ACTIVITY DESCRIPTION: This activity is related to Track 1 Christian Aid activity in Benue and Plateau

state providing comprehensive services to OVC.

Community Care in Nigeria (CCN) project is currently in 4 states (Anambra, Edo, Kano and FCT) working

with 13 ex-GHAIN partners. In COP 08 the partnership will expand to 17 including 4 Dioceses in 4 additional

states (Adamawa, Benue, Lagos and Niger), bringing the project states to 8. This activity supports the scale

up of OVC service provision in 8 States and the development of the capacity of indigenous multipliers and

CSOs. CCN is being implemented through a consortium of partners including Christian Aid (CA), the

Association of Women Living with HIV/AIDS (ASWHAN), 5 Anglican Dioceses and agencies previously

supported under GHAIN.

CCN is developing a community and family-based approach in which communities design and implement

OVC protection and care. The approach adopted is based on the CA Track 1 supported program (CBCO).

The program offers comprehensive models of care and support to meet the psychological and material

needs of OVC and promotes advocacy and learning on issues affecting OVC.

Representatives of OVC households are mobilized into Savings and Loan Associations (SLAs). Members of

SLAs save for several months and when their savings become significantly large draw small loans, which

they use for income generation activities, school fees and uniforms, etc. To complement this and bolster

their food and nutritional security, the groups will also be supported with self-help projects in agriculture

(e.g. seed and livestock multiplication) and complementary sectors.

OVC between the ages of 6-11 years, whose guardians are members of SLA groups, will participate in

weekly Kids Clubs activities. Trained peer facilitators take the children through a structured manual

informed by material developed by the Regional Psychosocial Support Initiative (REPSSI). In this way,

these children receive quality psycho-social support. Under-5s will be targeted for preventive health care

support, birth registration, weight monitoring and food/nutrition support (training and/or provision of food

supplements locally mobilized through existing community groups).

Older OVC between the ages of 12-17 years are mobilized into youth clubs and participate in weekly life

skills sessions, reproductive health education and psychosocial support. The sessions are also facilitated by

trained peer educators using material informed by Population Services International (PSI) and other

reputable organizations.

Within the SLA groups, Child Protection Monitors (CPM) are appointed. The CPMs are responsible for

visiting the homes of each of their fellow SLA members at least twice per month. Here, they interact with

the OVC providing adult mentorship and ensuring OVC are not being abused, stigmatized, and/or

discriminated against. When minor child protection cases occur, carers are counselled to explore

alternative ways of treating the children. More serious cases are reported to community-established OVC

Support Committees, child protection committees, and/or local government officers/police for resolution.

Through this mechanism, the project is working to ensure that all the children are systematically monitored

and benefit from child protection, as well as one-one-one counseling support. Further health-related support

which will be provided by trained carers will include home-based care to OVC and their families.

Despite the economic strengthening work that is being undertaken, there are still many OVC that are unable

to attend school, particularly at secondary level. Given this, rigorous targeting will be undertaken with the

OVC Support Committees and SLA groups to identify and provide support for older OVC most in need.

Intensive advocacy and resource mobilization drives will be carried out to find more long-lasting solutions to

retaining these OVC in school. In addition, older OVC that cannot be integrated into the formal education

system due to a lack of a basic education, will be provided with vocational training through local training

institutions.

Community organizations will also facilitate referrals to other organizations to fill significant gaps. Partners

will develop advocacy skills that will enable them to leverage additional support from public sector service

providers. Priorities are likely to include advocacy to remove constraints to UBE and to improve access of

vulnerable groups to services of organizations such as NAPEP. The potential of private sector support for

OVC services (school support) will also be explored. Although the provision of direct benefits to OVC is a

central part to CCN, attention is also given to longer-term developments that will create an enabling

environment for continuation of provision of services to OVC after program close out. Part of this will be

support to the strengthening of coordinating structures for OVC activities at State and Federal Government

levels.

