INSTITUTIONALIZED CHILD CARE IN URBAN SOUTH AFRICA

hemisphere in terms of aid and charity, and a sub-Saharan African city also holds
relevance due to their centrality throughout the HIV/AIDS crisis.
The neighborhood of Hillbrow in particular is an ideal setting because of its high
population density, its reputation as an area of high criminal activity, and the urban decay
of most of its infrastructure. These conditions resemble common home environments of
orphans and vulnerable children as the world’s population grows most rapidly in
impoverished urban areas. About a seventh of the earth’s population resides in a slum,
marked by inadequate housing, a lack of services, overcrowding, and crime. (Amnesty
International, 2010) As these conditions also correlate with lower life expectancies,
poverty, and higher disease rates, there is a strong link between such an environment and
overall orphanhood or vulnerability.
The Research Question
The research questions that define and direct this project revolve around the
center as an organization and as a community– Who are the children that it cares for?
What sorts of backgrounds do they come from and how does this impact the work of the
center? What challenges do they face while living at the center? How does the center
cope? Also, what sort of future awaits the children who grow up in this setting, and of
what concern is it to the center? The reviewed literature reveals the inadequacy of simply
asking if institutions are good or bad and instead highights the importance of developing
a stronger understanding of the realities, challenges, and dynamics of places like the
center. I aim to construct a portrait of an institution and highlight certain themes to
increase a general understanding of institutionalized child care. It is my hope that this
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