Social Protection of Africa’s Orphans and other Vulnerable Children

Summary

AIDS and conflicts have orphaned millions of children on the African subcontinent. As a result, the problem of orphans and vulnerable children has reached catastrophic proportions in some countries. Although awareness of the plight of orphans is growing, no country has mounted the kind of response that is needed to match the severity of the crisis. The reasons include insufficient knowledge of the magnitude of the problem and the strength (or weaknesses) of existing coping strategies, lack of clarity on the advantages and disadvantages of possible interventions, limited capacity to implement interventions, and scarce resources. This paper aims to help fill the knowledge gap. The paper examines some of the issues in program design, especially those bearing on targeting. It also assesses the advantages, disadvantages, and cost effectiveness of various program interventions, including education and health subsidies, fostering, orphanages, and children