Orphans and Vulnerable Children: To What Extent Are They Deprived of Their Social and Economic Benefits

Viola Nampeera, Traditional and Modern Health Practitioners Together Against AIDS and Other Diseases (THETA)
Flavia Nakayima Miiro, Makerere University
Florence Nakaggwa, International Health Sciences University
Gift Pauline Akol

With the outbreak of the HIV scourge in Uganda in the early 80s, AIDS has claimed so many adult lives and this in the long run gave rise to a considerable number of Orphans .While so many studies have examined the risks faced by OVCs, few have studied the extent to which they are deprived of different socio-economic benefits, like, school attendance, possession of basics, residence with siblings and nutritional status. Using the 2006 UDHS, results reveal that the OVCS were less advantaged than their counterparts, for example, OVCs are less likely than non-OVCs to attend school(76% versus 83%) and they are less likely to have basic needs than their counterparts(25% versus 29%) though, just slightly disadvantaged compared to their counterparts. Results therefore, emphasize the need for a holistic approach to further address the social and economic needs of the OVCs to ensure proper growth and development of the children.