ACTIVITY UNCHANGED FROM COP 2008

SECONDARY CROSS-CUTTING BUDGET ATTRIBUTIONS

This activity supports key cross cutting budget attributions amounting to $704,320 in education through

support to OVC through AVSI's network of 22 local partners to provide educational support to Orphans and

Vulnerable children. The activity will also attribute $79,360 for food and nutritional activities and an

additional $9,920 to support economic household strengthening for households looking after OVC.

SUSTAINABILITY STRATEGY

A focus for FY 2009 will be revising and implementing the program's transition and sustainability strategies

in light of the extended closing date of June 2010. In Kenya the following guideline approach have been put

in place:

- the program will support a child in secondary school only if he/she starts F1 from 14 years of age or below

and his/her aggregate of above 300 marks in KCPE examinations. In the event that some children who will

perform extremely well in KCPE their case must be well evaluated and we try to find ways in which such a

child gets further funding after June 2010. For example we try to find those children private sponsors from

Italy. Those who will not do well in KCPE we shall propose a short vocational course that will be over by

2010.

- the program will support the education of children only until F4 unless again a child does extremely well;

we however can only indeed help facilitate his /her getting a government bursary or other sponsorship

programs such as the one with USAID scholarship.

- most of our children belong to very vulnerable families which cannot support the cost of their studies in

secondary and university schools. It is therefore important to propose to them skills training in vocational

schools that can give employment opportunities.

- economic strengthening activities for families will be increased, so that many guardians can be

empowered to self sustain their families at the end of the project.

COP 2008

1. LIST OF RELATED ACTIVITIES

This activity relates to activities in counseling and testing ((#8976, #8782, #8781, and #8776); palliative care

(#7102, #8936, #8863, #8929, and #8934) and ARV services (#8765, #8792, #8797, and #8813).

2. ACTIVITY DESCRIPTION

The Associazione Volontari per il Servizio Internazionale (AVSI) program will provide quality services to

orphans, vulnerable children (OVC), caregivers and the communities through an operative network of 22

local partners. AVSI will follow a strategic approach, outlined in the following:

a) to primarily focus on the child as a unique and unrepeatable human being, endowed with dignity and

potential, and by nature, not only by necessity, in relationship with family and community;

b) to follow a bottom-up approach in the identification of beneficiaries and the choice and delivery of

support, that is, to listen to and involve the beneficiaries to the highest degree possible in order to provide

them with that which is consistent with their real needs and expectations, in a gender-sensitive manner, and

not according to "external" blueprints. Priority will be given to fostering education, since AVSI considers the

educative process of the child the main concern, even in the most distressful situations, and key for any

other development;

c) to ensure that every child supported be cared for by an adult, either in the family or by someone in the

community or of a Community Based Organization (CBO);

d) to rely on and to enhance the operational capacity of the CBOs through close and continuous working

relations between AVSI personnel and every single partner, as well as among the partners themselves

through an operational and stable network. The activities and services combine indirect and direct forms of

assistance. Direct assistance will include requirements for school attendance, learning materials, after-

school programs, vocational training, health care, recreational and emotional support. Indirect assistance

will consist of support to quality education, income generating activities (IGAs), community projects and

sensitization and family support. The identification of the children is done by the local partners who work in

strict collaboration with local administration such as the Chief and the assistants. This method allows to

reach the most vulnerable ones, not forgetting that HIV/AIDS is but one of the root causes of vulnerability of

children and it is interrelated with other factors including poverty and conflict in what is often a vicious cycle.

AVSI will work in close contact with its local partners and social workers to jointly establish and update the

selection criteria and the characteristics of intervention within each specific community. The identification of

the OVC included as direct beneficiaries of the program is left up to each local partner, because we believe

that they really know the community and the needs of the children inside their community since they live

with them. The activities and services given to each child are decided case by case, according to the

personal and family needs. Direct assistance for school requirements of the OVC represents the main

percentage of child expenditure and assistance, being the need for education the main need of orphans and

the best response for their growth and to promote their self esteem and sustainability for the future. Training

and consultations will be provided for individual partners and local networks to address institutional and

operational weaknesses and to improve capacity, efficiency and quality. AVSI's strategic approach, in any

project and any country, begins with the person at the center, with a "primarily focus on the child as an

unique and unrepeatable human being endowed with dignity and potential, and by nature, not only by

necessity, in relationship with family and community." Consistent with this method and to guide project

implementation, social workers and teachers' training is one of the activities organized specifically to help

adults to pay more attention to the child as a person. The fact that near each child who is supported in the

program there is always an adult/educator to evaluate his/her situation, to respond to his/her needs and the

ones of the family and community, is a method through which each activity is concretely focused on "the

child as a person." Given the number of on-the-ground stakeholders, training activities organized for

teachers, AVSI social workers, local partners, and families can help to harmonize this way of working. The

"Risk of Education" training module takes this principle as its starting point to convey a holistic approach to

the adventure of educating a child.

3. CONTRIBUTION TO OVERALL PROGRAM AREA

This activity will reach 2894 orphans and vulnerable children and train 1047 caregivers.

Activity Narrative: 4. LINKS TO OTHER ACTIVITIES

This activity is linked to counseling and testing, through the referrals to hospitals and dispensaries.

5. POPULATIONS BEING TARGETED

This activity will target OVC and their caregivers, community leaders, program managers, religious leaders,

volunteers, CBOs, FBOs and NGOs. AVSI will build the capacity of OVC caregivers, such as social workers

and teachers. During the training sessions for the social workers, psychosocial trauma, family value,

provision of adequate and balanced nutrition will be some of the main topics. The methods of observation of

the child, the identification of his/her needs and how to respond is going to be a continuous focus in all

weekly meeting with the social workers.

6. KEY LEGISLATIVE ISSUES ADDRESSED

The individualized approach to the identification and care of beneficiaries, including the choice of direct and

indirect activities to be implemented, is also gender sensitive, in the sense of paying particular attention to

the needs of girls, who are generally underestimated in these countries. The personal adult relationship is

particularly important for girls to receive the attention and services best suited to their life situation. The

other issue to be addressed is stigma and discrimination and wrap around in education and food.

7. EMPHASIS AREAS

Major emphasis area is linkages with other sectors and initiatives and local organization capacity

development. Minor emphasis to be addressed is information, education and communication and

infrastructure.

New/Continuing Activity: Continuing Activity

Continuing Activity: 14734

Continued Associated Activity Information

Activity Activity ID USG Agency Prime Partner Mechanism Mechanism ID Mechanism Planned Funds

System ID System ID

14734 5457.08 U.S. Agency for Associazione 6929 3725.08 $537,829

International Volontari per il

Development Servizio

Internazionale

6847 5457.07 U.S. Agency for Associazione 4208 3725.07 $358,280

International Volontari per il

Development Servizio

Internazionale

5457 5457.06 U.S. Agency for Associazione 3725 3725.06 $511,135

International Volontari per il

Development Servizio

Internazionale

Emphasis Areas

Gender

* Increasing gender equity in HIV/AIDS programs

Health-related Wraparound Programs

* Malaria (PMI)

Human Capacity Development

Public Health Evaluation

Food and Nutrition: Policy, Tools, and Service Delivery

Food and Nutrition: Commodities

Estimated amount of funding that is planned for Food and Nutrition: Commodities $79,360

Economic Strengthening

Estimated amount of funding that is planned for Economic Strengthening $9,920

Education

Estimated amount of funding that is planned for Education $704,320

Water

Table 3.3.13: