Children’s villages as a functional equivalent to the ordinary family? A quantitative study among university students raised in children’s villages in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to investigate whether children's villages for orphans and children in vulnerable situations can be regarded as functional equivalent to ordinary families from the community, when it comes to promoting mental health and social wellbeing of children. Thus investigate whether children’s villages have functions and provide functions like those of an ordinary family. To analyse this question, we chose to compare the mental health and social wellbeing of university students raised in children's villages, within one organisation, with a similar group of students who have not been raised in a village. The study was made in a country in Sub-Saharan Africa and included 185 participants. In this study, a quantitative method is performed with an implemented questionnaire regarding health with the main focus on mental health and social wellbeing. The results from the student group raised in a children’s village showed no difference regarding mental health and social wellbeing compared to the group of students who have not been raised in a children's village. The results suggest that children's villages from our case study can, to some extent, act as a functional equivalent to ordinary families in respect to mental health and social wellbeing. However, mental health and social wellbeing are multifaceted areas and this study has not covered it all.