forms of interventions. No child is left behind! Hence, various practical measures have been
taken to address the rights of orphaned children. To fulfill the right of orphans through
reunification with extended families, 78,909 orphans, including AIDS orphan, have been
reintegrated from 1993-2016 with their blood relatives and economic support has been
provided to 30,189 care-taking families in six regional administrations. A total amount of
Nakfa 448,708,285.80 was expended for this expenditure. This has minimized the long-term
social and psychological problems of orphans. It is also expected to enable orphans to adjust
and fit themselves in the society more easily and eventually become productive citizens.
332.
Adoption is also a legal procedure that establishes a new parent-child relationship or
family setting in which the rights and responsibilities of one or more parents are fully and
irrevocably transferred to one or more adoptive parents. In as much as an adoptive parent
assumes all rights and responsibilities of a natural parent, the adopted child is entitled to
inherit property just like the child belonging to the natural parents. The numbers of orphans
that were re-unified with adoptive parents through the course of 1999-2016 are 214. In
2009, a monitoring visit that aimed at assessing the living conditions of orphans revealed
that all the children were in good health and adoptive parents provided the required care,
protection, adequate diet and medical care.
333.
Community Based Group home (CBGH) also provided a family-like life style to orphan
children with the help of trained caregivers (Refer table below). This is preferred when foster
or adoptive parents are not available. Each group home cares for 12 children with a mother
and a father figure (as an assistant) and acts as a natural family. They go to local schools,
play and interact with local children and feel a sense of belonging to family and community.
Orphans not placed in extended families become eligible for placement in group homes.
Since 2010, 22 CBGHs operated throughout the country and 40 percent are in the age
bracket 5-9. While providing good care to orphans hosted in CBGH, the MoLHW is also
working to reunify orphans with the next of kin and as a result there have been measures to
downsize the number of CBGHs and the number is downsized to 11. Center based
orphanage is also considered as a last alternative and the Government effort in the last 17
years has thus been to progressively de-institutionalize them. Nonetheless, necessary care
and protection still continues to 402 children in the Government managed orphanage and the
yearly expenditure is ERN 1,800,000. Moreover, additional 5,885 orphans (out of which
3167 are females) have been supported and hosted in 11 non-governmental organizations.
Age
years
0-4
5-9
10-14
15-17
Total
2008
in Male
6
51
55
20
132
Female
Total
2009
Male
3
52
52
25
132
9
103
107
45
264
6
52
53
21
132
Female
3
51
48
26
128
Total
2010
Male
Female
Total
9
103
101
47
260
6
52
53
21
132
3
51
48
26
128
9
103
101
47
260
Table: Orphans Placed in Community Based Group Homes Source: MoLHW, 2010
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