CareBridge

CareBridge

CareBridge

ROLE

UX Researcher

UX Researcher

UX Researcher

Project Type

UX Research

UX Research

UX Research

Duration

4 Months

4 Months

4 Months

YEAR

2023

2023

2023

6 Orphanages

visited for primary research

15

Semi-Structured Interviews

3 Potential Solutions

8 Major Themes

Gender based communication gap highlighted

Only 1

orphanage brought in a psychologist

Large gap in responsibility between administration and caretakers

Large reliance on older children

to counsel younger ones

Problem Statement

Secondary Research

Primary Research

Initial Discoveries

Findings

Proposed Solutions

Reflection

Problem Statement

Many orphanages in Pakistan struggle to provide individualized care due to resource constraints and communication gaps between management and caretakers. Collective care approaches often overshadow the unique emotional and developmental needs of each child, leaving them without the personalized support they deserve. There's a pressing need for a solution that streamlines operations and bridges these communication gaps, ensuring every child receives tailored care and attention.

How might we restructure orphanage operations to ensure every child receives the personalized care they need despite existing resource and communication challenges?

Secondary Research

By reviewing diverse literature and existing interventions on caregiver training and child psychological wellbeing in orphanages, we gauged the current state of support and identified critical gaps in effective, context-specific solutions.

Gaps in Research

  • Limited data on the specific training needs and emotional challenges faced by caregivers in Pakistani orphanages.

  • Lack of context-specific studies addressing how structural constraints impact both caregiver well-being and child developmental outcomes.

  • Minimal research on the effectiveness of culturally adapted interventions to empower caregivers and enhance child-caregiver interactions.

Structural Constraints and Opportunities

  • Orphanages often operate with limited resources and high child-to-caregiver ratios, which negatively impact the quality of individual care.

  • Financial limitations and inadequate infrastructure hinder the implementation of tailored interventions that address both caregiver and child needs.

  • These challenges present an opportunity to design culturally adapted solutions that improve caregiver support and promote better developmental outcomes for children.

Limited data on caregiving in orphanages suggests that caregivers do not have specialized training and experience heavy workloads and high-stress levels
Source: Khalid et Al (2023)

Understanding the Pakistani Context

0Million
0Million

children in Pakistan are orphaned

  • The orphanages in Lahore serve dual roles, functioning not only as care institutions but also as free schools for local out-of-school children.

  • Most orphanages operate on limited resources, being funded solely by donations and the personal funds of their owners, which constrains their capacity to provide comprehensive care.

  • The prevailing model in Pakistani orphanages emphasizes collective care, resulting in high caregiver-to-child ratios and reliance on older children to assist with daily tasks.

  • Because of existing cultural norms, there is general hesitance in cross-gender communication, especially in more traditional areas.

Primary Research

The research methods in CareBridge were predominantly qualitative, designed to capture rich, contextual insights from those directly involved in orphanage management in Pakistan

of caregivers indicated that the high child-to-staff ratio forces them into a collective care model, significantly limiting their ability to provide individualized attention to each child

Research Methods

  • Semi-Structured Interviews: Researchers conducted 15 in-depth interviews with managers, caretakers, and teachers from several orphanages in Lahore. This flexible approach allowed participants to share detailed experiences and cover all critical aspects of orphanage operations.

  • Pilot Testing and Protocol Refinement: An initial phase of 5 pilot interviews revealed that the original questions lacked thematic focus. Based on this feedback, the interview protocol was refined—grouping similar topics and rephrasing questions—to enable a deeper exploration of issues like communication gaps, caregiver challenges, and individualized attention.


  • Ethical Considerations: Rigorous ethical protocols were followed, including obtaining informed consent, ensuring confidentiality, and accommodating cultural sensitivities—especially when addressing sensitive topics related to caregiver stress and interpersonal dynamics.

