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Key Resources on Orphans & Vulnerable Children HIV/AIDS Activities HIV/AIDS Key Contacts HIV/AIDS Publications

Tools

Building Blocks: Africa-Wide Briefing Notes
USAID Bureau for Africa, International HIV/AIDS Alliance, 2003. (Available in French and Portuguese)

The HIV/AIDS epidemic has vastly increased the number of orphans and other vulnerable children, particularly in Africa. Most programs aim to meet the basic material requirements of these children. But children need—and are entitled to—a wide range of other forms of support. Without this, the future for these children, their families and the communities in which they live lies in jeopardy. These briefing notes are intended to help governments and nongovernmental and religious organizations meet the severity of this challenge and provide more effective, holistic support to children within their families and communities.

The overview section of the briefing notes outlines important issues involved in working with orphans and other children made vulnerable by HIV/AIDS and summarizes principles for programming support for them.

The briefing notes cover

• Introduction
• Education
• Health and nutrition
• Psychosocial support
• Social inclusion
• Economic strengthening

Each briefing note provides issues and principles for guiding strategy, while drawing on best practices from program experiences. Each can be used with a Participatory Adaptation Guide, (still under preparation and expected in early 2004) which will help organizations and community members, including children, to adapt these principles and strategies to their own local situation. Throughout 2004, the Alliance is working with a number of USAID missions to hold an in-country launch.

Copies are available from the International HIV/AIDS Alliance (www.aidsalliance.org).

Forgotten Families: Older People as Carers of Orphans and Vulnerable Children
International HIV/AIDS Alliance and HelpAge International, 2003 USAID Africa Bureau

As the HIV/AIDS epidemic strikes at the heart of family and community support structures, large numbers of older people are assuming responsibility for the care of orphans and vulnerable children (OVC). Family structures are changing, and often the middle generation—both men and women—is completely absent, leaving the old and young to support each other.

This report shows that with appropriate support older people and orphans and vulnerable children can overcome some of the challenges posed by the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The report addresses the difficulties older carers and OVC must face as a result of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, including economic vulnerability, poor health status, reduced access to education, exclusion from prevention programs, and psychosocial trauma. Several case studies from community-driven programs are presented in the report, which describe innovative ways of dealing with these difficulties.

Copies are available at www.aidsalliance.org and www.helpage.org.


Frameworks and Situation Analysis

Conducting a Situation Analysis of Orphans and Vulnerable Children Affected by HIV/AIDS
USAID, Bureau for Africa, Office of Sustainable Development and, Population Health and Nutrition Information project, 2004

This framework and resource guide is intended to help people involved in programs assisting orphans and vulnerable children conduct a situation analysis to:

• Develop stronger programs to meet the needs of orphans and vulnerable children, families, and communities;
• Develop relevant and appropriate policies that protect the rights of children and ensure their care;
• Mobilize financial resources and other forms of support for action;
• Generate social mobilization; and
• Create a monitoring and evaluation framework for continued assessment of the situation of orphans and vulnerable children.

The framework covers information on planning a situation analysis, gathering and analyzing information, and reporting and communicating findings. The document provides examples of situation analyses and related research to highlight the approaches that communities and institutions have undertaken to assess a particular situation. An extensive resource list of existing and relevant research is also included.

Sub-National Distribution and Situation of Orphans: An Analysis of the President’s Emergency AIDS Relief for Focus Countries
USAID/Bureau for Africa and Population Health and Nutrition Information project, March 2004

This study utilized available Demographic and Heath Surveys (DHS) and Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS) household survey data to analyze the sub-national geographical distribution and living situations of orphans in the African and Caribbean countries identified for special assistance by President Bush's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. The analysis provides information about the communities where orphaned children reside within countries and these children's living situations, which is necessary for nation and targeted policies to care for orphans and other vulnerable children.

Framework for Protection, Care and Support of OVC Living in a World of HIV/AIDS
UNICEF and UNAIDS, 2003

The purpose of this framework is to provide an agreed-upon agenda for mounting an adequate and effective response to one of the most devastating and difficult challenges of the HIV/AIDS pandemic—the vast and growing number of orphans and vulnerable children being left behind. This framework has evolved directly from a process started in 2000 and is based on the cumulative experience of many years of work in support of orphans and vulnerable children. It has been developed and refined through regional and global consultations with practitioners and policymakers and feedback from key experts. Ultimately, the framework presented here reflects an evolution of the strategies and principles presented in these documents and a broader consensus on a common agenda.


