CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1.
Background to the study

The purpose of this project was to examine the counselling for
sustainable livelihoods with target clients (the Nigerian adolescents and
youths) in Lagos state aged between 18-30years after they have passed through
programs that support orphan and vulnerable children. This study was conducted
for professional reasons as a development 
practitioner; it is my personal conviction that livelihood analysis will
provide a basis for understanding the socioeconomic condition of orphans and
vulnerable children (OVC) and their survival strategies after an OVC program.
This includes factors that further exposes them to vulnerability and the role
of the development practitioners  in
facilitating, promoting, and compelling shared responsibility for the change
that need to happen in the socioeconomic circumstances of the OVC.  

The  choice to work on the counselling
for sustainable livelihoods of Nigerian adolescents and youths after an OVC
program was inspired by my inability to find answers from directors of some OVC
programs on what actually happens to the youths after the programs. There were
no clear records or responses on what the youths were doing to survive and
programs to continue from where OVC programs stopped. The study sought to find
out whether surviving on their own at their age (18-30yrs) will increase their
susceptibility to HIV. The findings will be shared with GCAF, other NGOs, CBOs,
FBOs, and funding organisations. There is an increase in the plight and number
of OVCs in Nigeria. The estimated number is 17.5 million OVCs, were 7.3 million
children out of them were orphaned by AIDS (Nigeria OVC Situation Analysis,
2008). One in every ten (1 in 10) children living in households are orphaned
(mother, father or both).The proportion of orphans to non- orphans are varied
by geo-political zones. Being that the population of Lagos state is high (18
million people), there is a possibility of a high proportion of orphans in
Lagos state, but currently there is no accurate estimate (FMWA Nigeria, 2008).
The alarming current situation is that the full impact of the disease is yet to
be felt.  Estimates suggests that by
2010, 25 million African children will be orphaned due to AIDS and that by
2020, an additional 55 million Africans will lose their lives to the epidemic.
This could cause devastating long-term developmental impacts on children, their
communities, and the future of these countries due to absence of adequate care
and support.

Youth orphans require different kinds of assistance when compared to
children orphans. In some ways their needs are more complex than the needs of
younger orphans because of physical and psychological development during
puberty and the steps needed to move toward independence and adulthood. The
needs of OVC vary according to age, gender, socioeconomic status, and
geography. Various studies and research tools have recently contributed to the
development of more effective and targeted strategies for specific sub-sets of
the OVC population. This study was essentially focused on youth orphans. This
study was conducted via internet search for published literature and
publications relevant to the subject matter under discourse, reading published
materials, books and journals as well as via discussion with key informants
(orphans that have previously passed through vocational skill training programs
and project officers in NGOs providing vocational skills development services
for OVC) in suburban poor communities in Lagos, Nigeria. Primarily articles
were searched and retrieved, as these were accessible, and perceived to be more
responsive to current ideas and learning.

1.2.  PROBLEM DEFINITION

Children and Youths are part of all communities. There are and will
always be children who have had the misfortune to lose parent(s). In many poor
countries like Nigeria, extended family routinely took in children from wider
family. But, in rich countries of the West, institutions were available to care
for children. Today, the increasing rate of AIDS orphaning has reached as stage
whereby former coping mechanism are collapsing in poorer countries. This has
resulted to growing number of street children roaming the streets in major
cities of poor countries like Nigeria. This is why many organizations are
springing up to fill the gap by initiating and implementing various programs to
address the problems of orphans and vulnerable children (OVC), but many of
these programs exclude youths (18-30 yrs.). The youth in this age group
have  more complex needs because of their
physical and psychological development during puberty and the steps towards
independence and adulthood.

Over the last two decades, there has been growing concern over the
effectiveness and impact of many programs that are providing support services
to OVC. These programs include the provision of support in the area of
vocational skill training, formal education sponsorship, support for
caregivers, feeding, clothing, housing, medical and psychosocial care. It is
however expected that after passing through various support programs, the OVC
will become less susceptible to HIV infection, poverty as well as be able to
cope with life within their communities. This study is therefore an attempt to
actually examine life skills programs for OVC in terms of their effectiveness,
impact, ability to follow up the OVC after they have pass through support
programs and sustainability of such programs.

There has been concern about what happens to the OVCs after they
have passed through support programs put in place by government,
non-governmental organizations, faith based organizations and others public
spirited individuals.  This project will
therefore examine various programs that support the OVCs, as well as assess
their ability to follow up the OVC even after they have passed through their
programs. The project will also examine other sources of support and strategies
adopted by the OVCs themselves to cope with life in their communities
especially after passing through various support programs.

