Family and demographic investigations of sub-Saharan Africa have become increasingly concerned with the well-being of orphans, as the AIDS pandemic dramatically raises the numbers of orphans in many parts of the continent. Recent Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) show that the highest levels of orphanhood in Africa now occur in Uganda, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, all located in eastern or southern Africa, the most afflicted areas of the continent in terms of HIV. Indeed, most of the current literature on the orphan topic is devoted to these countries. Far less is known about the living conditions of orphans in other parts of the continent, including Sahelian countries such as Burkina Faso. Notwithstanding the lower prevalence of HIV in these countries, they are characterized by high levels of adult mortality.
