Every school day morning, Daniel wakes early to make sure he has clean, pressed clothes to wear to school, then he carefully prepares his lunchbox.

While most 16-year-olds have their likes or dislikes, Daniel harbours deeper concerns: if his skaftin or lunchbox just has maize meal and wild spinach, he fears he will be found out as an orphan.

Daniel sees other kids teased mercilessly and ostracized for being deemed orphans, “I am afraid they will laugh at me or treat me badly. I see it happen to other children.” Even those who have a parent, but are too poor to have meat with their pap, are called parentless.