They are not always a burden: older people and child fostering in Uganda during the HIV epidemic.

This qualitative study examines the role of older people (60 years and above) in fostering decisions for orphans and non-orphans within extended families in a rural Ugandan community heavily affected by HIV. Fieldwork conducted in 2006 provided information on the influence of HIV on fostering decisions through 48 individual in-depth interviews and two group interviews with foster-children and family members to develop detailed case studies related to 13 fostered adolescents. The adolescents included five non-orphans and eight orphans (five were double orphans because they had lost both parents). Older people play a very important role in fostering decisions as potential foster-parents, advisers, mediators and gatekeepers. They have a high level of authority over the foster-children, who are regarded as important resources within the extended family. With fewer potential caregivers available because of HIV-related deaths, the responsibility for fostering orphans has often fallen to surviving older people. Fostering is used by older people and the child's extended family as a strategy to ensure the welfare of the foster-child. When the foster-parent is an older person, it is also used to ensure physical and emotional support for the older person themselves. Support from the extended family towards foster households is widely reported to have been reduced by HIV by diminishing resources that would otherwise have been made available to support foster care. New initiatives and investment are required to complement community and family resources within well-managed social protection and welfare programmes. To be effective, such programmes will require adequate investment in administrative capacity and monitoring. They must aim to strengthen families and, recognizing that resources are limited, should prioritize the community's poorest households, rather than specifically targeting households with orphans or other foster-children. Older people play key roles in fostering decisions as potential foster parents, advisers, mediators and gatekeepers. Authority: during the fostering process older people advise on, and sometimes exercise control over, family resources. Older foster parents rely primarily on the foster children and the local community to support them in times of need. Reciprocity: fostering by grandparents is used to ensure the welfare of the grandparent as well as the foster child. HIV has reduced extended family support to fostering households, but stigma has not changed the fostering process greatly.

这项定性研究考察了乌干达一个受艾滋病严重影响的农村社区中老年人（60岁及以上）在大家庭内对孤儿和非孤儿寄养决策所起的作用。2006年进行的实地调查通过对寄养儿童及其家庭成员进行48次个人深度访谈和两次小组访谈，提供了有关艾滋病对寄养决策影响的信息，从而形成了与13名寄养青少年相关的详细案例研究。这些青少年包括5名非孤儿和8名孤儿（其中5名是双亲孤儿，因为他们失去了父母双亲）。老年人作为潜在的寄养父母、顾问、调解人和把关人，在寄养决策中起着非常重要的作用。他们对寄养儿童拥有高度的权威，这些儿童被视为大家庭中的重要资源。由于艾滋病相关死亡导致潜在的照顾者减少，寄养孤儿的责任往往落在了幸存的老年人身上。老年人和孩子的大家庭将寄养作为一种确保寄养儿童福利的策略。当寄养父母是老年人时，这也被用来确保老年人自身得到身体和情感上的支持。据广泛报道，由于艾滋病减少了原本可用于支持寄养的资源，大家庭对寄养家庭的支持减少了。需要新的举措和投资，以便在管理良好的社会保护和福利计划中补充社区和家庭资源。为了有效实施，此类计划需要在行政能力和监测方面进行充足的投资。它们必须致力于强化家庭，并且认识到资源有限，应优先考虑社区中最贫困的家庭，而不是专门针对有孤儿或其他寄养儿童的家庭。 老年人作为潜在的寄养父母、顾问、调解人和把关人，在寄养决策中起着关键作用。 权威：在寄养过程中，老年人对家庭资源提供建议，有时还进行控制。 老年寄养父母在需要时主要依靠寄养儿童和当地社区来支持他们。 互惠：祖父母寄养是为了确保祖父母和寄养儿童的福利。 艾滋病减少了大家庭对寄养家庭的支持，但耻辱感并没有极大地改变寄养过程。