Assesment of household burden of orphaning and coping strategies by guardians and families with orphans and vulnerable children in Hossana Town, SNNPR.

BACKGROUND: Globally the number of orphans is increasing due to HIV/AIDS internal corflicts and others. Orphanage and vulnerability causes much of its burden on poor households and children. OBJECTIVE: This study was initiated to assess household challenges of orphaning and coping strategies by families and guardians living with Orphan and Vulnerable Children (OVC). It has also tried to look at the types and level of challenge facing OVC. METHODOLOGY: Community based descriptive cross-sectional quantitative survey was conducted from October to November 2008 using a pre-tested Amharic questionnaire among guardians of OVC in Hossana town. Hadiya zone SNNPR. A total of 334 samples were selected using a simple random sampling technique. RESULT: Sixty nine percent (69%) of guardians were women. Almost all of the OVC had participated in one domestic activity and 26.9% of OVC were involved in domestic work in other houses. A little more than twenty two percent (22.2%) have history of involvement in productive child labor; of whom 79.7% were found working at the time of data collection Above thirty five percent (35.6%) of respondents believe that the OVC are discriminated and 23.5% of the discriminators were step parents. As household coping mechanism 24.9% reported selling domestic animals 15.6% selling household equipments and 12.9% sell plots of land which all occurs due to lack of resources in households. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION: The study concluded that caregivers lack sufficient resources to provide basic needs to OVC. Hence community based training on micro finance assistance discrimination and psychological support should be given to guardians and the community in general.