Are parents still caring for their children?

South Africa has seen a rapid increase in HIV prevalence among the general population over the past 10 years, from less than one percent in 1990 to twenty percent in 2001 (UNDP 2002). As the HIV/AIDS epidemic increases, so do the number of orphans and vulnerable children (OVC). In 2002, an estimated five million people (approximately 12 percent of the population) were living with HIV/AIDS (Steinberg et al. 2002). Because of the average 10-year period between infection and death, even if HIV prevalence declined rapidly, South Africa would still experience an increasing orphan burden for many years to come. Projections show that by 2010, 16 percent of all children in South Africa, will be orphans and more than 70 percent will be due to AIDS (Dennis, Ross, and Smith 2002).

Between December 2001 and March 2002, researchers conducted a household survey using a cluster random sample research design. Respondents lived in eight districts, each of which is a local government demarcation unit under the jurisdiction of the District

Council. The study sites and corresponding districts are Ehlanzeni in Mpumalanga Province; Mopani, Vhembe, and Capricorn in Northern Province; and Umkhanyakude, Mpukonyoni, Uthungulu and uMlalazi, Mthonjaneni and Nkandla municipalities in KwaZulu-Natal. In each household one respondent, the household head, was selected to be interviewed. In the temporary absence of the head of the household, the person responsible for the daily decision-making, buying of food, or taking care of the children was interviewed. The final sample of 4,966 respondents included designated household heads (72 percent), spouses or permanent partners (23 percent) and children or stepchildren (3 percent) of the household head, and other relatives (2 percent). These respondents provided information on 29,338 household members (approximately 6 members per household), and included nearly 14,000 children. Data show that 52 percent of the household heads were male. Household heads ranged in age from 14 to 106 years with a mean age of 51 years.

Nearly one in five children in the study population are orphans. Children have multiple needs—physical, material, intellectual, psychosocial, and safety—and it is important to identify groups of children whose social circumstances may affect the extent to which these needs are met. Respondents provided information on the orphanhood status of children aged 18 years or younger living in the household. Five percent of children had lost their mother and more than three times as many (16 percent) had lost their father. Two percent had lost both parents. As indicated in Figure 1, nineteen percent of all children were maternal, paternal, or double orphans and live in more than a quarter of study households. Living arrangement patterns among orphans show that 39 percent lived with the grandparent(s) and sixteen percent lived with a parent in the grandparent’s house.

Orphanhood and parental illness affect school enrollment and attendance. Seven percent of children in the study households, aged 7-18 years, were not enrolled in school, mainly due to financial difficulties (50 percent), disability (14 percent), personal illness (10 percent) and pregnancy (8 percent). Orphans were more likely to have dropped out of school compared to non-orphans (9 vs. 6 percent, p < .001) with financial difficulties as the main reason. Children with seriously ill parents were more likely to have dropped out of school (8 percent) compared to children with healthy parents (6 percent). Similarly, children affected by parental illness were more likely to have stopped attending school because of care giving (5 percent), poor behavior (14 percent) and poor school performance (12 percent) compared to children whose parents were healthy (3, 4 and 7 percent, respectively). Cross tabulations of education by age shows that many children are lagging behind their education cohort, suggesting either late onset of education or high failure rates.

Many children are not fully immunized. Almost all children aged six years or younger (97 percent) living in the household had immunization cards (known as the ‘road to health’ cards) yet only 63 percent had received measles and DPT3 injections. Children affected by serious parental illness were less likely to receive both measles and DPT injections (59 percent) compared to those whose parents were healthy (64 percent). The study findings also indicate that in only 17 percent of households, respondents noted that the youngest child (aged 18 years or younger) had eaten food from three food groups–starches, fruits and vegetables, and proteins–in the week prior to the study. Respondents from households that had experienced parental illness during the twelve months preceding the survey were more likely to report that the youngest child (aged 18 years or younger) was fed food from all three food groups in the week prior to the study compared to households that did not have children with seriously ill parents (19 vs.17 percent; p < .01). There were no statistically significant differences in the consumption of foods from the three food groups by orphaned children compared to non-orphans as reported by study respondents.

About a third (35 percent) of household heads had no schooling and enrollment in adult education programs was very low (0.1 percent). As Figure 3 indicates, almost half of household heads (44 percent) in the study were gainfully employed and 24 percent said they were unemployed. Consistent with the finding that a large proportion of elderly were heading households, 26 percent of household heads were retired.

The majority of households earn monthly income that is at or below the poverty line. The findings reveal that the socioeconomic status of households is generally low, which may be partly due to the rural selectivity of the sample—76 percent of the sampled households were in rural areas. Two-thirds of households reported an average monthly income of R800 or less. The proportion of households who worked and earned income is also low; only 34 percent of households reported that they received income from full time employment, 13 percent from part-time, and 8 percent from casual employment. Despite the low contribution of employment to household income, reported involvement in income generating activities was also low—just 16 percent of households receive income from self-employment.

Government grants make a significant contribution to household income. On average, income from government grants contributes to more than half of total household income. As shown in Table 1, grants contribute a mean proportion of 53 percent and a median proportion of 83 percent of household income per month for the 3,758 respondents that provided information on household income. Existing access3 and new applications4 to grants are presented in Table 1. Apart from old age pension, reported access to other grants was low. Less than a third of eligible households reported that they were in receipt of child support, foster care, disability, and care dependency grants. The proportion of households with members who had submitted new applications was also low.

Early childhood is a special time for both kids and parents. It is widely held that during the first few years of a person’s life, some of the most important physical and emotional aspects of development are set in place. Young children are dependent upon their mothers, fathers, aunts, uncles, and grandparents to meet their needs during this time. To grow into healthy, happy adults, kids require many things, including safe surroundings, a good diet, peer interaction, a variety of experiences, and someone to take care of them when they’re not feeling good.

In this free parents’ guide to child health and safety, learn some of the most basic things you’ll need to know to take good care of your young children, as well as what you should expect from school and daycare providers while they have your kids. Our expert will walk you through some basic lessons, including general safety tips for home and daycare, how to choose a child care facility, what to feed the kids, why immunizations are important, when to keep your sick child home from school, and most important...how to properly dispose of dirty diapers.

These wonderful children are special gift from God; they need our love, our prayers and our full support in everything they do in life to make them successful. If you need a child, I advise you to pray and ask God for the fruit of the womb. I don't believe in spiritualist for children as a gift. Then it will be difficult for one to testify to God. Pray always without stopping, God hear your prayers and He will bring it to pass someday.

And if you have children already, you are blessed. Please take good care of those beautiful children, they are tomorrow's leaders, hope you know that. I love them so much as if there were mine.

So to those looking for the fruit of the womb, i use this beautiful baby as a point of contact, that from today, God will here your prayers and grant your request for a beautiful baby. Only if you have that believe. God works with those who have faith. Not with fainted heart. Hope you will invite me for the naming ceremony.

God bless you all.