Studies/Reports

Africa’s Orphaned Generations
UNICEF/UNAIDS, 2003

The HIV/AIDS epidemic in sub-Saharan Africa has already orphaned a generation of children and now seems set to orphan generations more. Tragically, the number of orphans in sub-Saharan Africa will continue to rise in the years ahead, due to the high proportion of sub-Saharan African adults already living with HIV/AIDS and the continuing difficulties in expanding access to life-prolonging antiretroviral treatment. But, these children should not be left to suffer twice—denied their rights because they are orphaned. Africa's Orphaned Generations reports on the life circumstances of today's orphans with new data and fresh analyses. It presents the possibility of change—for those already orphaned and for the generation to come—if certain things are done now. Africa's Orphaned Generations presents a strategy for ensuring that all of Africa's orphaned children have a safe, healthy, and well-educated childhood, establishing the foundation for a productive adult life and for their countries' overall development.

Understanding the Needs of Orphans and Other Children Affected by HIV and AIDS in Africa: The State of the Science
USAID, Bureau for Africa, Office of Sustainable Development and Support for Analysis and Research in Africa project, 2004

To date, responses to the needs of orphans and vulnerable children have not typically been guided by research, though a body of empirical evidence related to the impact of HIV and AIDS on children is growing. USAID/AFR/SD and the SARA project commissioned a review of 48 selected studies to summarize the findings that represent the most current understanding of children’s vulnerability due to AIDS. The review—

• Captures what is known and not yet known about the impact of HIV and AIDS on the survival, health, education, social, and emotional needs of children;
• Identifies the content gaps and methodological limitations of existing research;
• Suggests priorities for future research; and
• Informs programmatic and political responses.


Study of the Response by Faith-Based Organizations to Orphans and Vulnerable Children
UNICEF and the World Conference of Religions for Peace, 2003

From 2002 to 2003, the World Conference of Religions for Peace (WCRP) and UNICEF conducted a study in six African countries (Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland, and Uganda) to determine what faith-based organizations (FBOs) were doing to meet the needs of orphans and vulnerable children (OVC). The study found that local faith-based OVC responses are proliferating and that the overall organizational capacity of local FBOs was equal to that of larger nongovernmental organizations. However, the study findings showed that most FBO initiatives receive little or no external technical or financial support. Because FBOs are among the most viable institutions at both local and national levels and have experience in addressing the multidimensional impact of AIDS, particularly on children, the study anticipates that partnerships between religious organizations and intergovernmental organizations such as UNICEF, donors, and other organizations will be strengthened so that the work of FBOs to address the needs of children affected by HIV/AIDS can be expanded.

Evaluations

Report on the Mid-Term Review of the STRIVE Project
CRS and USAID/Zimbabwe, July 2003

In December 2001, Catholic Relief Services (CRS) signed a cooperative agreement with USAID to implement the Support for Replicable Innovative Village/Community Level Efforts for Children Affected by HIV/AIDS in Zimbabwe (STRIVE) project. Under this cooperative agreement, USAID is providing $2.5 million in funding (with CRS contributing approximately $1 million) to implement STRIVE, which will end in June 2004.

STRIVE’s strategy is to provide subgrants to local and international nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) to support community efforts to assist children at risk. STRIVE helps build the organizational capacity of its subgrantees and supports operations research to track and document the impact, quality, cost-effectiveness, and replicability of the community-level interventions as well as the methods of delivering the various interventions.

This document reports the results of STRIVE’s 2003 mid-term participatory review. The mid-term review included a self-assessment, reference group recommendations, field visits, key informant interviews, and peer reviews. This final mid-term report:

• Assesses the current status of the STRIVE project, measured against its original objectives;
• Assesses the relevance of the STRIVE project in meeting the needs of children affected by HIV/AIDS, as well as all children at risk, in Zimbabwe;
• Assesses the capacity and ability of the STRIVE project to adjust to Zimbabwe’s changing social, political, and economic situation;
• Recommends actions to USAID and STRIVE for better future planning of interventions.

Final Project Review Report: SCOPE OVC
Family Health International/Zambia, 2003.

Strengthening Community Partnerships for the Empowerment of OVC (SCOPE OVC) is a CARE International Zambia project support by Family Health International (FHI) with funding from USAID. The project was initially designed for two years (2000-2002) but has been extended through September 2004. Over the life of the project, SCOPE OVC has worked to mitigate the impact of HIV/AIDS on children in Zambia through mobilizing, scaling up, and strengthening community-based and community-led responses to the needs of OVC. The SCOPE OVC strategy included mobilizing and building the capacity of multisectoral district OVC committees and community committees to assess and respond to the situation of OVC at the district level; and providing grants to community-based organizations, faith-based organizations, and nongovernmental organizations to engage in OVC activities and interventions.

