ACTIVITY DESCRIPTION:

This is a new activity in COP08 and it relates to the health sector strategic objective as a wraparound

activity that provides access to comprehensive nutrition, education and referral to basic health care for

OVC. COMPASS's primary focus areas are FP/RH, child survival and basic education. The project engages

local communities in building high quality, integrated health and education services in over 700 HFs and

1000 schools in 51 local government districts in Bauchi, Kano, Lagos, Nasarawa states and FCT.

PEPFAR funding will be used to further strengthen nutrition and educational wraparound services of the

following USG supported IPs: Christian AID (5430.08), University of Maryland (ACTION Project) (5417.08),

FHI/GHAIN, CEDPA (12378.08), Winrock (AIM project) (9882.08), Harvard APIN+ (5415.08), and others

currently providing OVC interventions in Bauchi, Kano, Nasarawa and Lagos states. Among the 45 Local

Government Areas (LGA) in Kano (16 LGAs), Nasarawa (7 LGAs), Lagos (14 LGAs) and Bauchi (8 LGAS)

where COMPASS works, priority will be given to LGAS where USG IPs are providing HIV/AIDS services.

COMPASS proposes to complement the IPs challenge to meet the needs of OVC by providing technical

support in the nutrition area through the expansion of the Positive Deviance (PD) Hearth model and in the

education area by facilitating retention of OVC in schools. In Bauchi the primary focus will be training on

nutrition of service providers from USG supported facilities providing HIV services. COMPASS platforms

{Community Coalitions (CC), Parent Teacher Association (PTA)} and the Nigeria Partners (CSACEFA and

NMA) will be instrumental in the implementation of the proposed package of interventions. In COP08,

COMPASS will reach a total of 6000 OVC (2000 of them receiving primary direct support and 4,000

supplemental support). Also 620 care providers will be trained on OVC care and support services,

especially on nutritional support through community wraparound activities.

Following recommendations from the Food and Nutrition TA, COMPASS will work to build in-country

capacity to conduct adequate nutritional assessments of PLWHA and PABA including OVC. To build

government capacity, COMPASS will work with the appropriate government agencies such as HIV/AIDS

and Nutrition Divisions of the FMOH, to develop training manuals, Standards of Practice (SOP) and job aids

on nutrition and HIV/AIDS with special emphasis on infected and affected OVC. Two thousand five hundred

(2,500) copies of the SOP and 500 copies of the training manuals will be printed, and disseminated through

one-day orientation meetings for the USG IPs, their service providers and participants from Federal and

State Ministries of Women Affairs.

At the facility level, COMPASS will identify 220 service providers from USG supported facilities providing

HIV services in COMPASS presence states and train them on nutritional counseling and management for

HIV-affected families and HIV Positive children using the training manuals, job aides and the newly

developed SOPs for Nutrition and HIV/AIDS. In addition, COMPASS will train 400 community volunteers

from USG IPs on nutritional care and support for OVC, nutrition counseling and education, community

based growth monitoring and follow-up care during and after illness. The training will focus on weighing,

weight charting and interpretation, nutritional needs of OVC, appropriate nutritional counseling and care

giving, referrals and follow-up. COMPASS will provide technical assistance to USG IPs to facilitate and

support the community volunteers to conduct PD Hearth health sessions involving food preparation and

demonstrations, community education on the seven key child survival interventions, personal hygiene and

sanitation, stimulative feeding and basic home gardening techniques.

COMPASS will develop appropriate, simple and easy-to-understand- IEC materials for use by service

providers and community members on proper food preparation, hygiene and sanitation, selection of

appropriate foods, as well as other nutritional management issues for OVC and their caregivers

COMPASS will support efforts of USG supported OVC partners to improve OVC access to food at the

community level through community based nutrition rehabilitation program for malnourished children using

the Positive Deviance (PD) Hearth Model to cover 100 communities reaching 4,000 OVC children in 45

LGAs in four states prioritizing sites and communities that have USG supported HIV/AIDS services.

