The HOPE Worldwide Nigeria (HWWN) Assistance and Care to Children Orphaned and at Risk (ACCORD) Project is a three-year USAID-funded project with a goal to bring compassionate relief and support to communities, families, and children affected by the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Hence, the objectives of the project include the following - Strengthen the capacity of HWWN to manage and scale up programs in her organization and partner CSOs, Increase comprehensive and integrated care and support for Orphaned and Vulnerable Children (OVC), Increase the capacity of affected families to care for and support OVC, Mobilize and strengthen community based OVC responses.

HWWN is working in partnership to build the capacity of 8 indigenous non-governmental organizations in five states (Cross River, Osun, Oyo, Lagos and Delta State) and Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to provide quality service to OVC. The International Church of Christ (ICOC) a partner and a multiplier organization on the project is working in Lagos, Oyo, Delta state and the FCT. The project is providing the 6 plus one USG OVC program components (Psychosocial support, basic health care, nutrition, education, protection and shelter with economic empowerment) to total of 8616 orphaned and vulnerable children. All children enrolled into the project receives psychosocial and health care services while the other services such as nutrition, education, protection, shelter and economic empowerment are provided based on need assessment using a standardized tool the CSI. The capacity of caregivers is being strengthened to care for and support OVC through trainings, linkages to services within the communities and economic empowerment while communities where the project is present are mobilized and equipped through the initiation of Child Care Committees and training of community members and volunteers to ensure that support to OVC is sustained.

HWWN collaborates with the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs, National Population Council, Education and Primary Health Care Departments through working with their State counterpart and other governance structure like the Local government for the enrolled children to access services such as birth certificates, health care, education etc.

HWWN also partners with USAID COMPASS, SESAME STREET and MARKETS programs to leverage education and nutritional support for OVC and their caregivers.

In COP10, HOPE worldwide Nigeria (HWWN) will also continue the implementation of AB programs in 5 States namely, Cross River, Lagos, Osun, Oyo and Delta States. The target population will be 12500 young people and adolescents of age 10-18 years old who will be provided access to abstinence skills and other information that will assist them in making informed, less risky sexual choices to prevent new HIV infection. Under this program, Orphans and Vulnerable Children who fall within the age bracket will benefit by learning skills to prevent HIV and Sexually Transmitted Infections and be trained as peer educators. The activities that will be implemented will enhance self esteem of the target audience and help them acquire life skills. This effort will be delivered in partnership through capacity strengthening of the following Implementing Agencies (IAs); Initiative for People's Good Health (IPG- Ugep Cross River State), Positive Development Foundation (PDF- Calabar, Cross River State), Neighborhood Care Outreach (NCO- Calabar South, Cross River State), Integrated Development Initiative (IDI- Ikom, Cross River State), Counseling for Youths And Teenagers On HIV/AIDS in Nigeria (COYATOHAN- Ojo, Lagos), Living Hope Care (LIHOC- Ilesa, Osun state), Community of Women Living with HIV/AIDS (NCW+ Amuwo Odofin, Lagos), Positive Life Organization of Nigeria (PLON- Yaba, Lagos), and The International Church of Christ (ICOC- Lagos, Delta & Oyo), a multiplier organization. capacity building of the IAs to provide quality service delivery to the target population.

In COP09, the Assistance and Care for Children Orphaned and at Risk (ACCORD) program continued to build the capacity of the following indigenous Implementing Agencies (IAs) in organizational service delivery to provide care and support to OVC in 6 states in Nigeria including FCT - Initiative for People's Good Health (IPG- Ugep Cross River State), Neighborhood Care Outreach (NCO- Calabar South, Cross River State), Integrated Development Initiative (IDI- Ikom, Cross River State), Counseling for Youths And Teenagers On HIV/AIDS in Nigeria (COYATOHAN or COY- Ojo Lagos), Living Hope Care (LIHOC- Ilesa, Osun state), Community of Women Living with HIV/AIDS (NCW+ Amuwo Odofin, Lagos), Positive Life Organization of Nigeria (PLON- Yaba, Lagos). The International Church of Christ (ICOC) is also part of this program as a multiplier organization.

