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<p>The growing prevalence of grandparent-headed households has become a significant social reality in rural Zimbabwe, driven by parental migration, HIV/AIDS-related mortality, and economic hardship. While existing research has largely centred on the burdens faced by elderly caregivers, limited attention has been paid to children’s own lived experiences. This phenomenological study explores how children growing up in grandparent-headed households in Nkayi District interpret and navigate everyday life. Guided by Ecological Systems Theory, in-depth interviews were conducted with 20 children aged 10–18&#xa0;years and 10 grandparent caregivers. The findings reveal a paradoxical childhood experience characterised by profound emotional security, care, and belonging within grandparental relationships, alongside persistent structural vulnerability. Children reported chronic poverty, food insecurity, disrupted schooling, early assumption of adult responsibilities, and heightened gendered risks, particularly in mining communities. Despite these challenges, children and caregivers demonstrated resilience through household livelihood strategies, kinship ties, and community and NGO support, related to the systems prevalent in the Ecological Systems Theory. The study contributes novel insights by foregrounding children’s voices and illustrating how resilience and vulnerability are co-constructed across relational, institutional, and structural contexts. These findings underscore the need for child-centred social protection and educational interventions that strengthen both material support and psychosocial well-being in grandparent-headed households.</p>

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Exploring the lived experiences of children raised by grandparents in Nkayi District, Zimbabwe

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

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  • 发表日期：

    2026年8月5日

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  • Phumuzani Mpofu,
  • Mthokozisi Moyo

摘要

The growing prevalence of grandparent-headed households has become a significant social reality in rural Zimbabwe, driven by parental migration, HIV/AIDS-related mortality, and economic hardship. While existing research has largely centred on the burdens faced by elderly caregivers, limited attention has been paid to children’s own lived experiences. This phenomenological study explores how children growing up in grandparent-headed households in Nkayi District interpret and navigate everyday life. Guided by Ecological Systems Theory, in-depth interviews were conducted with 20 children aged 10–18 years and 10 grandparent caregivers. The findings reveal a paradoxical childhood experience characterised by profound emotional security, care, and belonging within grandparental relationships, alongside persistent structural vulnerability. Children reported chronic poverty, food insecurity, disrupted schooling, early assumption of adult responsibilities, and heightened gendered risks, particularly in mining communities. Despite these challenges, children and caregivers demonstrated resilience through household livelihood strategies, kinship ties, and community and NGO support, related to the systems prevalent in the Ecological Systems Theory. The study contributes novel insights by foregrounding children’s voices and illustrating how resilience and vulnerability are co-constructed across relational, institutional, and structural contexts. These findings underscore the need for child-centred social protection and educational interventions that strengthen both material support and psychosocial well-being in grandparent-headed households.