Horizons | Publications/Resources | Research Summary: Succession Planning in Uganda

RESEARCH SUMMARY

May 2003

Succession Planning in Uganda:
Early Outreach for AIDS-affected
Children and Their Families

Study Methods

In 1999, Makerere University and Horizons initiated a study in the Luwero and Tororo districts of Uganda, largely rural districts with small urban and peri-urban populations. The primary objective was to assess the outcomes of two different yet complementary programs being implemented by the Ugandan office of Plan, an international NGO: succession planning (SP) and orphan support (OS).

This summary describes the effects of the SP program on the actions taken by HIV-positive parents and standby guardians to plan and provide for the future of their children. To assess program effects, the researchers compared data from parents and standby guardians exposed to the SP intervention to a comparison group of parents who did not receive any OS or SP services. A subsequent publication will examine the effects of the OS program.

SP reaches HIV-positive parents, their children, and standby guardians while the family is still in a position to plan for the children’s future (see Table 1). OS serves only orphaned children and their guardians. Together, the programs form part of a continuum of care for AIDS-affected children that starts at the time of parental diagnosis or onset of illness and continues through orphanhood (Figure 1).

Table 1 Characteristics of succession planning
Target groups	HIV-positive parents Their children Standby guardians
Program components¹	Counseling for HIV+ parents on serostatus disclosure to children Creation of "memory books" Support in appointing standby guardians Legal literacy and will writing Assistance with school fees and supplies Income-generation training and seed money Training for standby guardians Community sensitization on needs of AIDS-affected children
¹Most participants received only selected components.

Figure 1: Continuum of care for AIDS affected children

Researchers conducted structured interviews with HIV-positive parents, standby guardians, and children from both study groups at baseline and two years later. At each round of interviews, all adult clients of Plan Uganda’s existing services for people living with HIV/AIDS (PLHA)(e.g., clinic- and home-based care) in the study areas were invited to participate and identify up to two of their children and one standby guardian to participate in the research.

Researchers also carried out in-depth interviews and focus group discussions with counseling aides and parents to further explore key issues. Counseling aides train, support, and assist parents in all aspects of succession planning. In addition, data interpretation workshops were held in the study communities after the first and final rounds of data collection. Counseling aides, program participants, local NGOs, government officials, and other local leaders participated. Their insights about and interpretations of the data are incorporated into this analysis.

Table 2 shows the number of respondents and selected characteristics in the cross-sectional samples for the baseline and final interviews used for the SP evaluation. The vast majority of the parent respondents were female and had lost a spouse. Within the baseline and final rounds of data collection there were no statistically significant differences between the study groups in average age, sex distribution, or marital status of the parents. Compared to the parents, a greater proportion of the standby guardians were male and currently married (44 to 75 percent).

Table 2 Characteristics of the study populations
		1999 Interview		2001 Interview
		SP group	Comparison group	SP group	Comparison group
Parents		n = 163	n = 103	n = 162	n = 118
	Mean age (yrs)	38	36	37	38
	Age range (yrs)	22-66	21-69	24-58	21-59
	Female (%)	72	79	82	86
	Widowed (%)	65	68	78	80
Standby guardians		n = 56	n = 28	n = 54	n = 20
	Mean age (yrs)	39	37	39	37
	Age range (yrs)	19-77	16-80	19-71	19-70
	Female (%)	37	50	41	30
	Widowed (%)	67	44	59	75
Older children (age 13-19)		n = 89	n = 53	n = 88	n = 57
	Female (%)	44	57	48	41

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See Also

For additional information please contact:
Horizons
Population Council
4301 Connecticut Ave. NW, Suite 280
Washington, DC 20008
Telephone: +1 202 237 9400
Facsimile: +1 202 237 8410
E-mail: horizons@popcouncil.org

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This page updated
03 January 2009