This is a continuing Track 1 activity under COP08 with no increase in funding levels over FY2007. The

FY2007 narrative below has not been updated.

Since April 2005, Opportunity International (OI) and its sub-partner Habitat for Humanity (HFH) work

together to address basic income and shelter needs of orphans and vulnerable children and the

communities who care for them . OI provides loans, savings and insurance to individuals who are caring for

vulnerable children impacted by HIV/AIDS through its Banco Oportunidade de Mocambique (BOM) branch

networks in Manica, Sofala, Zambezia and Maputo provinces. Habitat for Humanity provides capacity

building support to community groups and fosters the management of home construction projects by locally

elected volunteers committees.

Opportunity International's efforts provide wrap-around programming for OVC. No direct targets are

reported. However, OI provides essential services through working closely with other partner programs.

From recent OI 2006 data, lending to caregivers has reached 3,895 people and 53% of the loan recipients

are women; thereby increasing women's access to income. There are three credit services that can be

accessed by caregivers based on capacity and need. The first product is a Trust Bank Loan and is

available to groups of 10 to 20 members. The Trust Bank Loan group membership is self-selected and

facilitated by a loan officer. The second product offered is a Solidarity Group Loan which is designed for a

smaller group, also self-selected, ranging in membership of 4 to 8 people. Finally, individual lending is

offered to caregivers who have larger businesses and can afford larger loans.

All three service groups have bi-weekly meetings to discuss issues related to their loans, economic and

social issues in their community and the impact of HIV/AIDS. OI has partnered with Health Alliance

International and Project Hope to provide the curriculum and conduct the training on HIV/AIDS prevention

and care for OVC for their members. The training is focused on increasing their knowledge of caregivers on

HIV prevention, care and mitigation in order to strengthen their capacity to provide sustainable support and

protection for OVC. In addition, caregivers are trained on succession planning with the aim of increasing

their knowledge of property and inheritance rights, particularly of women and children.

In addition to the loan opportunity, BOM offers savings products to caregivers. These savings accounts

provide caregivers a place to protect their earnings from their micro-enterprise efforts or additional income

sources. The money set aside can later be used for emergency purposes and expenses related to caring

for OVC such as payment of school fees, medicine, clothing and food. Furthermore, BOM has developed a

credit life insurance product that pays off the outstanding debt of the borrower in case of death. This

ensures that the needs of the OVC are not catastrophically disrupted by the death of a caregiver.

BOM is also investigating the development of a funeral insurance product for both loan borrowers and

savers. The funeral coverage will provide for a decent burial for the OVC or the caregiver, in case of death,

which the family would have otherwise not afforded. It addition it will keep the OVC from needing to raise

money to cover funeral expenses. The policy will further protect the assets left behind for the OVC. In cases

where the OVC is old enough and has been trained to take over the business of the caregiver, he/she would

use some of the proceeds from the policy to continue running the business.

As a sub-grantee, Habitat for Humanity focuses on mobilizing local committees and/or community-based

organizations to identify families caring for OVC and in need of improved shelter. In FY06, through the

organizing of these families and community volunteers, HFH has constructed and/or renovated a total of 68

houses. Families and community members gained knowledge and skills in construction, sanitation

improvement and inheritance planning through these efforts.

In FY07 OI will reemphasize their efforts to seek further collaborations with existing PEPFAR partners (Food

for the Hungry, World Vision and Africare) in Manica, Sofala, Maputo and Gaza provinces to improve

training for caregivers on HIV/AIDS care and prevention. In addition, HFH will expand its work to 7

communities, constructing and/or renovation a total of 172 homes for caregivers and OVC. HFH will

continue to work with government and legal assistance programs to train caregivers about rights of women

and children to inherit houses, and ways that families can protect their inheritance (i.e. legal wills,

agreement by community leaders, family memories and documents indicating plans).