EFFECT OF COUNTY GOVERNMENT SUPPORT ON PERFORMANCE OF ORPHAN AND VULNERABLE CHILDREN HOMES IN NAKURU COUNTY, KENYA

Abstract

The number of orphan and vulnerable children in the developing world has reached crisis proportions. The number of orphaned children in Sub-Saharan Africa has increased, putting a strain on the ability of many countries to care for them. Therefore, the sought to establish the effect of County government support on implementation orphan and vulnerable children homes in Nakuru County, Kenya. The study adopted the stakeholder theory. The target population of the study was 188 respondents responsible for daily activities in the children homes from the 38 registered and operational children homes in the county. The sample size was 128 respondents obtained using Tora Yamane’s formula. The data was collected through the administration of structured closed-ended questionnaires. Content validity in the study questionnaires was achieved through expert judgement of the research supervisors. The Cronbach’s Alpha test was used to test the reliability of the instruments with a threshold of greater than 0.7. Descriptive and inferential statistics was used to analyze data. The results of the study were presented in tables, figures and frequency tables. The study revealed that the support provided by the county government is enough to enable the children home run without facing challenges. The study concluded that there is a moderate positive correlation relationship between county government support and performance of orphan and vulnerable Children homes in Nakuru County, Kenya (r = 0.469; p=0.000). The study recommended that county governments should adopt structured policies that guarantee predictable funding for OVC home, focusing on healthcare, education and food security.