'Take my Child and May She Love You': 'Opting In' to Orphan Status in Central Kenya, 1860 to present
'Take my Child and May She Love You': 'Opting In' to Orphan Status in Central Kenya, 1860 to present
Development scholars and practitioners have identified a practice in which Africans seek out social services intended for orphans, even when the child in question has involved parents and in the face of stigma associated with orphanhood. Invoking orphanhood is not a new phenomenon, however. Case studies from Kenya illustrate that the practice I define as 'opting in' to orphanhood has pre-colonial roots not well understood by the Western philanthropic industry. The changing nature of Africans' claims to the often-disempowering language of missionaries, colonisers and development officials around the question of orphanhood reshapes understandings of contemporary orphan status and care.
CITATION: Prichard, Andreana C.. 'Take my Child and May She Love You': 'Opting In' to Orphan Status in Central Kenya, 1860 to present . Oxon : Taylor & Francis Group , 2024. African Studies, Vol. 83, No. 1, 2024, pp. 1-20 - Available at: https://library.au.int/frtake-my-child-and-may-she-love-you-opting-orphan-status-central-kenya-1860-present