Date of Conferral

2015

Degree

Doctor of Public Health (DrPH)

School

Health Services

Advisor

Ji Shen

Abstract

A number of researchers have explored the toll of AIDS on the children who have become orphans as a result of the disease; others have investigated the roles of aid-giving agencies on the alleviation of the orphans' situation. However, despite researchers' pointing to the germaneness of community and goodwill agency liaison, no study had examined the impact of such collaboration on the resources available to the orphans. To this end, the heads-of-household of 532 AIDS orphans under 18 years old in Kenya's Nyanza province were surveyed to investigate the impact of community-referral on the state of AIDS orphans with regard to homelessness, birth registration, food security, school attendance, and sibling separation. The theoretical framework for the study was rooted on the interplay of resource-availability and stressors on AIDS orphans. Results of regression analysis showed that double orphans ate fewer meals than maternal or paternal orphans. There was an inverse relationship between the number of AIDS orphans in a home and the likelihood of homelessness; older orphans tended to not be separated from their siblings; double orphans were more likely than single orphans to be separated from their siblings; school absenteeism was higher among older orphans and when the head-of-household was female; community-referred, male children, offsprings of the respondents tended to have birth registration. The results of the assessment will be pertinent to stakeholders as a framework to guide program planning and implementation as they address the needs of AIDS orphans in Nyanza province and other similar communities.

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