This report, prepared by FHI, includes a presentation and discussion of the findings from the final participatory review of SCOPE OVC and recommendations to develop and strengthen an OVC structure at the district, community, and household levels.


Workshop/Conference Reports

Eastern and Southern Africa Regional Workshop on Orphans and Vulnerable Children, Lusaka, Zambia, 5-8 November 2000

This workshop, jointly initiated by UNICEF with support from USAID, was the second regional workshop held to discuss the situation of orphans and vulnerable children in Africa. (The first was held in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa.) From 5-8 November 2000, 80 delegates from 14 countries in East and southern Africa met to investigate ways to build the capacity of communities to respond to the needs of OVC and to scale up existing OVC activities to reach the millions of children needing help.

This report synthesizes the discussions from the plenary and working group sessions of this three-day meeting, including suggestions for national leadership action to scale up interventions, identified needs for expanding community OVC initiatives, principles for developing effective human rights approach programming, and the challenges to developing partnerships and alliances for implementing effective and sustainable interventions.

West and Central Africa Regional Workshop on Orphans and Vulnerable Children, Yamoussoukro, Côte d’Ivoire, 7-12 April 2002

This regional workshop—a joint initiative of, UNICEF, USAID, UNAIDS, International Save the Children Alliance, with logistical and technical support from Family Health International—joined about 140 delegates, including people from 21 countries in West and Central Africa along with facilitators and observers from at least another 10 countries to review the situation of orphans and other children made vulnerable by HIV/AIDS in the region.

This document reports on the issues, challenges, and standards presented at the plenary sessions, the commonalities and challenges and unresolved issues identified during the country presentations, and the points discussed during the working group sessions (“theme” groups: psychosocial care of OVC, institutionalization of OVC, children infected with HIV/AIDS, participation of children and young people, care and support of OVC, access by OVC to quality basic services, OVC in situations of armed conflict, and community capacity development of OVC. “Core elements”: community mobilization for OVC, conducting an OVC situation analysis, reviewing policy and legislation affecting OVC, and human-rights based programming for OVC.)

Workshop Report: Strengthening National Response: Southern Africa Workshop on OVCs, Maseru, Lesotho November 10-14, 2003
USAID/ UNICEF
Representatives from 10 Southern African countries attended this workshop in Maseru, Lesotho to share the skills needed to fulfill their international commitments to orphans and other vulnerable children. The five themes of the workshop were: participatory situation analysis, national action plans, monitoring and evaluation, policy and legislative review, and national consultation and coordinating structures.


Technical Briefing Papers: Southern Africa Workshop on Strengthening National Reponses to OVC: Maseru, Lesotho, November 9-14, 2003
USAID, Africa Bureau, Office of Sustainable Development, UNICEF, and Family Health International

This set of briefing papers covers the five themes of the Maseru workshop—collaborative situation analysis, national consultations and coordinating structures, costed strategic national action plans, monitoring and evaluation, and policy and legislative framework.

Orphans and Vulnerable Children: Technical Consultation—Report
USAID, Bureau for Africa, Office of Sustainable Development and Bureau for Global Health, Office HIV/AIDS and the Support for Analysis and Research in Africa (SARA) Project, 2004.

The President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief will designate funds to assist children and families deeply affected by HIV and AIDS. USAID convened a technical consultation (Nov. 2003) to determine a course for an increased response to children orphaned and made vulnerable by HIV and AIDS. Building on the strategies and principles developed at the United Nations' General Assembly Special Session on HIV/AIDS (June 2001) and Special Session on Children (May 2002) and the Geneva Partners Forum (October 2003), this consultation considered the challenges and actions required to accelerate and expand the response.

At the technical consultation, some 400 participants reviewed the most current research on the impact of HIV/AIDS on children; shared promising models, programs, and approaches to support affected children and their families; and considered lessons from research and experience to determine how best to provide material and technical support to meet the immediate needs of affected children, their families, and communities.

A wealth of cutting edge information, lessons, and ideas were shared over the course of three days. This report recaps the presentations and discussions from the plenary sessions, keynote addresses, synthesis and outputs from the technical working groups, and recommendations and next steps for moving ahead.