Academic literature on the topic 'Orphanages – Ghana'

Purpose This study aims to explore the emotional experiences of children in selected orphanages. Design/methodology/approach The study was executed in three orphanages in Accra, Tema and Aburi through the use of semi-structured interviews and observations. Findings In total, 15 respondents reported some emotional experiences such as loneliness, entrapment, deprivation, rejection and helplessness. Originality/value The number of children living in orphanages has increased in recent times. Previous studies have examined psychological risk and protective factors among children orphaned as a result of HIV/AIDS and also compared orphan children to non-orphans. Notwithstanding this, little is known about the emotional experiences of children living in orphanages in Ghana.

The aim of the work. Cooperation between MacEwan University and I. Horbachevsky Ternopil National Medical University in the realization of the educational programme of Public Health. Materials and Methods. 23 students of the MacEwan University Nursing Faculty (including Canada, Ghana, Nigeria, and India) spent one week at I. Horbachevsky Ternopil National Medical University (TNMU). The work of students and teachers was focused on interactive learning of questions of global/planetary health issues and included flipped classroom format, seminars, team-based learning and field clinics coordinated by MacEwan faculty members in partnership with the TNMU members. Results and Discussion. Cooperation between TNMU and MacEwan University corresponds to the strategy of the MacEwan University Nursing Faculty: Nurses making a difference in the health of global communities and mission: transformative learning in nursing education and professional practice. The educational course was organized to the students to align with three essential components of planetary health: relationality, sustainability, and ways of knowing. Through interactive learning in an international setting, students developed a shared understanding of how people relate to each other and to their environments, compared Canadian and Ukrainian approaches to the Sustainable Development Goals, and created space for understanding different ways of knowing and how these enhance health and wellbeing. Students visited a variety of health care facilities, including pediatric clinics, mental health hospital, HIV clinic, perinatal centre, orphanages, and rehabilitation centres. Conclusions. Co-creation of the program, and involving Ukrainian students offers opportunities to examine and change nursing education and professional practice. The face-to-face format of the trip is invaluable in enhancing emotional and informal learning as well as developing capacity as global citizens. The course provides an excellent foundation for students who wish to pursue graduate studies in global health either in Nursing or in Public Health.

Lately it seems as if students at the liberal arts college where I teach are always about to head off to build a library in Ghana, have just returned from volunteering at an orphanage in South Africa, or are busy raising money for a water project in Ethiopia. As an anthropologist specializing in African environment and development issues, I have been delighted to see young people interested in a part of the world that means so much to me, but I am also increasingly troubled by the sense that working first-hand on African poverty has become a kind of credential for these (mostly American, mostly privileged) students, a box to be checked off in their preparation for success within the global economy. My lack of generosity toward them perhaps derives from the fact that so few students involved with Africa turn up in my courses on African culture and history. Sometimes volunteering in Africa inspires students to go on to take courses in African studies, but often it does not; and few seem to regard the kind of broad-based, contextual knowledge that I consider crucial to my own understanding of poverty (and everything else) on the continent to be a prerequisite before undertaking work there.

Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2014.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Parental loss and orphanage placement can be stressful and can negatively influence the well-being of children. However, few studies have been conducted on the psychological well-being of Ghanaian orphans placed in orphanages. As a result, the impact of orphanage placement following parental loss in Ghana is not well understood. The present study aimed to explore the psychological functioning and experiences of orphaned children placed in orphanages in comparison to non-orphaned children in Accra, Ghana. A mixed-method design with elements of both quantitative and qualitative approaches was used. For quantitative data, questionnaires were used to source information pertaining to quality of life, stress (symptoms of depression and anxiety), problems experienced during the month, coping strategies, perceived social support, perceived self-efficacy and resilience. For qualitative data, follow-up interviews with selected orphaned participants were used to delve into participants’ experiences of placement in an orphanage. Purposive sampling was used to select participants who were aged between seven and 17 years. The sample comprised 100 orphaned children, placed in four orphanages, and 100 non-orphans sampled from two public schools in Accra. The quantitative data were analysed using the t-test, the chi-square test, Pearson product-moment correlation analyses, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and regression analyses. The qualitative data were analysed through content and thematic analyses. The results revealed that orphaned children showed more anxiety symptoms than non-orphans but both groups of children presented with high levels of depressive symptoms. The predominant problems for both groups of children were problems with school and relationship problems with peers and caregivers. However, for orphaned children, relationship problems with peers were commonly cited whereas for non-orphans, problems cited were relationship difficulties with caregivers. Despite the heightened emotional distress, orphaned children reported high levels of self-efficacy and resilience as well as stronger perceptions of available support from friends than non-orphans. Non-orphaned children perceived significantly stronger support from families than orphaned children. Regression analyses also revealed that for orphaned children, anxiety and support-seeking coping emerged as significant predictors of qualify of life whereas depression emerged as a significant predictor of quality of life for non-orphaned children. Self-efficacy emerged as a significant positive predictor of resilience for orphaned children whereas self-efficacy and perceived social support emerged as significant positive predictors of resilience for non-orphans. The results of the thematic analyses of the follow-up interviews with selected orphans also revealed that orphanage placement evoked both negative and positive experiences. While orphanages provided structure, nurturance, a safe home environment and avenues for positive peer relationships that engendered a sense of belonging, they were also associated with financial constraints and relationship problems with peers and caregivers. In addition, the Christian-religious orientation of the orphaned children appeared to foster orphans’ well-being. The present study provided evidence that both the orphaned and non-orphaned children were vulnerable to psychological distress. Therefore, interventions should be effected to both groups of children. Furthermore, the study showed that orphanages provided sanctuary and nurturance to orphans who lack parental care and could be considered as a viable form of orphan care in Ghana.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Ouerverlies en weeshuisplasing veroorsaak stres en kan die welstand van kinders negatief beïnvloed. Min navorsingstudies is egter gedoen oor die psigologiese welstand van Ghanese weeskinders wat in weeshuise geplaas word. Die gevolg is dat die impak van weeshuisplasing ná ouerverlies nie goed in Ghana verstaan word nie. Die studie is daarop gemik om die psigologiese funksionering en ervarings van kinders wat ouerloos gelaat en in weeshuise in Accra, Ghana, geplaas word, te ondersoek en dit met dié van nieweesgelate kinders te vergelyk. ’n Gemengdemetode-ontwerp met elemente van beide kwantitatiewe en kwalitatiewe benaderings is gebruik. Vraelyste is vir die kwantitatiewe data gebruik ten einde inligting te bekom oor lewenskwaliteit, stres (simptome van depressie en angs), daaglikse streswekkers of stressors, behartigingstrategieë, waargenome sosiale steun, waargenome selfbedrewendheid en veerkrag. Vir die kwalitatiewe data is opvolgonderhoude met geselekteerde weesgelate deelnemers gevoer ten einde die deelnemers se geleefde ervarings van plasing in ’n weeshuis indringend te bekyk. Doelgerigte steekproefneming is gebruik om deelnemers tussen die ouderdom van sewe en 17 jaar oud te selekteer. Die steekproef het bestaan uit 100 weesgelate kinders wat in vier weeshuise geplaas is, en 100 nieweesgelate kinders wat as steekproef uit twee openbare skole in Accra geneem is. Die kwantitatiewe data is ontleed met gebruikmaking van die t-toets, die chi-kwadraattoets, Pearson-produkmomentkorrelasieontledings, asook eenrigting-variansie- (VARO) en regressieontledings. Die kwalitatiewe data is aan die hand van inhouds- en tematiese ontledings geanaliseer. Volgens die resultate toon weesgelate kinders meer angssimptome as nieweesgelate kinders, terwyl beide groepe kinders met hoë vlakke van depressiewe simptome presenteer. Die oorheersende daaglikse stressors by beide groepe kinders is probleme by die skool, asook verhoudingsprobleme met die portuurgroep en sorggewers. Wat die weesgelate kinders betref, word verhoudingsprobleme met die portuurgroep egter as die mees algemene probleme aangevoer, terwyl nieweesgelate kinders verhoudingsprobleme met sorggewers aandui. Afgesien van die verhoogde emosionele nood, toon weesgelate kinders hoë vlakke van selfbedrewendheid en veerkrag, asook sterker persepsies van beskikbare bystand deur vriende, as wat die geval is by nieweesgelate kinders. Nieweesgelate kinders neem beduidend sterker bystand van families waar as wat die geval is by weesgelate kinders. Regressieontledings dui ook aan dat angs en bystandsoekende behartigingsgedrag by weesgelate kinders as beduidende voorspellers van lewensgehalte presenteer, terwyl depressie as ’n beduidende voorspeller van lewensgehalte by nieweesgelate kinders presenteer. Selfbedrewendheid presenteer as ’n beduidende positiewe voorspeller van veerkrag by weesgelate kinders, terwyl selfbedrewendheid en waargenome sosiale bystand as beduidende positiewe voorspellers vir veerkrag, by nieweesgelate kinders presenteer. Volgens die resultate van die tematiese ontledings van opvolgonderhoude met geselekteerde weeskinders, ontlok weeshuisplasing beide negatiewe en positiewe ervarings. Weeshuise skep struktuur, koestering, ’n veilige tuisomgewing en kanale vir positiewe portuurgroepverhoudings, en gevolglik ’n gevoel van samehorigheid, ofskoon hierdie instansies ook met finansiële beperkings en verhoudingsprobleme met portuurgroepe en versorgers verbind word. Verder blyk dit dat die Christengeloof-oriëntasie van die weesgelate kinders die welstand van die weeskinders bevorder. Die aangebode studie lewer bewys dat sowel die weesgelate as die nieweesgelate kinders kwesbaar is vir psigologiese nood. Gevolglik word intervensies vir beide groepe kinders aangedui. Die studie toon verder dat weeshuise ’n toevlugsoord en versorgingsplek bied vir weeskinders wat nie ouerlike sorg ontvang nie, en dat dit as ’n lewensvatbare vorm van weeskindsorg in Ghana beskou kan word.

Detta är en kvalitativ studie vars syfte är att synliggöra barns uppfostran på ett barnhem i Ghana ur ett utomkulturellt perspektiv. Studien tar ansats i globaliserings- och socialiseringsbegrepp. Den fysiska disciplineringen är en del av socialiseringsprocessen i Ghana, vilket strider mot Barnkonventionen. I denna studie uppmärksammas de motsättningar som kan uppkomma när Barnkonventionen ska implementeras i ett utvecklingsland samt den omedvetenhet som finns kring barns rättigheter. Genom kvalitativ forskning får ni ta del av en volontärs och det inhemska folkets perspektiv på barnuppfostran på ett barnhem i Ghana.
This is a qualitative study whose aim is to highlight the children's upbringing in an orphanage in Ghana from a different cultural perspective. The study’s approach is based on globalization and socialization theories. The physical disciplining is part of the socialization process in Ghana, which is contrary to the CRC. This study highlights the contradictions that might arise from the CRC when implemented in a non-Western country and the unconsciousness of childrens rights in a country as Ghana. Through interviews and observations, you will benefit from both my, the volunteer, and the indigenous people's perspective on raising children in an orphanage in Ghana.