Orphans and Vulnerable Children - CRIN

1 What is Succession Planning?

In this activity, you will:

 Define what succession planningmeans and why it is important

Facilitator’s notes:

In this activity you will define what succession planningmeans and what it entails.

Many orphans and vulnerable children become entangled in complicated situations, due to the lack
of succession planning by their late parents or guardians. This often results in their possessions and
property being grabbed by greedy relatives or neighbours, leaving young children very vulnerable and
powerless. HIV/AIDS has created a situation where many households are run by child-headed
families, due to the death of both parents. These orphans are rendered vulnerable due to the lack
of adult support to fall back on. In addition to the lack of parental guidance and care, they do not
have the means or the power to maintain the homestead in the face of the claims of others.

As well as losing the physical possessions belonging to their family, some of these orphans (especially
the very young) grow up having no knowledge of their social or historical background and cultural
heritage because they do not know who their parents, their clan or tribe were. Home visitors can
help families to protect the inheritance rights of their children and to preserve their family history
and memories by helping parents to:
 Write wills
 Make memory books and boxes
 Prepare for a guardian to take over the children after the parents die.

For this activity you will need:

 Flipchart

 Stick it pads

To facilitate this activity:

1 Divide the participants into pairs and ask them to discuss what they understand by succession
planning. Each pair should write their responses on stick it notes and stick them up on the
flipchart. When they have finished this exercise, discuss the responses with the group and give
them the definition in your notes.

2 Then, open a discussion with the group on why succession planning is important. From your
notes, outline the strategies that can be taken by parents to plan for their children’s future.
Tell the group that these will be covered in the following sections of this topic.

Succession planningrefers to a person making plans on how their assets (property

and possessions) should be handled after they die. It also refers to planning for who will

take over guardianship of the children.

Activity 1

30 minutes

Guide to Mobilising and Strengthening Community-Led Care for Orphans and Vulnerable Children Unit 2, Module 4^279