Tanzania HIV/AIDS and Malaria Indicator Survey ... - Measure DHS

ORPHANS AND VULNERABLE CHILDREN 12Poverty, social disintegration, and the effects of HIV/AIDS epidemic have resulted in anincrease in the number of orphans and vulnerable children (OVCs). In Mainland Tanzania, thenumber of vulnerable children was estimated to be about 930,000 in 2006. Traditional ways of caringfor OVCs are being eroded by a number of factors, including the impact of HIV/AIDS. The challengeto communities is to find solutions to the increasing number of vulnerable children and families. Forthis reason, the 2007-08 THMIS was designed to provide data for estimating the proportion of OVCsin the population and to assess the burden they pose for households in Tanzania.In this report, an orphan is defined as a child below the age of 18 years with one or bothparents dead. A vulnerable child is a child below the age of 18 years whose parent is very sick, or wholives in a household where an adult is very sick, or who lives in a household in which a very sick adulthad died in the 12 months preceding the survey. An adult is considered very sick if he/she is too ill towork or undertake other normal activities for a period of at least three months during the past 12months.In reviewing the 2007-08 THMIS results, it is important to remember that the survey obtainedinformation only for OVCs living in households. Children who are living in institutions or other nonhouseholdsettings are not included in the OVC results. Thus, the THMIS results should be consideredas a minimum estimate of the problem of OVCs in Tanzania.12.1 CHILDREN’S LIVING ARRANGEMENTS AND ORPHANHOODThe 2007 THMIS Household Questionnaire collected information on the living arrangementsand parental survival status of children under age 18 in the sampled households. Data for de jurechildren under age 18—i.e., children under age 18 who were usual residents in the household—arepresented by background characteristics in Table 12.1. The same data are also presented for de jurechildren under age 15.Six in ten children under age 18 and 62 percent are children under age 15 are living with bothparents. This proportion is similar to that reported in the 2004-05 TDHS (63 and 61 percent,respectively. Most children who are living with a single parent live with their mother (19 percent)rather than their father (5 percent). Seventeen percent of children are not living with either parent. Tenpercent of children have lost one of their parents, and less than 1 percent of children are doubleorphans, that is, both their parents are dead. Children are twice as likely to have lost their father astheir mother (8 percent and 4 percent, respectively).Children in Mainland Tanzania are less likely than children in Zanzibar to live with bothparents (60 and 67 percent, respectively). In Mainland Tanzania, the proportion of children who livewith both parents ranges from 43 percent in Mtwara to 72 percent in Singida.Seventeen percent of children under age 18 and 15 percent of children under age 15 are notliving with a biological parent. As expected, younger children are more likely than older children tolive with a biological parent. There are small differences by the child’s sex: 16 percent of malechildren are not living with a biological parent compared with 18 percent of female children.However, more urban children (22 percent) are not living with a biological parent than rural children(15 percent). Across regions in Mainland Tanzania, Kigoma has the lowest proportion of childrenOrphans and Vulnerable Children | 151