INSTITUTIONALIZED CHILD CARE IN URBAN SOUTH AFRICA

line reached 21.5%. (Statistics South Africa, 2014) The ubiquitous poverty in South
Africa is widely associated with the frequent occurrence of homelessness, joblessness, or
shack residence. (Tshetereke 2009; Cross, 2008) Because of the links between this
impoverishment and the lack of suitable childcare, institutionalization is often seen as an
alternative to street activity. (Bray, 2004; Streak, 2004; Ramphele, 2002) As a result, the
institutions are often in need of resources themselves, most commonly from private
charities that serve as a safety net in the absence of politically established social
interventions. Although most of the research that has linked institutionalization with poor
quality food and malnutrition has come out of Eastern Europe in the 1990s, (Rutter,
1998) similarities in contributing factors around Sub-Saharan Africa may suggest a
similar strain on some institutions to provide adequate services. This desire to stimulate
resource donation often fuels the perpetuation of myths about contemporary orphanhood.
Greater Risk of Criminal Activity
A widely-reported link exists between the lack of resources felt by South Africa’s
OVC and a likelihood of participation in criminal activity. This link sees an especially
high correlation in urban environments around major metropolitan areas. High levels of
crime in neighborhoods of Cape Town, Johannesburg, Pretoria, or Durban are suggested
to come out of a culture of criminality that has been psychologically bred by apartheid.
(Whyte 2010; Shaw & Gastrow, 2001) South Africa’s urban neighborhoods and
townships have served as recent epicenters of the growth in violence. Such crime and
violence has had a pronounced effect on South Africa’s youth. Due to the AIDS
epidemic, over a quarter of the nation’s population is below 24. This makes youth
41