Table 2 Summary of key findings.
From: Intergenerational impacts of maternal mortality: Qualitative findings from rural Malawi
Major Themes | Summary of Findings by Theme |
|---|---|
Caretaking by default after a maternal death | - Female relatives from the maternal side were routinely called upon to care for orphaned children, often without having a choice in the matter. - Maternal death often exacerbated tensions between caregivers and extended family members who did not offer support for orphaned children. - Men frequently remarried before the mourning period ended, cutting ties with the maternal family. |
Barriers to accessing high quality care | - The physical and economic challenges of accessing health centers played a role both in maternal death, and the provision of follow-up care to orphaned children. - Staffing shortages diminished the quality of care received by individuals who were able to access health centers. - Infants faced acute needs following maternal health. While health facilities provide free milk substitute for the first six months of life, these services were inconsistently available and difficult to access. - Older children faced health and nutritional risks related to protein deficiencies and low caloric intake. |
Financial hardships for caretakers and impacts on children | - Caretakers faced economic hardship, stretching limited resources to support orphaned children. - Integrating orphaned children into a family often acted as a source of tension between spouses. - Families often turned to short-term, informal labor, to absorb the immediate impacts of caring for orphaned children, which can limit a family's opportunities for financial stability and independence. - Orphaned children were often called upon to take on additional household responsibilities, with preference showed towards biological children in allocation of expenses related to school and nutrition. |
Loss of childhood for orphans, especially female orphans | - Orphaned children faced disadvantages related to educational opportunity, when families could not afford school fees and supplies. - Girl children were often expected to take on caretaking and household responsibilities, and faced pressures to find a partner at an early age in order to alleviate financial pressures on the family. - Losing a mother also had informational, emotional, and social costs for girl children. |
Government assistance and other support programs | - Many participants did not know about support available through government institutions and NGOs. - Those who did seek support, often felt it was ineffective, non-transparent or difficult to access. |