Orphanhood and the Conundrum of Humanitarian Intervention
Orphanhood and the Conundrum of Humanitarian Intervention
This chapter details the evolution of the global and national response to AIDS orphanhood and its unintended consequences. Drawing on critical humanitarian studies in order to examine the effects of OVC targeting, this chapter details the development of the definition of orphans and vulnerable children (OVC), as well as its cultural translations. It argues that OVC targeting reified vulnerability as an ironically privileged and empowered childhood identity, in which orphanhood can actually raise the status of a child who has lost a parent precisely because orphans are made objects for intervention. Amidst scarce aid resources, then, children and families in need must adjust strategies to meet the criteria for vulnerability that might gain them access to such resources, thereby creating an untenable demand for orphan services.
Keywords: critical humanitarian studies, development, humanitarianism, international aid, orphan crisis, OVC, vulnerability
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