BACKGROUND

FHI has been implementing a Track 1 program, Community Faith-Based Initiative for Vulnerable Children (FABRIC), in Namibia, South Africa and Zambia since FY06. Utilizing a family-centered response, the program has provided comprehensive care and support services to OVC in the three countries. In Namibia, FHI's main sub-partner is the FBO, CAFO: Church Alliance for Orphans. CAFO provides capacity-building, training, policy formulation, and small grants to local church congregations and FBOs who will provide direct care and support services to reach 1000 OVC during COP 07. Quality-of-care will be assured through a rigorous M & E system, and the requirement that all OVC served must receive at least three of the following: psycho-social support, supplemental food and nutrition; educational support services, improved household economic strengthening, improved access to health care services, improved security and child rights. Training of caregivers and volunteer-providers from congregations will concentrate on methodologies that promote self-sufficiency in the above areas, and in the management of their programs. In six regions, the sub-grant recipients have been tentatively determined: Kavango, Omaheke, Erongo, Otjojondupa; Hardap, and Karas. Care is taken to provide services where there are no other USG providers. One or two additional or alternative sites may be selected, e.g. in Khomas region and/or Kunene. The major components of the Namibian portion of this regional program are: 1. Capacity building - both of CAFO and their small grant recipients 2. Collaboration and coordination with government and existing government programs for the provision of quality support to OVC; and 3. Effective monitoring and evaluation (M&E).

ACTIVITY

In FY07, this activity will link with PACT to build overall organizational capacity of CAFO and subgrantees. PACT will strengthen CAFO's management capacity at the national and regional level, while FHI improves CAFO's overall technical knowledge and skills in OVC programming. This strategic partnership will also enable human resources to be leveraged across partners, and increase effective coordination and sustainability of OVC programs of CAFO member organizations. PACT will work with CAFO to strengthen the capacity of their sub-grantees in project and financial management, while FHI supports OVC technical areas, and M&E to enhance quality of OVC activities. This support (already begun) will include training, supportive supervision and mentoring/twinning across partners, and will provide local partners with skills to set priorities/target services, expand coverage, improve quality, and work to reduce stigma and discrimination.

In FY07, CAFO will expand and strengthen current OVC services by integrating OVC care with home-based care and prevention services. Through community mobilization, training of caregivers and community leaders, and coordination and policy formulation with local government authorities and community leaders, CAFO sub-grantees will provide OVC with psychosocial support, access to educational programs, and food/ nutrition support (if warranted based upon a nutritional assessment), with referrals and linkages to other partners, improved access to basic health care, life skills, and critical linkages to livelihood opportunities (e.g., income-generating activities and access to entitlements and grants). CAFO currently chairs the National Subcommittee on Care and Support under the OVC Permanent Task Force, and will continue to work vigorously to ensure the registration of all OVC under the Ministry of Gender Equality and Child Welfare, and promote the access to social grants by eligible OVC wherever possible. Beyond government-determined criteria, local partners will also define and target the most vulnerable populations, identify local resources, advocate with local authorities and communities to develop linkages with other services over the life of the project and map out strategic referral points and partnerships. FHI, CAFO, and local partners will also work closely with local religious and traditional leaders, as well as government partners, including the district and regional authorities, to ensure they are supportive of project activities, lead trainings when feasible, and link projects to appropriate services. It will be through these linkages and referrals that the broader needs of the OVC, their caretakers etc. are met (i.e. programs for addressing economic vulnerability, micro-credit, food security and improved access to health services, etc). Although the direct targets and beneficiaries will be the OVC, the program will work with, train and collaborate with many others: members of households, PLWA, caregivers, community leaders, volunteers, religious leaders as well as government

counterparts in health and other sectors. For the first time, the training will systematically integrate prevention-education, counseling and testing, medical referrals with follow-up verification, and pediatric treatment-adherence counseling. It is envisioned that some of CAFO's sub-grantees will work with specific OVC groups, such as child-headed households, the San community, and out-of-school youth. Four current CAFO sites also have US Peace Corps (currently one under FABRIC) volunteers working with them, CAFO hopes to expand partnerships with and improve capacity. In efforts to address issues of stigma and discrimination and promote HIV prevention-education, the project will also work with a variety of groups, community leaders, FBOs, child care forums, family members, etc. in order to create a positive and enabling environment for OVC, respond to the best interest of the children, and facilitate a supportive social context. In conjunction with other partners, CAFO plans to focus on gender issues (specifically, protection against abuse). An additional component, critical to the success of the OVC program, is effective and reliable data collection systems for monitoring and planning. In its first year of funding, in conjunction with USAID and other partners, this project created an improved M&E project database and began training all sub-grantees on how to monitor and report on their programs, and inform current and future activities. Further strengthening of this process is anticipated, especially in conjunction with the national OVC data-base that is envisioned for Namibia under the Ministry of Gender Equality and Child Welfare. Project staff will work closely with government counterparts to ensure that the data collected is in line with USG and GRN strategies and expectations as well as compatible and able to feed into existing systems. Tied to this process will be the registration and promotion of child welfare grants, where applicable, and the promotion of additional mechanisms - through public policy and/or regulatory changes - to extend these grants to needy OVC not currently eligible for technical reasons - e.g. because they lack the death-certificate of one parent, are in child-headed households (and therefore do not have a responsible adult in the household to sign for the grant), etc.

EXPECTED RESULTS

The following intermediate results will be accomplished during COP 07 in order to achieve the program's goal of improving the quality of life for OVC): • Reach 1,000 OVC through increased community-level services. • Strengthen the capacity of CAFO, its member organizations, and its sub-partners to effectively coordinate and sustain programs of local level. • Enhance skills and knowledge of 150 people through direct training. • Increase provision to beneficiaries of Child Welfare Grants through the Ministry of Gender Equality and Child Welfare • Increase partners' capacity to collect, manage and use data for program improvement and to identify under-served areas in need of OVC services.