CCN started in late May 2007 and, in line with its plans for COP08, is expected to include at least 4 new

Diocese partners as well as at least 6 new support groups supported by ASWHAN. It will also expand from

4 to 8 States in COP08. Compared to COP07, funding will increase in COP08 by approximately

500,000USD. Targets will increase from 3,000 OVC and 1,000 carers in COP07 to 10,000 OVC and 2000

carers in COP08. In order to ensure these targets are reached, all registered children will be monitored

regularly using a Quality Assurance Tracking Database based on the successful model developed by the

CBCO program. The Database allows the monitoring of services provided directly by CCN, by referral from

CCN, by another organization independently and by services leveraged by CCN. In addition, the Child

Status Index (CSI) will be used bi-annually to monitor quality of life of OVC.

All elements of this program will contribute to the national response and will be based on relevant plans

such as the National OVC Plan of Action, the NSF and local plans developed by SACAs and LACAs. CCN

will address all six objectives included in the OVC National Plan of Action, and will specifically target

Objective 3 of the HIV/AIDS National Strategic Framework for Action 2005-09. It will complement and be

integrated into other USG-funded and GON programs particularly those involving clinical services such as

HCT, PMTCT and pediatric and adult ART. It will contribute to the development of learning networks that

can develop best practice for OVC work and stimulate the expansion of quality HIV related services. CA will

be the Case Manager for Anambra and Edo States and will monitor ASWHAN to carry out the same role in

Benue State. This role entails providing technical backstopping to the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs to

roll out policies, plans, and programs as well as capacity building to State Ministry of Women Affairs

(SMWA) to plan, monitor, supervise and evaluate OVC programs in the states.

Activity Narrative: The long-term impact of CCN will be the establishment of indigenous regional and national multipliers

capable of accessing funds and delivering quality OVC services. To this end, CA will provide technical

support to ASWHAN to develop the capacity to directly access USG funds in the future. A key principle of

the consortium will be that over the course of the program, management and granting responsibilities will be

transferred from CA to ASWHAN. By the end of the program, ASWHAN will be able to directly receive

funding from USAID. All other partners in CCN will undergo comprehensive organizational capacity

development to better enable them to sustain themselves and OVC services in the future.

CONTRIBUTIONS TO OVERALL PROGRAM AREA: By the end of the 3-year program CCN will directly

benefit 12,200 OVC and 5,000 families who will have accessed services. In COP08, the program expects to

reach 10,000 OVC and 2,000 families. Christian Aid and partners will assist, through advocacy with State

and Local Government stakeholders, the roll out of activities supported at national level by ENHANSE. In

addition the participation of SMWA representatives and SACAs and LACAs in program activities will be

used to share lessons and support local coordination.

LINKS TO OTHER ACTIVITIES: Linkages will be established with HIV/AIDS treatment centers and

community adherence activities, care and support programs, and TB/HIV programs to ensure that OVC and

carers stay alive and in good health, to counseling and testing centers to enable family members to receive

necessary support and to PMTCT providers to reduce the increase in numbers of HIV+ children.

TARGET POPULATIONS: This program targets girl and boy OVC and families affected by HIV/AIDS. It will

provide services to OVC and family members in community settings using existing established and

accepted community organizations as service providers. In addition, religious leaders and leaders of

women's organizations will be trained to combat stigma in their work and will be supported to engage

productively and openly with PLHA.

EMPHASIS AREAS: This program includes emphasis on Local Organization Capacity Development and

community mobilization, nutrition and training as outlined in Section 1. The program will also focus on

increased access to micro-finance for households provided by existing rural development programs of

ADDS (Benue State only). ADDS and GHADS with Christian Aid, will encourage greater access to income

generation opportunities through advocacy to regional branches of institutions such as NAPEP and will

encourage provision of UBE through advocacy to local and State Government stakeholders. The program

will also aim to a) support equal numbers of male and female OVC and address cultural and economic

factors that limit access to services of either gender; b) develop opportunities for women to increase their

access to economic resources.