  • Data Transcription and Qualitative Coding: All interviews were transcribed verbatim, and using MAXQDA, an inductive, bottom-up coding approach was employed to identify recurring themes and patterns, ensuring the subtle nuances of caregiver experiences were accurately captured.



  • Thematic Analysis: The coded data was then synthesized into major themes (e.g., caregiving challenges, logistical constraints, relationship dynamics, and training needs), providing a structured understanding of the operational and emotional issues within orphanages.

  • Data Transcription and Qualitative Coding: All interviews were transcribed verbatim, and using MAXQDA, an inductive, bottom-up coding approach was employed to identify recurring themes and patterns, ensuring the subtle nuances of caregiver experiences were accurately captured.


  • Thematic Analysis: The coded data was then synthesized into major themes (e.g., caregiving challenges, logistical constraints, relationship dynamics, and training needs), providing a structured understanding of the operational and emotional issues within orphanages.

of caregivers reported that they had not received any formal, context-specific professional training to effectively manage the unique emotional and behavioral challenges in their orphanages.

Initial Interview Protocol

Based on our secondary research and literature review, an initial protocol wad developed that aimed to gather general insights from caregivers regarding their roles and the daily workings of the orphanage. It was exploratory in nature, intended to identify a wide range of issues without deep thematic structuring.

Focused on broader questions with an exploratory nature to capture an overview of orphanage operations

  • Focused on basic operational procedures and day-to-day routines.

  • Covered general caregiving practices and overall impressions of the orphanage environment.

  • Included questions on logistical challenges such as resource availability and staffing ratios.

  • Sought insights on general caregiver experiences and perceptions without extensive probing into nuanced issues.

Pros:

  • Provided a wide-ranging overview of the orphanage setting, capturing diverse viewpoints from managers, caretakers, and teachers.

  • Helped identify initial areas of interest and potential gaps for further exploration.

Cons:

  • Lacked clear thematic grouping, leading to scattered responses and some ambiguity.

  • Questions were often too broad and not sufficiently probing, which limited deeper insights into specific issues like communication gaps or individualized care challenges.

  • The structure did not encourage detailed follow-up, leaving critical areas underexplored.

Revised Interview Protocol

Based on pilot feedback from five initial interviews, the revised protocol was restructured to address the shortcomings of the initial approach. It now emphasizes thematic clarity and deeper exploration of key issues, ensuring that each critical area is thoroughly examined.

  • Organized questions into distinct thematic sections (e.g., caregiving challenges, relationship dynamics, communication practices, and training needs).

  • Reworded questions for clarity and depth to better capture specific issues such as high caregiver-to-child ratios and reliance on older children.

  • Incorporated open-ended follow-up questions to encourage detailed narratives and richer descriptions of daily challenges.

  • Addressed sensitive topics, like communication barriers between predominantly female teachers and male administrators, with a culturally sensitive approach.

Incorporated on clear thematic sections and follow-up prompts to explore nuanced issues such as caregiver stress, communication gaps, and the need for context-specific training

How It Improved on the Initial Protocol:

  • The revised structure enabled interviewees to focus on specific topics sequentially, reducing ambiguity and improving the coherence of responses.

  • By grouping similar questions together, it allowed for deeper probing into each theme, uncovering nuanced insights about caregiver stress, communication gaps, and individualized care challenges.

  • The inclusion of follow-up prompts ensured that key issues were not only mentioned but explored in detail, leading to a more comprehensive understanding of the operational challenges in Pakistani orphanages.

Initial Discoveries

During the initial interviews, there were some trends noticed in orphanages that were very apparent. Understanding these ideas through interviews and observations helped frame our research work in the future.

Orphanage Logistics

Stakeholders Involved

Administrators

These are the leadership of the orphanage that look at most high-level decisions. They include the founders of the orphanage and are usually the most passionate about it.

Children

These are the orphans living and studying at the orphanage.

Caretakers

The personnel at these orphanages handle everyday operational duties. This team includes educators and overall logistics coordinators.

