Older people as carers of vulnerable children & how cash transfers help ithungu, a 50 year old farmer

Ithungu is a 50 year old farmer from the Kasanga village found in the Western part of the republic of Uganda. Kasanga village is one of the villages under the unconditional cash transfer project that has brought us the fortune of meeting amazing people like her.

Ithungu on her farm grows cassava and irish potatoes which are mostly food crops (grown for home consumption and rarely for sale) and thus leaving her often in situations of inadequate finances. Something that affected her ability to pay school fees or medical bills for her and the children under her care made further worse due to the fact that the house under which they resided was in dilapidated conditions.

A study by Help Age International titled ‘Forgotten Families: Older people as carers of orphans and vulnerable children’ highlights recent studies proving that in SOUTH AFRICA AND UGANDA, 40% OF CHILDREN WERE LIVING WITH THEIR GRANDPARENTS, AND IN ZIMBABWE THE PERCENTAGE BEING OVER 50%.

This phenomenon across the African continent though not often talked about is popular beyond measure and often is as a direct result of vulnerable children due to social or economic reasons and an increasing number of orphans due to medical, conflict occurrences. All these thus explaining the high number of older people as carers in rural areas or displaced camps on the African continent.

The financial responsibilities for people like Ithungu come at a time when older people’s capacity to earn an income is severely compromised by their physical health, gender & age discrimination in employment and also routinely excluded from obtaining the credit they need to start a small business due to age discrimination and lack of assets to offer as security.

Unconditional cash transfers have given many the opportunity and chance as Ithungu is now able to pay school fees, access medical services and is in the process of completing permanent housing for her and the family.