The involvement of extended families in the wellness of orphans in a primary school in Masvingo city in Zimbabwe

D.Phil. (Career and Life Orientation)The study focuses on how extended families are involved on the wellness of orphans at a primary school in Masvingo City in Zimbabwe. Through an ethnographic research design, the study aimed to establish the involvement of extended families and challenges they face in rendering support and care to orphans. This study draws an intensive ethnographic research interrogative approach through observations, interviews, researcher made test and document analysis in order to establish the challenges by orphans and extended families and how these challenges may impact on orphans wellness. By using an integrative lens the researcher was mainly trying to get a better perspective of looking at the four wellness dimensions of orphans in a much broader way. An integrative framework lens namely Ubuntu, Bronfenbrenner’s bio- ecological systems theory and Maslow’s hierarchy of needs were mainly used to try and get a broader/better perspective of how extended families are involved in caring for orphans. Five orphans, five extended family heads, one school guidance and counselling teacher, one Social Welfare officer and one Non-governmental officer where purposively selected. The main data gathering instruments were; two researcher-made Mathematics tests, a teacher made test, a questionnaire with open-ended questions, observations and interviews. Interviews with the school guidance and counselling teacher were also conducted to establish learners’ performance, class attendance as well as homework assistance rendered to learners by their parents or guardians. An analysis of attendance trends of learners using class teachers’ registers was done. Mathematics Test were also analysed to establish the intellectual wellness of orphans. Data was analysed manually through hand coding and categorizing of ideas, which eventually formed themes to this study. The findings revealed that extended families are encountering a lot of difficulties during their involvement in caring for orphans. Difficulties included provision of physical needs, accommodation, and assistance with academic work. Moreover, the caregivers were in their seventies and too old to provide quality care. Voices of extended family heads, wished that projects like Isheanopa (The Lord provides) initiated by one school to support orphans, be extended to other schools within the city in order to alleviate the burden experienced by extended family heads