The administrators, as leaders of the institution, cared significantly more in the outcomes of children than the caretakers did.

Communication Gap

Gender Dynamics

Men typically occupy the orphanage’s leadership roles, focusing on high-level decisions. They include the founders, who bring significant passion to the orphanage’s mission. Meanwhile, women tend to serve as teachers and caretakers, overseeing daily tasks but often encountering communication barriers when engaging with male administrators.

Men typically occupy the orphanage’s leadership roles, focusing on high-level decisions. They include the founders, who bring significant passion to the orphanage’s mission. Meanwhile, women tend to serve as teachers and caretakers, overseeing daily tasks but often encountering communication barriers when engaging with male administrators.

Administrators typically oversee funding, high-level decisions, and strategic direction, while caretakers manage the children’s day-to-day activities. Limited direct interaction between these two groups can lead to delayed decisions and overlooked details, highlighting a need for more structured communication.

Administrators typically oversee funding, high-level decisions, and strategic direction, while caretakers manage the children’s day-to-day activities. Limited direct interaction between these two groups can lead to delayed decisions and overlooked details, highlighting a need for more structured communication.

Organization Dynamics

Findings

To understand the data, all interviews were transcribed verbatim to capture nuances accurately. We then applied a subjective qualitative coding methodology—organizing the text into meaningful segments using software tools such as MAXQDA.

Through inductive, bottom-up coding, recurring ideas were grouped into codes which were synthesized into broader themes—covering topics like caregiving stress, logistical constraints, and gender dynamics.

General Insights

Motivations

“Visiting an orphanage and seeing these children without stable support changed my whole perspective. I knew I had to do something."

“Visiting an orphanage and seeing these children without stable support changed my whole perspective. I knew I had to do something."

Participants came from varied backgrounds but generally shared a desire to help children. Some were inspired by a personal or family connection to orphan care, while others empathized with the struggles of orphans after visiting orphanages. Nearly all expressed a strong commitment to ensuring a better life for these children.

Staff Demographics

Roles ranged from President and Finance Secretary to caretaker and teacher. Tenure at the orphanages varied from just a few months to over seven years. Education levels also differed—some had specialized degrees in social work, while others learned informally on the job. Despite differing responsibilities, most showed strong dedication to the children’s day-to-day needs, from meal preparation to school drop-offs.

“The children started calling me ‘Aunty Mama’—that’s when I realized how important our bond was.”

“The children started calling me ‘Aunty Mama’—that’s when I realized how important our bond was.”

Relationship with Children

“The children started calling me ‘Aunty Mama’—that’s when I realized how important our bond was.”

“The children started calling me ‘Aunty Mama’—that’s when I realized how important our bond was.”

Staff generally enjoyed warm, parent-like bonds with the children, who often referred to them as parents. This close involvement was evident in daily activities, study support, and emotional guidance, illustrating a nurturing environment aimed at compensating for the absence of a child’s biological family.

Logistics of Orphanage

Orphanages varied in size and capacity, housing between 20 and 50 children. All provided essential services—food, clothing, education—but resources and facilities differed. Some had fully furnished dormitories and computer labs, while others relied on more basic setups. Funding primarily came from local donations, with limited or inconsistent international support.

“Some days I’m grateful for our computer lab, other days we scramble to fix a leaking roof.”

“Some days I’m grateful for our computer lab, other days we scramble to fix a leaking roof.”

Education and Activities

“Morning classes cover the basics; evenings are all about extra tuition and maybe a soccer match.”

“Morning classes cover the basics; evenings are all about extra tuition and maybe a soccer match.”

Children typically attended morning school and received evening tuition. Many orphanages supplemented formal education with extracurriculars like sports, outings, and occasional technology lessons. These programs aimed to offer holistic development but were often constrained by space and budget limitations.

