Integrating Children's Savings Accounts in the Care and Support of Orphaned Adolescents in Rural Uganda

Bibliographic Data

ID10536646
AuthorsFred M Ssewamala (0000-0002-4849-5650, Columbia University, corresponding author), Leyla Ismayilova (0000-0002-0027-4824, Columbia University)
Year2009
Volume83
Issue3
Pages453-472
Publication date2009-09-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueSocial Service Review (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0037-7961 • E-ISSN: 1537-5404
PublisherUniversity of Chicago Press (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1086/605941
PMID20445763
PMCIDPMC2863345
OpenAlexW2007818349
LanguageEN
Citations received57
References cited23

This study examines an economic empowerment model of care and support for orphaned adolescents in rural Uganda. Under this model, 277 AIDS-orphaned youths (ages 11-17) from 15 comparable schools were randomly assigned to either the usual care, which involves provision of counseling and education-related supplies, or the experimental condition, in which participants also received matched-savings accounts. The analyses indicate that poor families in rural Uganda can and do save for their youths if provided with support and incentives. Analyses also locate statistically significant differences between youths in the experimental and control groups on attitudes toward saving, academic performance, educational aspirations, and health-related behaviors. The results suggest that savings-related interventions have a place in the care and support of orphaned youths in poor sub-Saharan Africa, where the number of such youths is steadily increasing

Economic growth · Economics · Socioeconomics · Homelessness and Social Issues · Microfinance and Financial Inclusion · Poverty, Education, and Child Welfare · Psychology