Rethinking orphanhood and vulnerability in Ethiopia
Overview
‘Orphans’ became a category of vulnerable children deserving special protection in the context of the global AIDS epidemic, and currently the notion of ‘orphans and vulnerable children’ (OVC), dominates much of the policy for protecting children across sub-Saharan Africa. Analysis of survey and qualitative data from Young Lives in Ethiopia found that parental death does not guarantee the often assumed negative impacts on children’s experiences, and that inequalities between children are greater along dimensions of poverty and household location, compared to orphan status. ‘OVC’ obscures poverty as a main source of child vulnerability and is therefore an outdated approach.
This article is hosted by our co-publisher Taylor & Francis.
Additional details
Author(s)
How to cite this resource
Citation styles vary so we recommend you check what is appropriate for your context. You may choose to cite Oxfam resources as follows:
Author(s)/Editor(s). (Year of publication). Title and sub-title. Place of publication: name of publisher. DOI (where available). URL
Our FAQs page has some examples of this approach.
What are Protection and Community-Based Protection? Guidance on community protection structures
