Understanding Child Fosterage in Namibia; children’s health and wellbeing in extended family contexts

Child fosterage is the non-regulated tradition in Namibia whereby a child is raised collectively; fostered-in to, or fostered-out to, extended family members away from their biological parents. When children from a lower social class enter fosterage situations they are commonly treated as household or agricultural servants. This results in less opportunities, socially and educationally for children from lower social backgrounds than children from higher social standings, impacting upon a child’s health, development and wellbeing.

This project investigates the local communities’ views and experiences of normative child-rearing practice within Namibia. It seeks to address the challenge of child neglect from a range of perspectives by investigating the levels of care a child receives within child fosterage situations, and whether this is connected to the child’s social and economic entry to and exit point from the parenting system.