Conclusion: from orphans to vulnerable children

In culminating this study on the definition of an orphan or a vulnerable child due to AIDS, it seems necessary to define this concept more clearly while adapting it to the specifics of the African context. If the definition of an orphan is relatively straightforward (a child under age 18 who has lost at least one parent), the passage from the status of orphan to the status of vulnerable child is a more complex issue which needs an exploration of the following questions in order to better grasp it:

• When a child looses a parent, is he or she automatically considered a vulnerable child?
• Should a distinction be made between parents’ death and desertion to assess a child’s vulnerability?
• Should a child cared for by the extended family or the community be considered as vulnerable?
• Given that the 0-15 years and 0-18 years age group divisions have been considered unsatisfactory until now, is it not necessary to systematically use small age group divisions to account for vulnerabilities of each age?

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