Abstract
M.A. (Social impact assessment)
Despite the slight decline in adult HIV prevalence worldwide and increasing access to treatment,
the number of children who have lost their parents to HIV and AIDS has been increasing and seems
set to increase further in the future. A strong strategy to support Orphaned and Vulnerable
Children (OVC) is essential. Across Africa, leaving this task up to mainly the extended family and
communities is considered the most appropriate response by policy makers, and therefore locally
generated social capital has become the vanguard of OVC support in South Africa and many other
African countries. There is, however, general agreement that formal support for familial and
community efforts has been insufficient. In 2008 the local youth HIV prevention NGO, loveLife
launched one of the few programmes aimed at providing such support to families and communities. The
goGogetter programme’s main strategy is to assist in changing or ameliorating circumstances that
add to the vulnerability of OVC by establishing and drawing on social networks and building social
capital through elderly women participating in the “goGogetters” programme. Through the programme
the networking and support activities of the goGogetters are directed and structured around
addressing specific areas of OVC vulnerability. This study aimed to establish whether the
structured social networking of goGogetters translated into any benefit for the OVC that they
support. In a qualitative investigation a sample of 21 programme participants across three
communities in South Africa were asked to indicate the personal connections that have assisted them
to support OVC. They were also asked to provide an update on a sample of 39 OVC that they have been
supporting for the past three years to establish a change in baseline condition. The support from
their network connections was linked to their efforts to bring about improvements in OVC
well-being. Findings revealed that the social networking of participants was mainly focussed on
catering for the basic needs of OVC. As a result of actual or perceived limitations on material
resources available within these networks, this form of social capital was not of major benefit to
participants who generally tended to focus their support for OVC on activities not requiring
material resources. It was illustrated that participants have been playing the role of family
advisor and intermediary between families and authorities/social services, but that their strongest
service has been the provision of emotional support to OVC. It is recommended that funding towards
the basic needs of OVC be channelled into communities, and that the role of goGogetters be
developed to include guiding caregivers and others to improve the psychological
support provided to OVC.