Caregivers'barriers to sustainable utilization of income generating funds for orphans and vulnerable children in the Oshikoto region of Namibia
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Date
2020
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Abstract
Globally, the concept of ―home-based caregivers‖ have mostly been used in the health sector to describe those caregivers that support the elderly people, the disabled, orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) as well as the HIV/AIDS and TB affected patients in hospitals and communities. In Namibia, the need for empowering the OVC is anchored in Namibia‘s long-term and midterm developmental plans such as Vision 2030, Harambee Prosperity Plan, National Development Plans (NDPs) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The aim of this study was to explore the caregivers‘ barriers to sustainable utilization of income-generating funds for orphans and vulnerable children in Oshikoto Region, Namibia. The study addressed two research questions, namely: what are the caregivers‘ barriers to sustainable utilization of income-generating funds for orphans and vulnerable children in the Oshikoto Regions of Namibia; what strategies could be employed to address the caregivers‘ barriers to sustainable utilization of income-generating funds for orphans and vulnerable children in Oshikoto Region, Namibia.
The study employed a qualitative approach because it allowed the researcher to explore and better understand the complexity of a phenomenon under investigation. The target population of this study was all funded home-based caregivers‘ and Income Generation Activities (IGA) trainers in Oshikoto Region who have participated in the Ministry of Gender Equality and Child Welfare (MGECW) Income Generation Support Programme between 2007-2017. Cluster sampling was used to select a sample from thirteen regional constituencies. A mixture of semi-structured and open-ended questions helped the researcher to elicit information regarding participants‘ perceptions, experiences and feelings on barriers that hinder them from using the Income-Generation Fund sustainably. The data collected from the participants was analyzed following an inductive analytical process by extracting themes and categories that emerged from the data. The findings of the study revealed how IGA funds improved the livelihood of beneficiaries in Oshikoto Region. It appears that the funds provided amongst others, the following support for families and dependents: self-reliance, ability to buy food, school uniforms and the ability to pay schools fees and basic services. However, there were negative perceptions of the IGA. It seems that some beneficiaries did not find the IGA funds useful. 65 % of the participants explained that IGA funds were inadequate in terms of materials needed to start the projects while others asserted that their projects closed down because the IGA funds were not sufficient. The barriers that hinder the sustainable utilization of income-generating funds for OVC in Oshikoto Region are: lack of marketing; high competition; lack of initiatives; lack of self-driving effort; withdrawal from the group projects; lack of transport; lack of space for business operations; lack of capacity building opportunities; lack of start-up capital and lack of support for local products. The caregivers‘ views regarding the strategies that could be employed to address the barriers to sustainable utilization of income-generating funds for OVC in the Oshikoto Region concern the presence of control of duplication of services in one locality, the need for education and training, the introduction of mentorship programmes and funding agricultural activities. Caregivers also highlighted the need for on-going monitoring of projects, provision of incubators, value addition and review funding and need to fund renewable energy projects. The study concluded with recommendations aligned to the transformative paradigms and Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD) approach due to its focus on the need to change the status quo of IGA beneficiaries through the provision of educational opportunities.
Description
A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Education ( Lifelong Learning and Community Education)
Keywords
Caregivers, Orphans, Vulnerable children