ANALYSIS OF THE IMPACT OF EXISTING INTERVENTION PROGRAMMES ON PSYCHOSOCIAL NEEDS: TEENAGE ORPHANS’ PERCEPTIONS

The study examined teenage orphans’ perceptions of the adequacy of provisions by various support systems in an effort to meet their psychological needs. The aim was to get feedback from a category of beneficiaries of psychosocial support in Zimbabwe. The target population was teenage orphans who have lost both parents. This group was chosen as their situation tends to be more complex, compounded by their stage of development (adolescence). A sample of sixty teenagers (twenty-five males and thirty-five females) was sampled from both rural and urban settings in Bindura district, in Mashonaland Central province. The participants were all high school learners at four schools in the district. Random sampling was used to select the participating schools and teenagers. The study was a descriptive survey which employed both quantitative and qualitative methodology. A questionnaire and follow-up interviews were the main data collection methods which complemented each other very well. The methodology was very suitable for the study as it enabled the researcher to collect data from a large number of respondents in a very short space of time. Issues of validity and reliability were well taken care of through a trial run. The questionnaire was tested through the inter rater method, scoring a very high reliability coefficient. Results of this study revealed to a gap between what programmes offer and preferences of the teenage orphans. It was very clear that most support systems concentrate on material provisions such as food handouts, clothing and shelter. Much as these contribute towards comfort, teenage orphans’ perceptions showed a different line of thinking. They cited psychological needs as more critical in addressing their plight. Needs such as emotional attachment, mothering, and not just a mother figure, where they can reliably get seemingly small affect responses such as a hug, smile, a listening ear and a true sense of belonging in a family. Opportunities for participation in decision making especially where issues that relate to orphans are discussed and desire for recognition in leadership roles were also highlighted as critical psychosocial needs. The major recommendation thus, focused on persuading organisations working with Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC). to create more opportunities that directly involve the clientele. The victims should be allowed to take active part in decision making processes at various levels of programming for OVCs. They should be involved in planning, implementation and monitoring of programmes targeting them.