It has now been three weeks since I arrived in Addis, and
already I have learned much about the situation of orphans and vulnerable
children in Ethiopia, as well as the obstacles they face in transitioning out
of care and reintegrating into the outside community. After many long conversations and meetings with various NGOs
and care institutions here, this is the general picture of the future of those
children growing up in care institutions:
First, most institutions in Addis are orphanages whose main
goal is international adoption for their children. As they grow older, their chances of adoption grow
slim. Many of the orphanages that
focus on adoption do not have plans for children who have grown too old for
adoption, and the children keep hoping and dreaming that they will leave
Ethiopia one day. Some care
institutions move children to group homes after a certain age, or try to
reintegrate them with their extended families.
Some care institutions are not interested in adoption. These institutions can be private and
well-funded (like Selam Children’s Villages) or public institutions (like Kolfe
and Kechene orphan homes). The
private institutions usually have an organized plan for transition and
reintegration, including gradual transitions to independent living,
scholarships for university, vocational training, etc. The public institutions are
overpopulated and understaffed, and often do not have the funding or the
manpower to thoroughly address the issues that these children will face outside
of the only home they have ever known.
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| Imagine growing up in a compound with lots of other kids, then being asked to make a life on your own in the big city |
The challenges that these children will face when they age
out of care are many. The biggest
challenge seems to be the culture shock that they encounter as soon as they
leave the institution. Many of
these children have been isolated in these care institutions for their entire
lives. They often do not have the
social skills necessary for community life in Ethiopia, which is a different
culture than the in which they grew up; this seems to be especially true for
young people from large institutions that have a more dormitory living
arrangements. Some institutions
work with a village model, raising the children in homes of 8-10 that
effectively function as family units.
Still, the children in these village-based organizations have very
little contact with the surrounding communities and have developed a certain
set of social skills that allowed them to function within the
institution but not outside.
Without social and cultural education, these young people often find it
challenging to integrate themselves into the city of Addis Ababa.
A complementary challenge to transition comes from Ethiopian
community-based culture itself.
Most children in Addis grow up in a community in which their family is
established. They often do not
move far from that community, even when they reach adulthood. People do not
move to new neighborhoods and communities like we do in the United States. Young people leaving care must find
homes in established communities and they are often viewed as invaders. Because no one knows who they are or
much about their background, the community often does not trust or engage with
these young people. Being an
orphan or an unsupported youth in Ethiopia also carries its own stigma. They are often seen as delinquents,
which creates another barrier to community integration. Keep in mind that when these youth
leave care, they are also leaving behind their entire social network. It’s often not an option for these
young people to come back to the community in which they grew up except for
short visits. In a culture and
society so focused on communal interaction, this kind of social isolation can
be psychologically and emotionally devastating.
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| Communal culture is even reflected in the food. Everyone eats from the same plate; there are no such things as "single servings" in Ethiopia |
The social and cultural challenges that these young people
face are difficult enough, but often added to this burden is lack of support in
securing basic needs. Some youth
attend university, some get vocational training. The quality of education is variable, depending on not only
an individual’s academic performance but also on how much financial support
they get from their institution.
Because Addis attracts many people from all regions of Ethiopia and
because the youth are the fastest growing population in Ethiopia, there is a
shortage of good jobs. Many young
people cannot get a job for at least a year after graduating from college. If and when young people do find work,
they often do not make enough to support themselves. It is common for young people to live with their parents
after they have graduated from university or vocational school until they get
married—a good 2-6 years. Without
the support of a family system to fall back on, many orphaned and unsupported
youth are forced to take job opportunities that others pass up—jobs that are
low-paying. Some institutions do
support their former residents by giving them housing and food allowance, but
these are in the minority.
Fortunately, the Ethiopian government is finally realizing
that there is a service gap in reintegration and transition support. Along with moving away from the
traditional dormitory/orphanage model of care for unsupported or orphaned
children, the government is trying to incorporate models of care that mimic
community and village life. UNICEF
Ethiopia is also collaborating with Kolfe and Kechene orphanages in Addis on
reintegration education and support programs, though the funding and results of
their efforts are still unclear.
All of this information has come from administrative staff
of various NGOs and care institutions here in Addis Ababa. I am very interested to hear from those
individuals who have transitioned into the city of Addis about their own
experiences, to hear their own individual stories.
If you are interested in learning about the organizations
with which IOFA will be working with this summer, here is a list. Each is doing great work and deserves
to be known.
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