Increasing Life Chances for Orphaned Children in Africa: Testing an Asset-Based Development Strategy

Twenty-four of the 25 countries with the world’s highest levels of HIV/AIDS prevalence rates are in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). This is reflected in the current number of orphaned children. According to a joint report by UNAIDS, UNICEF, and USAID (2004), at least 12.3 percent of all children in sub-Saharan Africa, or 43 million children, are orphans (have lost one or both parents). Moreover, although the numbers of orphans in other regions of the world are decreasing, the numbers in sub-Saharan Africa are increasing, mainly because sub-Saharan Africa, as a region, has been hit hardest by HIV/AIDS. In view of the current level of orphanhood in sub-Saharan region, the two key questions, are: (1) how will the increasing numbers of orphaned children be cared for? (2) Overall, how can we improve the life chances of children in sub-Saharan Africa, including the orphaned child? These are some of the questions that have preoccupied policy makers, program practitioners, and local, national and international organizations working with children in Africa.