INSTITUTIONALIZED CHILD CARE IN URBAN SOUTH AFRICA

Recommendations
At the beginning of this study, I noted that I would seek to end with a set of
recommendations for institutions, academics, and donors. What follows are a few of the
recommendations I am willing to make based on knowledge developed throughout my
stay at 5Cees. While these were developed in the context of 5Cees, they are meant to be
more broadly applicable. I recognize that many of these recommendations, particularly
those that call for some financial expense on behalf of the institution or donor, require
resources that are already limited. In that event, these recommendations would still apply
as things that should be appropriately prioritized towards the end goal of providing care
for OVC.
One virtue that was evidently esteemed by 5Cees was their commitment to meeting
individual needs, no matter how specific or different those may be. I saw this as a
strength and I would further recommend that other institutions should assess and meet
needs at an individual level. The range of backgrounds the children came from and their
psychological, developmental, and physical challenges was so wide that a template-based
approach to child care could not be used. Individualized approaches were applied towards
diet, education, psychological counseling, and many other services. In many cultures with
high OVC populations, including South Africa, there is a greater value placed on
uniformity and collective health. However, individual needs should be given adequate
attention, especially in light of the traumatic backgrounds experienced by many OVC,
and the fact that their effects may manifest themselves differently throughout
development.
Managing a staff is also a recurring concern for child care institutions and
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