This thesis focuses on the social impact of orphanhood in Botswana, i.e. the
effect that loss of parents has on children and the implications for caregivers of
taking on responsibility for orphans. Historic and ongoing changes in social
structure have a significant impact on the current capacity to cope with stress
caused by widespread orphanhood. Contemporary behavioural responses to
stress and the coping strategies of adults affect the lives of children without
parents. The experiences of orphans provide insight and understanding of how a
society already undergoing rapid social change attempts to cope with the
pressures added by HIV/AIDS.
Botswana has had an HIV prevalence rate of over 35% of its adult population for
8 years. In the 2001 census, 15% of all children were orphaned and 25% of 17
year olds had lost their parents. I worked with 181 children in 67 households
across four research sites in Botswana. The four research sites covered a range
of ethnic groups, economic activities and HIV prevalence rates. I had six formal
participatory activity sessions with each child (except in my pilot study) and there
were many more contact hours with some of the children who visited informally. I
interviewed each caregiver twice, once at the beginning and a second time
towards the end of my contact period with the household. In addition, I collected
data in 17 schools through student and teacher questionnaires, focus group
discussions with school management teams and interviews with head teachers.
I have used my data to develop a conceptual framework for understanding the
general response among adults in Botswana to the AIDS epidemic and the
implications of that response for orphans. The adult population in Botswana,
barely able to cope with the stresses of AIDS, has resorted to denial, involution,
expediency and cultural silence. These coping strategies inflict hidden wounds
on children; the disabling that results may cause further social unravelling as
these youngsters grow into adulthood. Involution, instead of preserving the
sociocultural status quo, harms future generations and thus threatens the
survival of the culture. The experiences of orphaned children have exposed adult
coping strategies that are ultimately self-defeating.