CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND OF STUDY

The orphanage homes in Nigeria have over the years been helpful to the motherless and the fatherless in Nigeria.  The burden of cast upon the communities in Nigeria by most children that have lost both parents is a cause for serious concern in Nigeria. Leaders all over the world are struggling to find care and lasting solutions for the estimated population of about 153,000,000 children worldwide who have lost one or both parents or have been separated by both parents (Whetten, Ostermann, Whetten, Pence, O’Donnell, Messer, & Thielman, 2009). The prevalence of mortality among young adults from diseases such as malaria, tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, pregnancy complications, and natural disasters are the major cause of the increasing number of orphans in Nigeria (Thielman, Ostermann, Whetten, Whetten, & O’Donnell, 2012).

Globally, there are more than thousands of children who are separated and in need of healthy living environments because their biological parents are: (a) unable to make daily provision of food, shelter, and safety, (b) forced to leave their children and find employment elsewhere, or (c) physically, psychologically or mentally unable to care for their children (Thielman et al., 2012).

According to UNICEF, (2012) stated that the majority of OSC lives in sub-Saharan Africa and Southern and Southeastern Asia, in countries with rankings of low and average on the 2009 Human Development Index, a counting measures that extends beyond economic growth and focuses on humans and their capabilities as the ultimate criteria for assessing a country’s socio economics development (United Nations Development Program, 2015). Southern and Southeastern Asia have the largest number of orphans (more than 82 million) (UNICEF, 2012), while estimates for sub-Saharan Africa indicate that over 14 million children have lost one or both parents to AIDS (UNICEF, 2012). In other words, the countries with the highest rates of OSC are also among the economically poorest and most under-resourced (Thielman et al., 2012). These countries are poorly equipped to meet the social, educational, and health care needs of orphans, which include adequate shelter, education, nutritional and psychosocial support, and health care. There are numerous negative effects of being an OSC in a resource-poor country, including traumatic grief, compromised cognitive and emotional development, less access to education, and a greater probability of being exploited for child labor (Whetten et al., 2009). Poverty extends into all areas of children’s lives and keeps children from having the security and structures required to grow, thrive, and develop. Meeting the needs of OSC is becoming more difficult as the number of potential caregivers in resource-poor countries shrinks due to increasing age-adjusted mortality (Foster, 2000; Foster & Williamson, 2000; HelpAge International & International HIV/AIDS Alliance, 2003; UNICEF, 2004; Yambedha, Wandibba, & Aagard-Hansen, 2003). OSC are in need of living environments that promote their well-being.

1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

It is believed that children raised in orphanage homes tend to be more of introverts; they keep to themselves unlike children who grew up with their natural parents. The environment in which they find themselves does not expose them to much of social life and interaction. As a result, they find it difficult to cope with the outside world. More so, there personality, choices in life, decision making and psychological development is affected. Most researchers have only dwelt there research on the certain components of quality of care and demographic factors that are linked to positive child outcomes, the current body of applicable research is limited in both quantity and scope, with no research that explores components of quality of care, such as food security, quality of shelter, quality of care giving, and access to health care services within different orphanage care settings, and whether they moderate the associations between care settings and child behavioural and social well-being. Currently, these gaps in knowledge undermine our ability to understand the specific needs and effectiveness of current orphanage homes as it affect the behaviour and social well being of children.

It is crucial to understand the effect of the orphanage homes in the behaviour and social well being of children. These insights will allow stakeholders to create new policies and practices that effectively support Orphans across all care settings.

1.3 AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

The main aim of the research work is to determine the effect of the orphanage homes on the behavior and social well being of children. The specific objectives of the study are:

1. to determine the relationship between orphanage homes, behaviour and social well being of children.
2. to examine the various factors responsible for the behaviour and social well being of children in orphanage homes.
3. to critically examine the effect of the orphanage homes in the behaviour and social well being of children.
4. to examine the morale and attitude of children raised  in orphanage homes.
5. to proffer solutions to the effect orphanage homes has on the behaviour and social well being of children.

1.4 RESEARCH QUESTION

The study came up with research questions so as to ascertain the above stated objectives of the study. The following research questions guide the objectives of the study:

1. What relationship has the orphanage homes in the behaviour and social well being of children?
2. What are the various factors responsible for the behaviour and social well being of children in orphanage homes?
3. What effect has the orphanage homes in the behaviour and social well being of children?
4. What is the morale and attitude of children raised  in orphanage homes?
5. What are the solutions to the effect orphanage homes has on the behaviour and social well being of children?

1.5 STATEMENT OF RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS

1. H0: orphanage homes have no significant effect on the behaviour and social well being of children.

2. H1: orphanage homes have a significant effect on the behaviour and social well being of children.

1.6 SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDY

Orphaned and separated children need policies and practices that improve their living environments and promote their psychosocial well-being. This study informed policy and practice in a few key ways:

First, understanding the extent to which components of quality of care predicted child behaviour and social well-being as well as the extent to which they moderated the relationships between orphanage homes and child psychosocial well-being can help inform more targeted psychosocial interventions for orphans.

Specifically, findings may help identify the relative significance of certain components of quality of care and the circumstances under which they matter most to inform targeted interventions for orphanage homes. In addition, understanding the extent to which key demographic factors moderated the relationships between orphanage homes and child’s behaviour and social well-being may also help identify the relative significance of certain demographic factors and the circumstances under which they matter most to inform targeted interventions for Orphans.

The study will give a clear understanding of what components of quality of care and key demographic factors within different orphanage homes is needed to contribute to more positive social well-being of children.

Specifically, findings of this study, may support the alternative view that particularly in under-resourced societies, the psychosocial well-being of orphans may heavily depend on the availability of certain components of quality of care rather than solely the nature of their care setting.

Overall knowledge gained from this study can provide stakeholders with insights into effectively supporting orphanage homes across a variety of care settings. Applicable research on the psychosocial well-being of orphans across both institution- and community-based care settings is scarce. Since it is reasonable to suggest that all care settings should be held to similar standards of assessment as to their suitability and necessity for orphans, more research needs to focus on the inclusion of all types of care

1.7 SCOPE OF STUDY

The study will cover the effect of orphanage home son the behaviour and social well being of children.

1.8 LIMITATION OF STUDY

1. Financial constraint- Insufficient fund tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature or information and in the process of data collection (internet, questionnaire and interview).

2. Time constraint- The researcher will simultaneously engage in this study with other academic work. This consequently will cut down on the time devoted for the research work.

1.9 DEFINITION OF TERMS

Effect: a change which is a result or consequence of an action or other cause.

Orphanage homes: An orphanage is a place where children without parents are cared for and housed. An orphanage is an institution that takes care of orphans. An orphanage will care for tiny babies and also older children without parents. Orphanages care for children until they can be placed in homes and adopted.

Behaviour:

Social well being: Social wellbeing is the extent to which you feel a sense of belonging and social inclusion; a connected person is a supported person in society. Lifestyles, ways of living together, value systems, traditions and beliefs are all important to our social well being and quality of life.

Children: A child is a person 19 years or younger unless national law defines a person to be an adult at an earlier age. However, in these guidelines when a person falls into the 10 to 19 age category they are referred to as an adolescent