COMPASS will provide technical support to USG partners providing community based OVC services to

establish community feeding for OVC using the (PD) Hearth Model and expand the community based

growth monitoring model to target under five OVC in their intervention communities.

To support primary school age OVC, COMPASS will use its institutionalized structures (CC and PTA cluster

training) to facilitate access to formal schooling of OVC mobilized by USG partners in 37 LGAS in Kano,

Lagos and Nasarawa states. COMPASS will collaborate with PTAs and community coalitions around these

schools to ensure enrolment and retention of OVC. Block grants to schools to address critical gaps as

decided by the PTA will be given in exchange for providing retaining OVC in their schools. PTA grants will

assist in upgrading public schools that will in turn provide levy free education for OVC. In order to keep OVC

beneficiaries in the school they will be provided with uniforms, school books and materials.

COMPASS will partner with USG supported IPs to provide training to community members (CCs, PTA). In

COMPASS supported schools, training will be provided to improve psychosocial support to OVC that are

enrolled in schools. COMPASS will target 3,000 primary school OVC through PTAs and CSACEFA. In

partnership with USG IPs, schools, PTAs and communities will establish criteria for COMPASS assistance

to OVC; however, priority will be given to girls who are most at risk of leaving school in order to care for sick

family members. . CSACEFA will train teachers, PTAs and CCs and will conduct sensitization activities

with parents and students to raise their awareness on the special needs of OVC. Complementing those

efforts, COMPASS will facilitate the formation of ANTI -AIDs clubs in these schools and will develop age

appropriate IEC materials to create awareness on the plight of OVC and HIV prevention among the

communities involved.

To raise the awareness of community members (religious leaders, community coalitions, PTAs, service

providers etc) to the plight of OVC and aid in reducing stigma and discrimination against OVC , JHU/CCP a

COMPASS sub partner will design field test and develop relevant IEC materials that will be in the public

domain. COMPASS will collaborate with the efforts of MARKETS to facilitate the linkage of community

volunteers and OVC households with existing activities that will improve food supplementation.

CONTRIBUTIONS TO OVERALL PROGRAM AREA:

The program will increase the number of USG IPs, local organizations and caregivers that are able to

provide adequate nutritional care and support for OVC. This will contribute to overall Emergency Plan OVC

Activity Narrative: targets for Nigeria. The new training manuals and SOPs will contribute substantively to USG Nigeria's 5-

Year Strategy emphasis of providing community support services to at least 25 percent of children affected

by AIDS and the National Action Plan to scale-up the national response to OVC.

This project will adhere to PEPFAR goals and objectives, as well as to the principles of Nigeria's HIV/AIDS

Strategies and Guidelines, emphasizing and applying best practices in the context of national policy,

encouraging local leadership, and coordinating response efforts through sound management and

harmonized monitoring and evaluation systems.

LINKS TO OTHER ACTIVITIES:

COMPASS OVC relates to the following activities: Christian AID (5430.08), University of Maryland (ACTION

Project) (5417.08), FHI/GHAIN, CEDPA (12378.08), Winrock (AIM project) (9882.08) and Harvard APIN+

(5415.08).

POPULATION BEING TARGETED:

This activity targets orphans and vulnerable children enrolled by USG IPs through facilities and community

based activities. It also targets men and women who are teachers, religious leaders and members of

community coalitions and PTAs. As a wrap around activity it also provides HIV prevention messages to in

school youth through the ANTI-AIDS clubs that will be formed in the COMPASS supported schools

EMPHASIS AREAS:

The main thrusts of the program in COP07 will be a wraparound activity to provide training for USG IPs,

local organizations and caregivers in nutrition through the development of training manuals, dissemination

of SOPs and development of IEC materials; Improved Educational Access and Retainment; and Improved

Quality of Life for OVC.