Government policy
can impact positively in the life of orphans and other vulnerable children
especially in resource constraints setting. However, there has been concern
about the ability of the government especially in developing Sub-Saharan
African countries to put in place comprehensive policy, regulations and laws
that effectively protect the rights of the OVCs, safeguard their survival and
future in their communities. This project will also examine government policies
and laws with a view to determining their adequacy and effectiveness in
offering protection and support to the OVC.

1.3. SCOPE
OF THE STUDY

This study sought to
contribute to the global debate on young people’s livelihoods and survival
strategies. The study will identify relevant practices and resources that would
deepen the knowledge of development practitioners and influence their ability
to deliver quality services, enable them to follow up on youth orphans even
after they have passed through their program by identifying:

•    
Examples of relevant OVC
projects and “good” practice

•    
Other practice and research
resources for the field 

•    
Relevant theoretical models

1.4.
OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

The main objective
of this research was to Contribute to increase of sustainable livelihood
options of orphans and vulnerable youths of 18-30yrs in rural and semi urban
areas of Lagos state by analysing their coping strategies, current livelihood
options and career interests and to formulate recommendations. 

1.5. RESEARCH QUESTIONS

1.5.1. Main question:

What are the coping
strategies, current livelihood options and career interests of orphans and
vulnerable youths above 18 years of age in the rural /semi urban areas of Lagos
state Nigeria after an OVC program?   

1.5.2. Sub-questions:

•      
What are the livelihood assets
available for orphans and vulnerable youths?

•      
What are the strategies
developed by male and female youth orphans and vulnerable youths of 18-30yrs in
rural parts of Lagos for a sustained livelihood? 

•      
How has experiences and support
from the OVC programs contributed to orphan and vulnerable youth’s employment?

•      
What are the sources of support
available for orphans and vulnerable youths?

•      
What are the career interest of
orphans and vulnerable youths in Lagos state?

1.6.
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

The youths are the
hope of future regeneration of any society. So, whatever threatens the hope of
healthy development and future of the youths affects the hope of future
regeneration of the human race. It is therefore important, to carryout in depth
research to uncover how the youths especially the disadvantaged ones such as
the orphans, are able to cope after they have passed through support programs
and their survival strategies.

More so, the findings from this research would be of immense benefit
to the Nigerian government and its policy makers in developing policy that will
adequately address the problems of the adolescent orphans and vulnerable
children that daily roam the streets of major cities in Nigeria. The findings
from this survey will be useful to government agency implementing youth’s
welfare programs, non-governmental organizations, international development
agencies and others who may want to use the findings from the research to
improve on their OVC and youths programs. This study will be of immense benefit
to the academicians, researchers and others who may want to conduct further
research(s) on the subject matter.   

1.7. SCOPE OF THE
STUDY

This research is
being conducted by a staff of Girl Child Art Foundation(GCAF), Nigeria. Girl
Child Art Foundation, is a non-governmental organisation that works with
underserved children and youths of 8 – 30yrs. The vision is to create a culture
of professionalism, excellence, independence and social empowerment to over
10million youths especially the girl child using all forms of Arts as a basic
communication strategy. 

Currently GCAF is
interested in implementing programs for children and youths in Lagos state.
Being that there were already programs implemented for OVCs in Lagos state,
GCAF will like to know what happens to Orphans and vulnerable youths in Lagos
state after an OVC program. On this, the governing board of the organisation has
picked interest in contributing to increase of sustainable livelihood options
of orphans and vulnerable youths of 18-30yrs in rural and semi urban areas of
Lagos state. From the findings of this research, GCAF will map out responses
that will support already existing programs.

1.8. LIMITATIONS OF STUDY

Limitations during the
field work  

•      
More time was spent on trying
to source out organisations that have implemented OVC programs, because the
study could not find any contact list or websites of such NGOs.  

•      
Contacting NGOs working with
OVCs was difficult because most of the organisations did not readily accept
external investigations of their programs, especially from outside Nigeria.
Because they felt they could be indirectly investigated by their foreign donors
and they may be found wanting . 

•      
Due to the limited time period
for the data collection, it was not possible to get respondents within
organisations that required longer time for approval of such researches amongst
their past beneficiaries e.g. some government funded Orphanages.

•      
Most NGOs were not in contact
with their older OVCs except in situations where the older beneficiaries were
serving as volunteers for the organisations thereby restricting the study to
respondents that were readily available.  

•      
All the organisations contacted,
could not identify those youths orphaned by AIDS as they insisted that it was
also a form of stigmatization amongst their beneficiaries. And so was not
professional acceptable within their work policy.