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The capacity of the extended family safety net for orphans in Africa

This paper reviews published studies on orphans and describes indicators by which weakened or saturated extended family safety nets can be identified. Most orphans in Africa are still being cared for by members of their extended family. The traditional safety net for orphans in Africa used to be their aunts and uncles. The alternate safety net of grandparents or more distant relatives is becoming prevalent as a result of weakening of the extended family and increasing orphan numbers; comparative data on uncle/aunt:grandparent caregiver rates are presented. Indicators of the strength of the extended family safety net include the prevalence of widow remarriage, purposive fostering and contact with relatives. Measures of the weakening of the safety net include the paternal:maternal caregiver ratio, the uncle/aunt:grandparent caregiver ratio, the prevalence of child-headed households, sibling dispersal and migration. Increasing numbers of children are slipping through the extended family safety net, leading to child-headed households, street children and child labour; such children have increased likelihood of physical, social, economic and psychological morbidity and vulnerability to HIV infection. It is essential to understand extended family safety net mechanisms so that proposed orphan initiatives support rather than undermine traditional orphan care.