INSTITUTIONALIZED CHILD CARE IN URBAN SOUTH AFRICA

ural parts of the developing world. Creating an observable difference between a reliable
versus unreliable organization, however, may help empower families to make more
critical decisions.
I would further recommend for institutions to cultivate donors through
educational measures. Western society is generally unaware of the differences between
orphanages in literature and popular culture and those that exist in the real world. It is
from this population, however, that many donors emerge. These donors already have a
willingness to support, and perhaps a desire to do something with a directly hands-on
aspect. While many institutions may accurately see this as a nuisance, it is also an
opportunity to educate Western donors on some of the local realities, in hopes that this
shift in perception will spread. Institutions and organizations do themselves more of a
disservice by simply adapting themselves to the Western perception of orphanhood.
Although that may have some immediate rewards due to emotion-led donations, in the
long run, it results in a less-educated donor base that is less adaptable to cultural shifts
and evolutions.
It may also be beneficial to develop a practical and consistent set of terminology.
Although linguistic development and changes are not easily manipulated, industry
standards can be enforced to a point, and that is what a new set of OVC-related
terminology would resemble. Throughout my stay, I would most often hear 5Cees
referred to as a care center, which seemed to be an accurate and descriptive word
regarding its operations. Occasionally, I would also hear it referred to as an orphanage,
which gave me the impression that it may be better to enforce further consistency. Much
debate has already been formed regarding OVC related terminology, but I would put
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