The effectiveness of caregivers’ psychosocial service provision to orphaned children: a case study of orphanages in Kinondoni municipality
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Date
2015
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Publisher
University of Dar es Salaam
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness of caregivers’ psychosocial service provision to children in orphanages in Kinondoni Municipality. The study was guided by motivational theory of Abraham Maslow (1943). The qualitative approach was employed through the use of unstructured personal interviews. The study was carried out in four orphanages within three wards. Simple random and purposive sampling techniques were employed to get twenty nine (29) respondents for the study.
The findings show that caregivers were not able effectively and efficiently to provide psychosocial services to orphaned children due to some reasons which included low parenting education, poor payments and limited funds. The findings revealed that orphaned children were mostly provided with food, shelter, clothes, health services and educational materials which could not adequately meet the orphans’ needs. Furthermore, it was found that orphaned children experienced various psychosocial difficulties including shortage of educational materials and sport gears as well as poor health services. They also faced other difficulties like physical punishment, bullying behaviors from fellows, segregation, isolation and poor attachment from their caregivers. Such difficulties are good indicators for defining ineffectiveness of caregivers in providing psychosocial services. The study concluded that in the present context orphanages are not a good residence for orphans’ psychosocial wellbeing due to shortage of funds and presence of untrained personnel. The study recommended that, the government should formulate interventional policies and enact laws which would look after the welfare of orphaned children rather than depending on orphanages. The study proposes that a similar study can be replicated so as to see the magnitude of the problem and another study can be carried out in assessing the level of academic performances among the orphaned children residing in the orphanages. This is due to the fact that the orphanages’ settings may have an influence on the children’s academic performance
Description
Available in print form, East Africana Collection, Dr. Wilbert Chagula Library, Class mark (THS EAF HV1348.5.V42)
Keywords
Caregivers, Orphans, Ophanages, Kinondoni municipality, Tanzania
Citation
Vedasto, V. (2015) The effectiveness of caregivers’ psychosocial service provision to orphaned children: a case study of orphanages in Kinondoni municipality, Master dissertation, University of Dar es Salaam, Dar es Salaam