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Gogo Care and Protection of Vulnerable Children in Rural Malawi: Changing Responsibilities, Capacity to Provide, and Implications for well-being in the Era of HIV and AIDS

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Abstract

The role of older women in the care and protection of vulnerable children in sub-Saharan Africa may be changing given increasing rates of orphanhood due to AIDS. Concern regarding their capacity to provide for children and implications for their health and well-being dominate the literature. However, studies have not yet examined the situation of older caregivers in comparison to their younger counterparts over time. In this study, panel data on 1,219 caregivers in rural Malawi between 2007 and 2009 is complemented by in-depth interview (N = 62) and group discussion (N = 4) data. Caregiver responsibilities, capacity to care for children, and implications for well-being are examined. Chi-square tests examine differences in these measures between older foster caregivers and younger foster caregivers, parents of orphans, and parents of non-orphans. Older women, in comparison with younger counterparts, are more stable as primary caregivers for orphans. Care by older women is particularly valued when younger family stability is threatened by burdens of orphan care. Qualitative data reveal many challenges that older caregivers face, most notably provision of food. However, survey data suggest that the capacity to provide food, schooling and other basic needs is similar among older and younger caregivers. Self-reported health status is generally poorer among older caregivers, however levels of emotional distress and social capital are similar among older and younger caregivers. Providing care for children in old age appears to entail a number of benefits. Older women committed to providing care and protection for children are important assets, particularly in the context of threats to child well-being due to HIV and AIDS. Bolstering older caregivers with material and social support to help sustain their key roles in fostering is a promising avenue for maintaining extended family responses to HIV and AIDS.

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Acknowledgments

The Orphan Support Africa evaluation was funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Many thanks are extended to the caregivers and community members that participated in this study. The authors also thank the data collection teams supervised by colleagues at the Centre for Social Research and the Department of Economics and the University of Malawi, Chancellor College.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Population Services International, P.O. Box 14355-00800, Nairobi, Kenya

    Megan Littrell

  2. Department of International Health and Development, School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, USA

    Laura Murphy & Kate Macintyre

  3. Malawi-Liverpool Wellcome Trust, Blantyre, Malawi

    Moses Kumwenda

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  1. Megan Littrell
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  2. Laura Murphy
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  3. Moses Kumwenda
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  4. Kate Macintyre
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Correspondence to Megan Littrell.

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Littrell, M., Murphy, L., Kumwenda, M. et al. Gogo Care and Protection of Vulnerable Children in Rural Malawi: Changing Responsibilities, Capacity to Provide, and Implications for well-being in the Era of HIV and AIDS. J Cross Cult Gerontol 27, 335–355 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10823-012-9174-1

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