First Name:
Erica
Last Name:
Adelman
Major Department:
Elementary Education/History
Thesis Director:
Jeremiah Kitunda
Date of Thesis:
May 2009
There is an unprecedented problem of orphans in South Africa. This problem began with the HIV/AIDS pandemic in the mid 1990s and has since escalated. African communities were historically structured to absorb children who have lost one or both parents. However, from the turn of the 20th century, this community structure was undermined by the apartheid government, by the post-apartheid government, by poverty and by lack of HIV/AIDS education. Consequently, African communities have not been able to absorb the growing numbers of orphaned children in the 21st century. This problem can best be addressed by strengthening these communities through education and government accountability.