INSTITUTIONALIZED CHILD CARE IN URBAN SOUTH AFRICA

CHAPTER IX
CONCLUSION
After the Study
My time at the center was both informative and intimate, and the time of my
departure was difficult for many of the children to process. Some of the younger kids
asked for the date of my next visit, to which I told them that I hoped to come back soon,
but that I wouldn’t be able to know how soon. They recommended coming back a month
later. It became clear that I had established a long-term personal relationship with the
center and its children and staff. I had first visited as a volunteer, then as a researcher. For
the most part, however, the children saw me as simply a familiar presence, apart from
whichever role I happened to be occupying at the moment. It was difficult for me to leave
without knowing for sure when I would be able to visit again, and similar to my last
departure, I hoped it would happen before the kids had grown up significantly.
Key Lessons and Findings
Many of my observations made at the center allowed me to create a portrait of its
daily operations, its operating principles, and its challenges. These were some of my key
discoveries:
• An appropriately nuanced understanding of institutions for orphans and
vulnerable children must also include an understanding of what it means to be an
orphan in that specific culture.
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