ABSTRACT
In the last fifty years, many African countries have collected data on orphanhood through their censuses. Given their increasing availability, thanks to databases such as IPUMS, it is surprising that such data remain scarcely exploited. Drawing on these IPUMS samples and on additional tabulations gathered mainly from published reports. This chapter provides three illustrations of the relevance of censuses to research on orphanhood. It examines the trends in orphanhood prevalence and argues that census estimates, along with those derived from household surveys, should be used to refine model-based estimates because some discrepancies cannot entirely be explained by misreporting of orphanhood status. It then maps the spatial distribution of orphans at the district or provincial level for five countries of the Great Lakes region. Finally, it shows that census data can complement what is learned about the vulnerability of orphans from household surveys, particularly as regards their school attendance, living arrangements, and participation in the labor market.
