AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE EFFICACY OF INTERVENTIONS BY MULTI- SECTORAL ORGANISATIONS IN ENHANCING EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR SCHOOL–GOING ORPHANED CHILDREN IN GWANDA DISTRICT IN ZIMBABWE. By Ngoni Moyo A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. In the Faculty of Education at the UNIVERSITY OF FORT HARE Promoter: Dr X. Mtose November 2010 DECLARATION I hereby solemnly declare that this thesis is my own work and that it has not been submitted before in any form for another degree or examination at any university or other institution of tertiary education. Information derived from the published or unpublished work of others has been acknowledged in the text and a list of references is provided. Ngoni Moyo NOVEMBER 2010 Signed: ____________________ Date: ________ i ABSTRACT The purpose of the study was to investigate the efficacy of interventions by multi- sectoral organisations in enhancing educational opportunities for school-going orphaned children in Gwanda District in Zimbabwe. The thrust of the study was to interrogate whether these interventions addressed holistically the needs and rights of the orphans who were registered under the organisations. Using the child rights- based and human needs theoretical frameworks as a dual lens, the investigation adopted the mixed–model type of mixed methods research premised on the post- positivist paradigm. The design adopted was an across-stage mixed-model design. Data were collected from the representatives of the sample of organisations which represented the four categories of multi-sectoral organisations, namely, community- based organisations (CBOs), faith-based organisations (FBOs), Government (GOVT) and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) as well as from school-going orphans and school authorities drawn from schools which fell under each of these categories of multi-sectoral organisations. The total sample of participants comprised 4 organisation representatives, one representative for each of the four categories of multi-sectoral organisations, 426 school-going orphans and 26 school authorities. The data collection instruments were self-administered questionnaires and researcher-administered questionnaires (structured interviews). Measured on the nature and scope variable, the study found that the educational support programmes which were available to school-going orphans were superficial and constricted in scope. It was found that the educational support interventions implemented by the multi-sectoral organisations were restricted to a narrow range of school-related programmes whereas the orphans had many other unmet school needs and multiple other needs which emanated from their living conditions at home. The study found that only two of the categories of multi-sectoral organisations (CBOs and FBOs) were implementing psychosocial support programmes. It was established that all the orphans under GOVT and the NGOs were not availed with psychosocial support interventions and thus had missed out on the educational opportunities which were inherent in the psychosocial support programmes availed to their counterparts. Rated on the nature and scope variable, the conclusion was that, psychosocial support interventions were limited and fragmented in the coverage of both organisations and orphans and thus were deemed not efficacious in enhancing educational opportunities for the school-going orphaned children in Gwanda District. The study established that, measured against the determinants of ‘timeliness’, ‘adequacy’, ‘usefulness’ and ‘extent to which the identified educational support programmes were beneficial’, the educational support programmes which were implemented by the multi-sectoral organisations met the needs of orphans to some extent. The rating indicated that the educational support programmes had a low level of efficacy in enhancing educational opportunities for school-going orphaned children in Gwanda District in Zimbabwe. Furthermore, drawing from the research findings on the three variables, namely, ‘usefulness’, ‘adequacy’ and ‘extent to which the psychosocial support interventions were beneficial’, the study concluded that the psychosocial support interventions that ii were implemented by the two categories of multi-sectoral organisations (CBOs and FBOs) met orphans’ psychosocial needs to some extent. The study found that, because the school fees/levies intervention had a greatly increased effect on attendance, retention and completion trends, overall, the educational support interventions which were implemented by the multi-sectoral organisations had a greatly increased effect in enhancing school participation trends for the school-going orphaned children in Gwanda District in Zimbabwe. However, the conclusion drawn was that the increase in school participation trends entailed increased access to school and retention in school, which, however, did not result in a match in increased educational opportunities per se. The overall conclusion to the study is that the educational support interventions that are implemented by the multi-sectoral organisations have a low level of efficacy in enhancing educational opportunities for the school-going orphaned children in Gwanda District. Psychosocial support interventions are non-existent for the majority of the orphans who are registered under the multi-sectoral organisations in Gwanda District. Where these are available, the conclusion is that they are not efficacious in enhancing educational opportunities for the orphans. The study concludes that the interventions which are implemented by the multi-sectoral organisations do not address holistically the needs and rights of the orphans. Among the recommendations made is that the participation rights of children should be respected by stakeholders who are providing them with social protection and that in this regard, the orphans should be involved in the planning, monitoring and evaluation of interventions that aim at enhancing educational opportunities for them. It is also recommended that a study be done on social protection in the education sector, country-wide, to establish the extent of the response to the orphan crisis, as well as the impact of the response on educational opportunities for school-going orphans. Key words: investigation; efficacy; interventions; enhancing; multi-sectoral organisations; educational opportunities; school-going orphaned children iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The successful completion of this thesis was a result of the support of many people. My gratitude goes first and foremost to my supervisor, Dr X. Mtose, who guided me on the “how” of thesis construction. Her encouraging comments at every stage motivated me to work harder. I am most grateful to her for the professional nurturance and her firm, friendly, collegial style of supervision. I am indebted to her for the courage and intellectual stamina she demonstrated by entering the forest of my study and managing to prune it to a shrub. I was intrigued by the way she engaged with my study right from the onset and the consistent dialoguing that opened my mind. I found her attention to writing skills details very unique. In particular, the roadmap skills and the crossover skills she insisted on. These are skills I shall practise and cherish in my professional career. The inspiration I got from the working retreat at East London, courtesy of her, cannot go unmentioned. It made a whole world of difference! Doc, your care – I felt it, and it propelled me to withstand the pain and work harder. May God bless you abundantly so that your intellectual talent can continue to make a difference in the lives of the many scholars who will pass through your hands in the quest for knowledge. Secondly, I am grateful to Professor A. Shumba for illuminating the path from topic construction through the proposal stage. It was through his assistance that I was equipped to face the Higher Degrees Committee boldly. I also owe him the track changes skills which gave me connectedness with the supervisor even when I was beyond the borders. God bless you, Prof. Thirdly, I am grateful to the University of Fort Hare, for accommodating me into the PhD Programme and to the Govan Mbeki Research Development Centre for the financial assistance that sustained me throughout the three years. Fourthly, I am grateful to the School of Post Graduate Staff Team, namely, Prof. G. Moyo, Prof. M. J. Matshazi, Dr. Byron Brown, Prof. S. Rembe, and Dr. N. Duku for organising the “Dry-run” sessions and being facilitators at numerous other research skills support sessions which gave me grounding in the research process. My gratitude is also extended to the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Zimbabwe, for granting me study leave for a three-year period. I am most grateful to the editor, Bevelyn Dube, for giving my work professional finesse. I am greatly indebted to Mr Patrick Senderayi, “the scholar”, for engendering the all- important term, ‘efficacy’, in this thesis and for the numerous consultations made with him throughout the dissertation process. My gratitude also goes to my “classmates”, Dr Alfred Makura, Dr Reuben Tshuma, Wellington Samkange, Mabhena Mpofu, Simon Taukeni, Gladwin Bhebhe, Jenny Shumba, Joyce Mathwasa, Faith Tlou, Elizabeth Mekee, Servious Mutopa, Pesanayi Gwirayi and Denias Muzenda who, through their commitment to their own work, showed me that it was possible to complete the onerous journey. Dr Alfred Makura, iv “the great teacher”, deserves special mention for