The role of informal caregivers in the well‐being of orphans in Botswana: a literature review

Abstract

With the orphan population escalating, communities continue to rely on relatives to provide care to orphans. Therefore, there is a need to explore the role of caregivers with regard to the well‐being of orphans, the challenges they face, as well as how they could be empowered to be more responsive to children's needs. The paper acknowledges that informal caregivers play an important role in the lives of orphans. The paper also concedes that, in the process, caregivers are faced with challenges which make it difficult for them to fulfil their responsibilities and roles. As a result, they sometimes act as sources of stress to orphans, which eventually complicate the children's adjustment to the loss of their parents. Lastly, the paper paves the way to ensuring that challenges faced by informal caregivers are addressed in a manner that will make them more supportive to orphans.

Caring for HIV‐positive orphans in the context of HIV and AIDS: perspectives of Botswana grandmothers

“…In sub-Saharan Africa grandmothers are increasingly taking up the role of caretaker roles due to high HIV and AIDS prevalence (Skovdal et al, 2011;Schatz et al, 2013;Mhaka-Mutepfa et al, 2014;Rutakumwa et al, 2015). Most orphans in Botswana are cared for by grandmothers (Alpaslan & Mabutho, 2005;Maundeni & Malinga-Musamba, 2012;Shaibu, 2013).…”

Experiences of Grandmothers Caring for Orphan Grandchildren in Botswana

“…Although the Botswana government provided material needs for the orphans, the psychological and emotional needs of the orphans and grandparents were neglected; the program needs to ease transition for orphans who are approaching 18 years (Feranil, Herstad, Jallow, & Mbuya‐Brown (). There are weaknesses in the government's response and the capacity to implement the policies that need to be addressed in order to improve the health of children in Botswana (Maundeni & Malinga‐Musamba, ; Miller, Gruskin, Rajaraman, Subramanian, & Heymann, ; Miller, Gruskin, Subramanian, & Heymann, ; Purcell, ).…”

“…Using this definition, in 2007 the National Situation Analysis on Orphans and Vulnerable children in Botswana estimated the number of orphans at 137,805, with 17.2% of the children younger than 18 years, and 43% of the households with orphans were headed by grandparents (Government of Botswana, ). Botswana's social security policies include a universal old age pension for people older than 65 years, and a destitute policy for the poorest vulnerable groups (Maundeni & Malinga‐Musamba, ).…”

Is kinship failing? Views on informal support by families in contact with social services in Ghana

“…The role of informal caring from extended family members and friends is a practice principle strongly held in most African countries (Frimpong-Manso, 2014;Kuyini et al, 2009). For example, informal caregivers in Botswana provide sufficient support towards promoting the well-being of orphaned children, although they encounter some challenges (Maundeni & Malinga-Musamba, 2013). In Ghana, informal support is provided to children of families facing difficult financial situations and sometimes provided to ensure that the family's culture and connections are maintained, especially in kinship care (Kuyini et al, 2009).…”

“…Yet there is sufficient evidence to support the idea that most children in kinship care have positive experiences (Burgess, Rossvoll, Wallace, & Daniel, ; Montserrat, ). Similarly, in sub‐Saharan Africa, studies have highlighted that kinship carers provide sufficient care for their kin (Kuyini et al, ; Maundeni & Malinga‐Musamba, ). Further, it has been noted that the separation of children from their primary caregivers can create emotional problems for children later when reunited with parents (Bettmann, Mortensen, & Akuoko, ).…”