INSTITUTIONALIZED CHILD CARE IN URBAN SOUTH AFRICA

and reports involving South African street children. I then outline challenges and with
institutionalization. Finally, I will reveal where gaps remain in the literature.
In Chapter III, I will present my research methodology in detail, including the
rationale for my use of qualitative data, and a bit of background to the particular
institution that I have chosen to study.
Chapter IV-VII will reveal my findings. Here I will describe my observations
from my time at the center, and recurring attitudes, beliefs, and responses found
throughout my interviews. This will begin with an overview of the community dynamics
within the center and then will be continued in segments based on stages of a child’s life
and development, exploring themes related to each stage. These will include traumatic
pasts, safety and education, and the eventual transition to adulthood.
Finally, in Chapters VIII and IX, I will present my conclusion. I will describe
what aspects of the center’s work is non-negotiable in spite of all the complexities that
exist. In other words, while the choices and decisions that the center must make are often
in the middle of debates and controversies, the center must commit itself to central
principles that guide its work. These are the principles that I will identify and explore. I
will conclude by articulating the lasting implications of my observations, reconnecting
my findings to the existing literature and making suggestions for studies to come. I will
end with a series of recommendations, to the academic community, to stakeholders in
orphan and vulnerable children discourse, and to the charitable sector or NGO sphere
about how to improve communications surrounding institutionalized child care.
Researcher Background
6