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Summary: This paper presents preliminary findings from a pilot study This paper presents preliminary findings from a pilot study in Uganda that explores a new strategy in caring for the increasing numbers of orphaned children in Africa. The strategy involves working with orphaned children while they are still with their families or caregivers within the community and combines standard reactive care with an economic empowerment component through the use of Children Development Accounts (CDAs). The strategy aims at creating and broadening asset-ownership opportunities for the orphaned children and their families, trying to reduce family breakdown, minimise school dropouts, and minimise the influx of orphaned children to the city streets. The main findings show that participants in the experimental condition - with CDAs - can and do save. In addition to having money saved for their post-primary education and/or family microenterprise investment, students in seemed to be very focused on the future, with specific future goals and aspirations. Participants mentioned the main sources of their savings were relatives/caregivers/family, and family friends, as well as from income generating activities such as raising poultry and piggery. Participants made several suggestions to the improvement of future family asset-based interventions for orphaned children in Uganda, such as expressing a need for a mentor to work with them on an on-going basis.
in Uganda that explores a new strategy in caring for the
increasing numbers of orphaned children in Africa.