Orphans’ Mobility and Schooling in Burkina Faso: An Event History Analysis

Jean-François Kobiané, Université de Ouagadougou
Richard Marcoux, Université de Laval
Tukufu Zuberi, University of Pennsylvania

In recent years, there has been increasing interest in the well-being of orphans in Sub-Saharan Africa. Most of the current literature on that topic is devoted to countries of Eastern or Southern Africa, the areas of the continent most afflicted by HIV. Far less is known about the living conditions of orphans in other parts of the continent, including West Africa Sahelian countries such as Burkina Faso. This research uses event history data collected in Burkina Faso in 2000,from 8,644 individuals aged 15-64 at the time of the survey. While previous research found that orphans, namely double orphans, are less likely to enter school, the analysis of grade attainment reveals a paradox: orphans, particularly double orphans, perform better than non-orphans. We explore the plausible explanation for this result by examining the fosterage patterns of orphans as compared to non-orphans.