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Article Title: Sustainability of the Role of Extended Families on Orphan Care in the Era of HIV and AIDS in the Zimbabwean Society
by Mafumbate Racheal

Abstract:
The objective of this study was to explore and establish the Sustainability of the role of extended families on orphan care in the era of HIV and AIDS in the Zimbabwean Society. Five orphans and five extended family heads were purposively drawn from Mucheke suburb, in Masvingo City. An intensive ethnographic research interrogative approach through observations, interviews, and open ended questions, was to get a better perspective on the sustainability of the role of extended families on orphan care in the era of HIV and AIDS. Interviews were conducted with orphans and extended family heads. Ethical considerations were observed by the researchers. An integrative framework lens namely Ubuntu, Bronfenbrenner's bio- ecological systems and Maslow's hierarchy of needs theory was mainly. Data was analysed manually through hand coding and categorizing of ideas, which eventually formed themes to this research study. The findings revealed that extended family heads are encountering accommodation problems due to overwhelming number of orphans. Additionally, they are aged to provide for quality care to orphans due to an increase in the number of orphans as confirmed by UNAIDS (2004). The study also established that extended family heads needed traditional ways of caring fororphans to be revived since this was viewed as another component of easing the burden of orphans caring on extended family heads. The study was limited in its geographical coverage and scope, hence, the findings can neither be generalised to other provinces nor to the entire population of Zimbabwe. In view of that, it is therefore, recommended that, the study should be replicated on a national sample of orphans. In this way, a broader and more comprehensive perspectives and understanding will be gained on the Sustainability of the role of extended families on orphan care in the era of HIV and AIDS in the Zimbabwean Society.

Keywords: sustainability; extended families; orphan; care; dynamics

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