In Sub-Saharan Africa, orphaned children are more likely to be stunted than non-orphaned children, and are also more likely to fall behind in school (10,22). However, orphaned children are no more likely to be underweight than nonorphaned children (23).…”