Review of Two Studies on African Orphans

Abstract: A 12 page paper reviewing two studies of orphaned African children. There are many conflicting reports coming out of Africa regarding the status of children. At the same time that portions of the popular press are reporting that fully one million AIDS orphans have nowhere to go, nowhere to live and no one to care for them, at least two large studies find that there are no great health or social differences between orphans and those living with biological parents. The purpose here is to review "Health and nutritional status of orphans <6 years old cared for by relatives in western Kenya" and "The social situation of motherless children in rural and urban areas of Guinea-Bissau" in context. Neither of these primary studies seems to answer any specific questions about the lives of orphans in two areas of Africa. They do, however, contribute to the body of knowledge surrounding conditions that are developing in response to the continued progress of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in sub-Saharan Africa. Bibliography lists 9 sources.

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Catagory:

Subcatagory: Africa

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