Technology Usage

All orphanages reported having access to smartphones, primarily for social media and messaging via WhatsApp or Facebook. Some had computer labs with Microsoft Office tools. However, record-keeping still relied partly on paper, and none depended solely on digital databases. This partial digital adoption suggested potential for tech-based solutions to improve efficiency.

“We keep track of children’s records partly on paper, partly on WhatsApp—it’s confusing but it’s all we have.”

“We keep track of children’s records partly on paper, partly on WhatsApp—it’s confusing but it’s all we have.”

Discussion of Major Themes

Collective vs. Individualized Care

High child-to-staff ratios and limited resources often force orphanages to adopt a group-care model rather than offering tailored attention to each child.

High child-to-staff ratios and limited resources often force orphanages to adopt a group-care model rather than offering tailored attention to each child.

While collective care helps ensure no one is left out entirely, children with specific emotional or developmental needs can slip through the cracks. The staff’s reliance on older children to assist highlights both the camaraderie this fosters and the inherent risks of assigning caregiving roles to minors.

Communication Gaps

Without consistent channels to flag small but important issues—like children’s conflicts or resource shortages—problems often remain unseen until they escalate. This gap also impedes collaboration on long-term improvement strategies, especially in orphanages where staff are mostly women but key decisions come from male-led administration.

A disconnect exists between administrators’ high-level vision and the daily realities faced by caregivers, further exacerbated by gender-based hesitancies in cross-gender interactions.

A disconnect exists between administrators’ high-level vision and the daily realities faced by caregivers, further exacerbated by gender-based hesitancies in cross-gender interactions.

Caregiver Stress and Working Conditions

Staff deeply invested in children’s well-being frequently lack formal training or structured support, contributing to emotional strain and burnout.

Staff deeply invested in children’s well-being frequently lack formal training or structured support, contributing to emotional strain and burnout.

Passion is beneficial, but without coping mechanisms or a stress-management framework, overworked caregivers can experience exhaustion, reducing the overall quality of care. The demanding schedules, minimal breaks, and reliance on personal faith or informal peer support speak to systemic shortcomings that place excessive burdens on individual staff members.

Potential for Tech-Enabled Solutions

Partly digitized record-keeping underscores the readiness for more robust systems. An easy-to-use, icon-based application—adapted to varying literacy levels—could significantly improve oversight and real-time decision-making, bridging the gap between daily caregiving challenges and administrative oversight.

While smartphones and basic computer labs are common, there is no unified digital platform to streamline incident reporting, resource allocation, or caregiver training.

Potential Solutions

Community Training Program

Organize a periodic in-person workshop series or mentorship circle, pairing experienced caregivers with newer staff, supplemented by professional guest trainers (e.g., psychologists, social workers)

Core Components:

  • Workshop Modules: Topics could include individualized child care, communication best practices, and handling behavioral issues.

  • Peer Mentorship: Seasoned staff could coach newcomers on day-to-day problem-solving.

  • Certification or Recognition: Award simple completion badges to participants, boosting motivation and sense of achievement.

Why It Helps:

  • Fills the training gap through hands-on learning specific to local orphanage contexts.

  • Strengthens staff relationships and fosters a supportive community culture, ultimately benefiting the children’s well-being.

Orphanage Management Application

A straightforward, mobile-friendly app prototype was created to accommodate orphanage staff with varying educational backgrounds. Its large icons, minimal text, and intuitive steps let caregivers quickly log issues, share updates with administrators, and access caregiving tips—all without requiring extensive training.

Key Features of the Proposed Orphanage App:

  • Real-Time Incident Logging: Caregivers can quickly document daily issues (e.g., minor conflicts) via an intuitive form, ensuring timely awareness for administrators.

  • Admin Dashboard & Alerts: Management receives immediate notifications, allowing faster resolution and less reliance on passive reporting.

  • Child Activity Tracking: Basic tools to log attendance, meal schedules, and extracurricular participation, reducing paperwork.

  • In-App Training Modules: Mini lessons on stress management and communication best practices, tailored to local cultural norms.

