Zambia is one of the countries that have been hit hard by the HIV I AIDS pandemic. As parents die, they are leaving behind a huge number of orphans, because the pandemic is affecting mostly those in the productive age (15-45 years). Traditionally, the extended family has been absorbing orphans, but now it is getting overwhelmed since the problem has reached the level of a crisis. This is due to the fact that HIV/AIDS is eroding both the nuclear and extended family. However, even where members of the extended family are still there, it is extremely difficult for them to help due to high poverty levels in the country.
After realizing the incapacity of the extended family, the state and civil society have come in to help the children that are being orphaned. A number of interventions have been put in place to cushion the orphans that are falling through the cracks of the family, whom when not helped are likely to stop school, resort to the street, into prostitution and other harmful lifestyles. A number of studies have been done on the orphan crisis, that is, the magnitude, the interventions so far, and experiences of orphans and their guardians such as the situational analysis of 1999.
This study draws on this previously done research to investigate how current responses to the orphan crisis are meeting the needs of the female orphans. It critically analyzes the responses in order to understand whether they are effective in meeting the specific needs and greater vulnerabilities of the female orphans. Thus, the study highlights these specific needs and greater vulnerabilities to show that girls and boys experience orphan hood differently and so should not be handled as a homogenous category. The study examines the implications of a generalized approach and recommends a gender-sensitive approach in the provision of care which can make the ove programs more equitable.