Caring for Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC) in Africa: An Integrated Model in Mozambique & Namibia Andee Cooper, Project HOPE.

Caring for Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC) in Africa:

An Integrated Model in Mozambique & Namibia

Andee Cooper, Project HOPE

Presenter Disclosures

(1) The following personal financial relationships with commercial interests relevant to this presentation existed during the past 12 months:

Andee Cooper

“No relationships to disclose”

OVC in Africa

• Almost 12 million children in sub-Saharan Africa are orphans due to HIV/AIDS

• Effort to keep children in their own communities, with extended family members

OVC Needs

• Families already struggling with poverty and unemployment are supporting additional children

• The needs of the OVC are tremendous - Many are coping with loss of a parent or parents or helping to care for sick family members

• Some are also sick themselves• Many face stigma and discrimination

Caring for OVC in Africa

• Seven established domains of OVC care agreed upon by the international community:

Health EducationNutrition Protection

Shelter & Care Psychosocial supportEconomic strengthening

Rationale : Caring for OVC is an Economic Issue

• Majority of OVC care is through informal fostering (relative & non-relative families)

• Poverty – a significant barrier to achieving even the most basic needs of OVC

• Expanded household size increases basic needs requiring more financial resources

• HIV contributes to reduced economic productivity while assets are liquidated for needs

• Vulnerability of children is linked to economic resources available

Percentage of Project HOPE Micro-credit Clients Caring for Orphans

68%

51%

0%

10%20%

30%

40%50%

60%

70%80%

90%

100%

Malawi Mozambique

Project HOPE’s Program

Sustainable Strengthening of Families of Orphans and Vulnerable Children in Mozambique and Namibia

•USAID Funded project• April 4, 2005 to April 2, 2010• Aim: Improve economic status and quality of life of 45,000

OVC and strengthen the capacity of families to provide care and support to 75,000 OVC

Program Area

Gaza and Zambezia Provinces, Mozambique

Omusati, Oshana, and Ohangwena Regions, Namibia

Integrated Model

Focus on OVC caregivers• Economic strengthening • Health education/

parenting skills• Community outreach

OVC Caregivers require economic strengthening and an increased ability to provide comprehensive care & support

leading to improved well-being for children

Economic Strengthening

• Families in our current program care for an average of 3.5 OVC• Micro-credit loans are provided to OVC caregivers, primarily

women, to start or expand businesses• Enables caregivers:

• with the means to implement the lessons learned in health education & parenting skills training

• with greater financial resources• with expanded self-sufficiency

So they can better provide for needs of their families

Economic Strengthening –Group Based Focused on Caregivers

Self-selection of participants creates peer-pressure for performance

Formal management structure reinforces roles & responsibilities, develops leadership skills

Self Management – gain capacity to overcome problems

Emphasis on solidarity to help each other

Safe environment to explore issues

Economic Strengthening – Micro Loans & Savings for Income Generation

Loans start small & grow upon repayment

Invested in productive activities

Collective guarantee (all are responsible if one doesn’t pay)

100

130

169

220

1025

45

70

103

0

50

100

150

200

250

Begin Cycle 1 Cycle 2 Cycle 3 Cycle 4

Am

ou

nts

Loan Amount

Personal Savings

Institution

Loan Group Loan Group Loan Group

Participants

Loans

Education/Training for Caregivers

Responsible Parenting

Preventative Health

Family Nutrition

Child Development

HIV/AIDS

Psycho-social needs

Protecting Children: child rights

Linking and increasing access to services

Follow-up Support for Caregivers & OVCat Home

Community volunteers are trained

Weekly home visits are conducted

Status/conditions of children and housing is assessed and reviewed

Develop household improvement plan

Provide appropriate training as needed

Referrals to services & resources needed

Community Gardens

• Volunteers in Mozambique started community gardens

• Caregivers involved with working gardens

• Food provided to OVC families & sold

• Profits used to buy school materials & clothes for OVC

Measuring Program Success

• Tools to measure program success include our “Member Profile”• Economic indicators• Child-level data• Baseline & after 1 year in the program

• New low literacy “Parenting Map” for use at household level recently developed & implemented to measure impact at the child level across all 6 domains

Results: Caregiver Economic Impact –Namibia

29%

48%

87%

40%

24%21%

34%

69%

91%

49%

58%64%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Permanent wallmaterials

More than 4rooms/huts

Owning specifichousehold assets

Able to seekmedical help when

needed

Consuming 4 ormore meals in past

2 days

Contributing half ormore of household

income

Baseline Recollection (1 yr)

Results: Caregiver Economic Impact – Mozambique

35%

8%

83%

47%

85%

73%

40%

11%

91%

73%

100%

90%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Permanent wallmaterials

More than 4rooms/huts

Owning specifichousehold assets

Able to seekmedical help when

needed

Consuming 4 ormore meals in past

2 days

Contributing half ormore of household

income

Baseline Recollection (1 yr)

Results: Child-level Impact – HealthNamibia

39%

96%95% 99%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Hospital last 3 times needed* Fully immunized

Initial At recollection

Results: Child-level Impact – EducationNamibia

93%

44%

96%

75%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Attends school regularly Notebook & pencil*

Initial At recollection

Results: Child-level Impact – ProtectionNamibia

61%

85%

51%

94% 99%

70%

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%

100%

Regular visits fromadult*

Birth registered* HIV Preventiontraining*

Initial At recollection

Results: Child-level Impact – Shelter & CareNamibia

47%

34%

78%

100%

52%

85%

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%

100%

Same type bed asothers*

2 pairs clothes Shoes

Initial At recollection

Parenting Map

Results Across the 6 Domains

Data Collection Results

Conclusion and Lessons Learned

• Innovative & sustainable approaches are needed to address the needs of OVC

• Economic strengthening is shown to be a valuable component of comprehensive OVC care and support

• Interventions need to accommodate a social and not only financial relationship

• Follow sound principles and well-established procedures • Integrated OVC-focused training is critical to foster changes in

care and support

Success Story

By strengthening economic capacity with teaching skills to care for OVC, HOPE is helping families and communities help themselves.

Marta Gavilela, is a treasurer of VHB named Malanguizo that is in the process of receiving their 5th cycle loan in Milange. Marta is caring for 7 orphans and 5 of her own children. She says that she used the money received in the first cycle to bake biscuits to sell with tea at the central market. When the group received the 2nd cycle loan, she moved into a prepared food business, and with the loan received in the 3rd cycle, she was able to start a new business of selling capulanas (women’s wraps also used to carry babies) and did improvements in her stall. “I am happy because now I can feed my children and buy them clothes. I see my life improving, and I thank Project HOPE for that”.