Older Child Led Monthly Forum

Encourage older children to voice concerns and ideas through a structured monthly meeting, facilitated by staff yet primarily child-driven. Older children were already seen as the 'elder siblings' that would take care of the younger ones. This idea gives them more responsibility and gets feedback from them in the entire process.

Core Components:

  • Youth Representatives: A few older children can serve as spokespeople for peers, gathering feedback on daily routines, conflicts, and general needs.

  • Staff Oversight: Caretakers attend in a supportive role, taking notes and proposing follow-up actions.

  • Suggestion Board: Physical or digital, where kids can anonymously submit topics to discuss during the forum.

Why It Helps:

  • Gives children agency, ensuring small issues don’t stay hidden.

  • Fosters open communication, reduces reliance on passive reporting, and strengthens trust between staff and children.

Reflection

Limitations

Geographical Scope

Engage experts from psychology, social work, and policy-making to design interventions that address both the structural and personal challenges identified.

Geographical Scope

Engage experts from psychology, social work, and policy-making to design interventions that address both the structural and personal challenges identified.

Geographical Scope

Engage experts from psychology, social work, and policy-making to design interventions that address both the structural and personal challenges identified.

Sample Size Constraints

The sample size was modest, and the participant pool may not capture the full range of caregiver experiences.

Sample Size Constraints

The sample size was modest, and the participant pool may not capture the full range of caregiver experiences.

Sample Size Constraints

The sample size was modest, and the participant pool may not capture the full range of caregiver experiences.

Interviewer Gender Bias

With both interviewers being male, some caregivers—especially female staff—may have been less forthcoming about sensitive issues.

Interviewer Gender Bias

With both interviewers being male, some caregivers—especially female staff—may have been less forthcoming about sensitive issues.

Interviewer Gender Bias

With both interviewers being male, some caregivers—especially female staff—may have been less forthcoming about sensitive issues.

Privacy Limitations

In several instances, interviews were conducted in the presence of management, potentially limiting honest disclosures.

Privacy Limitations

In several instances, interviews were conducted in the presence of management, potentially limiting honest disclosures.

Privacy Limitations

In several instances, interviews were conducted in the presence of management, potentially limiting honest disclosures.

Future Work

Enhanced Sampling

Increase the sample size and include a more diverse range of participants (caregivers, administrators, and potentially even older children) to deepen understanding.

Enhanced Sampling

Increase the sample size and include a more diverse range of participants (caregivers, administrators, and potentially even older children) to deepen understanding.

Enhanced Sampling

Increase the sample size and include a more diverse range of participants (caregivers, administrators, and potentially even older children) to deepen understanding.

Diverse Interviewers

Incorporate female interviewers to facilitate more open and comfortable conversations, particularly with female caregivers and staff.

Diverse Interviewers

Incorporate female interviewers to facilitate more open and comfortable conversations, particularly with female caregivers and staff.

Diverse Interviewers

Incorporate female interviewers to facilitate more open and comfortable conversations, particularly with female caregivers and staff.

Mixed-Methods Approach

Complement qualitative insights with quantitative surveys and longitudinal studies to validate findings and assess changes over time.

Mixed-Methods Approach

Complement qualitative insights with quantitative surveys and longitudinal studies to validate findings and assess changes over time.

Mixed-Methods Approach

Complement qualitative insights with quantitative surveys and longitudinal studies to validate findings and assess changes over time.

Cross-Disciplinary Research

Engage experts from psychology, social work, and policy-making to design interventions that address both the structural and personal challenges identified.

Cross-Disciplinary Research

Engage experts from psychology, social work, and policy-making to design interventions that address both the structural and personal challenges identified.

Cross-Disciplinary Research

Engage experts from psychology, social work, and policy-making to design interventions that address both the structural and personal challenges identified.

Explore more work here!

Explore more work here!

Explore more work here!

© 2025 - Mustafa Arshad