ABSTRACT
Caring for orphans is an enormous task. Caregivers are rarely prepared to take extra burden of caring for children who are not their biological children after the death of their parents. The caregivers are faced with a myriad of challenges, including, psychological stress due to the notion that an extra burden has been added to them. Lack of adequate support from the community makes this task more challenging. This situation is not different in Kitui District. The purpose of this study was to determine the financial challenges faced by caregivers of orphans in Kitui Central Subcounty, Kitui County, Kenya. The study was guided by three theories which included crisis theory as advanced by Erich, the attachment theory by Bowlby hierarchy of needs theory as advanced by Abraham Maslow. The research adopted ex-post facto research design. The target population was all orphan care givers in Kitui Central Sub-county. One hundred and six caregivers were purposively sampled. Three sets of questionnaires were used to collect data. The data was then analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences computer software. The analysis involved both quantitative and qualitative descriptive statistics. The study found out that despite the financial, as well as many other related difficulties the family remains a strong unit of care for the orphans. In conclusion it was observed that financial challenges influenced caregivers’ provision of services such as clothing, food, school fees, to orphans, to a great extent. It was recommended that the government and other stakeholders in the community be involved in addressing the financial challenges, which orphan caregivers face.
