Social capital, savings, and educational performance of orphaned adolescents in Sub-Saharan Africa

Fred M. Ssewamala, Leyla Karimli, Chang-Keun Han and Leyla Ismayilova

Children and Youth Services Review, 2010, vol. 32, issue 12, 1704-1710

Abstract: We examine the impact of social capital on savings and educational performance of orphaned adolescents participating in a family-level economic strengthening program in Uganda. Findings indicate that if given the opportunity, poor families in Uganda will use financial institutions to save for the education of their adolescent youth. Moreover, although the results are mixed, overall, adolescents with higher levels of social capital and social support, including participation in youth groups, are likely to report better saving performance compared to their counterparts with lower levels of social capital and social support. The results point to: (1) the role for family-economic strengthening programs specifically focused on improving the educational outcomes of orphaned adolescents in sub-Saharan Africa, and (2) the need for adolescents to be encouraged to participate in youth groups since these groups seem to offer the much needed supportive informal institutional structure for positive adolescent outcomes.

Keywords: Social; capital; Social; support; Family; economic; strengthening; Children; savings; accounts; Microfinance; Orphaned; children; Sub-Saharan; africa; Uganda (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2010
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (11)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:cysrev:v:32:y:2010:i:12:p:1704-1710

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