Andee Cooper, Project HOPE

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

2. PresenterDisclosures Andee Cooper “No relationships to disclose” (1) The following personal financial relationships with commercial interests relevant to this presentation existed during the past 12 months:

3. 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

4. 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

5. Caring for OVC in Africa • Seven established domains of OVC care agreed upon by the international community:

6. 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

7. Percentage of Project HOPE Micro-credit Clients Caring for Orphans

8. 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

9. Program Area Gaza and Zambezia Provinces, Mozambique Omusati, Oshana, and Ohangwena Regions, Namibia

10. Integrated Model OVC Caregivers require economic strengthening and an increased ability to provide comprehensive care & support leading to improved well-being for children • Focus on OVC caregivers • Economic strengthening • Health education/ parenting skills • Community outreach

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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)

14. 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

15. 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

16. 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

17. 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

18. Results: Caregiver Economic Impact –Namibia

19. Results: Caregiver Economic Impact – Mozambique

20. Results: Child-level Impact – HealthNamibia

21. Results: Child-level Impact – EducationNamibia

22. Results: Child-level Impact – ProtectionNamibia

23. Results: Child-level Impact – Shelter & CareNamibia

24. Parenting Map

25. Results Across the 6 Domains

26. Data Collection Results

27. 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

28. 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”.