Addicted to Orphans: Donor influence in Uganda's child protection system

Kristen E. Cheney

This presentation on the "Orphan Industrial Complex" was given at the Young Lives and Globalization in Africa workshop, University of Liège, Belgium, 21st February 2014. The presentation, by Kristen E. Cheney of the International Institute of Social Studies at the Hague, discusses the global shift in the definition of ‘orphans’ to include children with a living parent or parents. This misrepresentation has promoted a rhetoric of ‘orphan rescue’ in many Western countries and organizations, which has fostered the growth of an "orphan industrial complex," according to Cheney. In many developing countries, ‘orphaned’ children become targets for rescue, driving donors and

subsequently jeopardizing child protection and even driving the “production” of orphans as objects for intervention.

This Prezi presentation pays particular attention to the way the ‘orphan industrial complex’ is impacting child protection measures in Uganda.

To view the presentation, please click the link above.