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Leaving a familiar environment can be daunting. Although previous studies investigated the experiences of youths who left care centres, few considered those who left during the COVID-19 pandemic. For this exploratory qualitative research study, the authors purposively recruited 12 African youths aged between 18 and 23, with at least two years’ experience of life in the care centres of Ekurhuleni Metro Municipality to investigate their experiences when they left such centres during the pandemic.
The data were collected through individual semistructured interviews, analysed according to…
The long-term consequences of COVID-19 have been tough for children around the world, but even more so for young children already in humanitarian crises, whether due to conflict, natural disasters, or economic and political upheaval. Young Children in Humanitarian and COVID-19 Crises: (2024), edited by Sweta Shah and Lucy Bassett, investigates how organizations around the world responded to these dual challenges, identifying solutions and learning opportunities to help to support young children in ongoing and future crises. Drawing on research and voices from the Global South…
The objectives of this study were to examine (1) the associations between parental absence for six months or more, adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), mental health problems, and substance use among young adults in sub-Saharan Africa, (2) whether parental absence and other ACEs are independently associated with mental health outcomes and substance use, (3) and if parental absence explains additional variance above and beyond those explained by other ACEs.
The climate crisis is already changing girls’ lives and futures. Girls across Africa are facing growing challenges as the climate crisis increasingly impacts the continent, leading to a range of extreme weather patterns. In southern parts of Africa, girls are enduring devastating cyclones and floods. Meanwhile, the Sahel, Eastern, and Horn of Africa regions - home to the highest rates of child marriage - are grappling with severe droughts. Climate-induced migration is also on the rise in Western, Southern, and Central Africa.
Right now, longer-lasting droughts and the war in Ukraine have…
Nearly 29 million children with disabilities live in Eastern and Southern Africa. Each of them – like every child in the world – has the right to be nurtured and supported through responsive care and education, to receive adequate nutrition and social protection, and to enjoy play and leisure time. Too often, however, such rights are denied. The reasons vary: They include stigma, lack of accessible services, institutionalization and physical barriers. But the consequences are sadly consistent. When marginalized from society, these children’s chances to survive and thrive are diminished, along…
In Eswatini (formerly Swaziland), the increasing number of orphans and vulnerable children due to HIV/AIDS has spurred demand for psychosocial support services. When the Ministry of Education and Training assumed responsibility for delivering psychosocial support, educators were burdened with the additional role of looking after orphans and vulnerable learners.
This exploratory, sequential, mixed-methods study was employed to analyse factors that enhance the provision of psychosocial support services and the perceptions of educators towards psychosocial support delivery. The qualitative…
Abstract:
The Coronavirus (COVID−19) pandemic has increased anxiety and stress among childcare workers in many communities. This has given rise to the question of whether childcare workers have the capabilities to execute their operational responsibilities effectively during this period in ensuring that the children are well taken care of.
The theory of crisis was used in the study to explore the resilience of childcare workers in managing the well-being of vulnerable orphans during this period. A qualitative approach was applied, using focus group interviews involving 10…
Abstract
In 2021, there were close to 37 million children displaced worldwide. There were 13.7 million refugees and an additional 22.8 million internally displaced. In Europe, this included 23,255 unaccompanied minors seeking asylum, up 72% compared with 2020 (13,550).
The objective was to review the current literature regarding PTSD in unaccompanied refugee minors (URM). The authors searched Ovid Medline, Embase, and Cochrane Library from 1 January 2008 through 15 January 2019. Thirty full texts were chosen that specifically studied unaccompanied refugee minors (URM).
The results…
Orphans and vulnerable children in children’s homes are exposed to multiple psychosocial risks. This study aimed to explore the risks facing orphans and vulnerable children in a children’s home in a township setting during COVID-19. Fifty-eight female Black African children (n = 58) in a children’s home were individually interviewed to ascertain the psychosocial risks that they experienced during COVID-19. The participants were orphans and vulnerable children residing in a children’s home located in Johannesburg in South Africa. All children were enrolled in either primary…
Leveraging the unique and comprehensive evidence gathered, Disrupting Harm (DH) identifies practical and actionable solutions to protect children from sexual abuse and exploitation both online and offline. The project was implemented in 13 countries across Eastern and Southern Africa. Below are reports that are now available: Kenya, Uganda, Thailand, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Philippines, Viet Nam, Namibia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Cambodia, Mozambique, and South Africa.…