Eritrea: Collective Responsibility
for War Orphans
0
Z               q            >    efore the thirty-year conflict  As a result of the thirtv-year var, the
between Ethiopia and Eritrea,  number of children Nvho lost both par-
the concept of "orphans" as usu-  ents increased in geometric propor-
ally defined in wvestern societies, wvas  tions. At the same time, the social
virtually unknowvn. The only exception  structure of the traditional societ wvas
was children who had been abandoned  grossly disrupted. As a result, the in-
for various reasons and *vere cared for  digenous practices of caring for unac-
in institutions (orphanages) supported  companied children no longer func-
by foreign church agencies. Within tra-  tioned, and the Eritrean administration
ditional Eritrean society, it was gener-  had to make special provisions of group
ally assumed to be self-evident that  care as long as the war lasted. Immedi-
children who had lost both parents   ately after independence, a nation-
would be taken in by members of the  wide survev conducted by the Social
extended family; or if no relatives  Affairs Authority of the newly-formed
could be traced, they were taken in by  Eritrean government determined that
neighbors or family friends. Children  a total of at least 14,000 children be-
who had lost both parents automati-  low the age of sixteen y'ears had lost
No. 50                  cally become members of the new fam-  both parents due to the violence of
November 2002                 ily and had all the rights and responsi-
bilities of other children in the same  LK Notes reports periodically on
family. This "grass-roots" pattern of  Indigenous Knowledge (1K) initiatives
earing for children in urgent need of  in Sub-Saharan Africa and occasionally
caring for children in urgent need Of 
on such initiatives outside the Region.
protection was wide-spread throughout  It is published by the Africa Region's
the country, and especially in village  i Knowledge and Learning Center as
part of an evolving IK partrnership
communities and among the nomads.   '      of an evolv   panership
between the WVorld Banlk, communi-
Because the process was taken for     ties, NGOs, development institutions
granted, no formal agreements or legal  and multilateral organizations. The
viewvs expressed in this article are
documents were required, and adoption  those of the authors and should not be
and foster care were alien concepts.  attributed to the WNTorld Banlk Group
or its partners In this initiative. A
''QC>/°O' sSD stt49>>                                       i webpage on IK is available at /
wvw.Nvorldbank.org/afr/ik/
default.htmin



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war; and that, in addition, a minimum of 100,000 children  been able to provide decent family environments for many
were in need of special protection because their surviving  thousands of unaccompanied children by relying on, and
parents were no longer able to provide the basic necessities  slightly modifying, traditional practices of child care that
of food, shelter and educational opportunities for their chil-  have been an implicit part of indigenous Eritrean culture for
dren. In order to help, foreign NGOs and church organiza-  centuries. At the same time, the Authority of Social Affairs
tions began to construct or rebuild and enlarge orphanages  was able to resist the well-intentioned but culturally alien
in population centers, and made a concerted effort to intro-  proposals for international adoption of Eritrean children
duce the concept of adoption to foreign countries and foster  (without or with parents) that, according to past experience
care as the strategies that were wvidely accepted as the pre-  often had serious consequence that were not in the best in-
ferred remedies of caring for unaccompanied children. How-  terests of the children.
ever, the social service agencies in Eritrea had had very  Despite extended and prolonged searches it was, however,
negative experiences with foreign adoptions during previous  not possible to trace the extended families of all war or-
occupations. Therefore, they rejected all offers of help that  phans. Therefore, an alternative plan was implemented in
involved adoption.or foster care, and made concerted efforts  parallel to provide protection for children who could not be
to close all orphanages as soon as possible. Instead, they for-  reunified with their own extended families. Small group
mulated a nation- wide plan for the rescue and rehabilitation  homes are now being constructed in the various zones of the
of unaccompanied children that was largely built on indig-  country. They are designed to provide decent physical and
enous practices of child care.                        social environments for twelve children who live together
The main component of this plan was the reunification of  with one or two permanent surrogate house mothers. Wher-
orphans and other unaccompanied children with their ex-  ever possible, orphaned siblings are assigned to the same
tended family. A nation-wide search was implemented to  group home, and any group of twelve children living in one
first trace the extended families (aunts, uncles, grandparents  small group home is deliberately selected so that they will
and the like), and then to select those members of the ex-  be of different ages ranging from two to sixteen years, so
tended family who were in the best position to provide the  that over time they, together with their house mother, will
children with the necessary economic and social protections  form their own new extended family. Moreover, children are
However, most of the families, including those in relatively  placed in group homes close to their village or towvn of ori-
good economic circumstances, had been so impoverished by  gin, so that in time they will be reintegrated into their owvn
the 30 years of Nvar that accepting one or more children  communities. The alternative plan is still in relatively early
would have imposed unacceptable additional burdens on  stages of development, but monitoring of the group homes
their lives. An income-generating scheme was therefore de-  that have been in existence for at least two years indicates
vised and implemented whereby every potential host family  that they appear to be very successful in addressing the
that accepted one or more children received financial assis-  needs of the children. Like the reunification program, the
tance in kind that would enhance their economic capacity in  group homes are based on indigenous traditions of child care
accordance with their usual means of livelihood. For example,  in which the larger community, rather than the nuclear fam-
farmers were given one or more cows, a plough or several goats.  ily takes on the responsibility of caring for children who have
Town dwellers received materials that would allow them to  no parents and are in need of special protection.
open small stores or start up cottage industries.
This program of reunification by means of income enhance-
ment has now in place for at least seven years. it is carefully  The source for this article is the Ministry of Labour and
monitored to ensure that the material assistance is used for  Human Welfare, Government of Eritrea, Asmara, Eritrea. The
its intended purpose and does in fact provide economic and  article was written by Peter H. Wolff, M.D., Harvard Medical
social protections for the reunified children and the host  School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. For more information,
families. In short, the Eritrean social service agencies have  e-mail wolff_p@tch.harvard.edu