bIt takes a Village to raise a It takes a Village to raise a Child.Child.

Embracing community care of Orphans and Embracing community care of Orphans and Vulnerable Children through enhanced Vulnerable Children through enhanced

community involvementcommunity involvement

Caleb OdhiamboOVC-Service Delivery FacilitatorHOPE worldwide Kenya

Mill

ion

s

1980 1983 1986 1989 1992 1995 1998 2002 2005 2007 2010

25 million

orphans due to AIDS

Epidemic Curves, HIV/AIDS &Epidemic Curves, HIV/AIDS & OrphansOrphans

HIV P

reva

lenc

e

Cumulativ

e AID

SOrphans (under 1

8)

The Impact to the child

Child

Family

Help!!

CommunityCommunity

http://www.hopeww.org/index.htm

The challenge• 10 years down the line since most

HIV/AIDS interventions started, the number of OVC's continue to escalate.

• There is need to optimize the efficiency or effectiveness of the interventions on the ground-current approaches needs to be looked at and new trends developed.

• The number of interventions cannot match the needs on the ground.

• The death of the communal structures that used to cushion children.

• OVC’s earmarked for service delivery are not being reached effectively due to the approaches in place.

• There need for an urgent and scaled-up response to mitigate the devastating effects of HIV on children

Community support…. The way to go.

• Community involvement is key to enahanced sustainabilty.

• The needs of children cannot be met in the absence of proper community and family support.

• To complete the cycle of care, interventions targeting the orphans and vulnerable children need to respond to all of these needs, both physical and emotional.

• Deliberate efforts need to put in place to enhance synergy of efforts.

SpiritualFreedom to believe, hope, etc

MentalFormal and informal education, life skills, general knowledge, etc

SocialAcceptance, belonging, identity, culture, etc

PhysicalFood, Shelter, Clothes, Healthcare etc

EmotionalParental love, security, belonging, friendships, etc

Child

How we conceive Community Approach

Religious leaders Cor

pora

te

NGOs/CBOs

Family

Gov

ernm

ent

Teachers

Peers

New Thinking: Supporting OVC through the community and the families.

Communities

Families

•Mobilize Resources from the corporate

World.

•Enhance our Knowledge, challenge

our thinking.

•Build partnership,You cannot Go it alone

•Think outside the box

•Use history to develop learning

and not to stagnate

The strength of the model

• The best interests of the child are paramount in this model.

• All the necessary basic needs of children are given due attention.

• All stakeholders who affect the life of the child are involved.

• With the high number of children in need the emotional well being of the caregiver is protected.

Entry points: Kids clubs and Community Child care

Forums.• Kids Clubs:These are

weekend clubs in the community and weekday clubs in schools in which youth and children take up leadership roles in the provision of community based psychosocial support to children in community.

• Main focus of clubs is to meet the PSS needs-physical, social, emotional and mental-though other needs are also met indirectly.

CCF’s Link with the Kids Clubs

• To facilitate the provision of community based psychosocial support.

• To provide a platform to support children in their community and link them to other services.

• To mobilize community members to understand and assist in mitigating the impact of HIV/AIDS on children.

How kids clubs and Community Child Care Forums are established

Community Entry

Establish Community Childcare

Forums- which provides linkages with AAC, local admin-Chief, MOH, DEO,and other service providers

Identify OVC entry points-schools, churches

Train caregivers to form Kids clubs.

Benefits to the children and community.

• Allow children the opportunity to explore the world around them, build self-knowledge, esteem and confidence.

• Acceptance within the community (social integration and sense of belonging)

• Mechanism to ‘check’ on children, register needs and access additional resources for them

• Cultivating a culture of care (amongst children and families, in your community)-children support groups

Challenges experienced

• Involvement of men especially to support the women in child care.

• Need to develop new strategies to support caregivers-IGA, vocational training.

• Child protection issues-individuals taking advantage of the children’s vulnerability.

• Linking to schools to the corporate bodies, and involving teachers more.

• Community “Ownership,” of a problem is key to sustained action.

• External mobilizers using participatory methods can play a catalytic role in enabling a community to determine its own priorities.

• Providing external resources prematurely subverts ownership.

• Communities are resilient and provided the right condition can easily map their future.

Lessons Learned from Community mobilization, care and support for OVC

Synergy of efforts holds the key to Restoring Hope and Stability to the lives of millions of

African Children and communities affected by HIV/AIDS.

Lets learn to see children for who they are meant to

be………not who they are right now.

Thank You.

THANK YOU