In accordance with the guiding principle of PEPFAR which is building local and host-nation capacity to provide quality services and sustain national programs, HWWN, under ACCORD in COP09, is building its and her IAs Organizational Capacity with support from a technical partner, whose services would be procured during this period. HWWN partners'capacity would be developed in the following areas - Financial Management, Small Grants Administration, Project Management, Procurement and Store Management. In addition, the technical partner would assist HWWN partners to develop organizational policies, process and procedure.

In COP09, HWWN through ICOC (a multiplier IA) increases number of sites from 4 to 6 to include Abuja and Delta State. A total of 6832 OVC would be reached with the six plus one services according to PEPFAR & GoN guidelines.

All IAs are provided with specific refresher training to provide services to OVC - Psychosocial support, structured group therapy, monitoring and evaluation, data quality and data assurance, financial management and report writing trainings.

In COP10, HWWN will continue to provide OVC services according to National Guidelines in Lagos, Oyo, Osun, Cross River and Delta States. A total of 8616 (2057 new) OVC in the 5 States plus FCT will be provided basic minimum services - Psychosocial support and Health Service. Nutrition, education, protection services with economic empowerment will also be provided based on needs. More children orphaned and vulnerable within the communities where the program is domiciled will be identified and the Child Status Index will be used to collect baseline information on these new enrollees to ensure that the children needs are prioritized for service provision. Existing children would also be assessed again for possible change in needs and outcome of the program on them and their household..

The three resource centers established in Lagos (Surulere, Agege) and Ibadan (Mokola) by ICOC in COP08 will continue to provide information on sexuality, reproductive health, and life skills to the children in the communities where they are domiciled. These centers will be further strengthened by the HWWN AB program to provide information on Sexual Abstinence and other modes of prevention of STI &HIV/AIDS. IAs service providers including volunteers directly working with the children will be trained on AB program as trainer of trainers to step down this training to all 10-18 year old OVC as peer health educators. The trained peer educators OVC would be providing information on AB in their respective communities and schools.

Newly identified parents/caregivers will be co-opted into already existing caregiver's forums in the different communities. In COP10 a total of 1312 (513 New) caregivers will be trained on provision of care (PSS) to their ward including training on parenting, AB, gardening, succession planning and will writing. These sessions will be taught by trained providers from within and outside the organizations. To deal with the issue of gender violence, male caregivers will be included under the Men as Partners activities of the AB program as well. In COP 10, sustainability will be taken further by ensuring that more caregivers/parents are supported with income generating activities in the form of training, seed or booster stocks to empower them continue providing food and other support to their ward with education when the project closes out.

In COP09, kids clubs were established to provide children life skills and afford children an opportunity to play and interact with their peers. In COP10, the kids clubs will continue to hold while new ones are established where needed and existing ones strengthened to further provide Psychosocial support to all children in the program. The clubs will also serve as coordinating points where OVC can receive the other core services and trainings e.g Reproductive health and Abstinence trainings. ACCORD will through her partners increase OVC enrolment in school through partnerships with state ministries and local education authorities. Short term direct assistance to subsidize school related costs such as books, uniforms, exam registrations, school bags and sandals will be provided to selected OVC based on needs assessment using the Child Status Index. Support will also be solicited from the Communities to provide children heading household and/or older OVC with free/subsidized vocational training. Caregivers and OVC will receive skill acquisition training in trades of their choice. Start up grant/materials/stock based on assessments conducted will be provided to some of them and the rest referred for employment.

With support from the Society for Family Health SFH, households with OVC less than 5 years and HIV positive children under the program will receive Basic prevention kits comprising a bucket with spigot, LLITN and water guard for the prevention of malaria and diarrhea. Children requiring medical care will also be referred to primary health care facilities in their communities where drugs to treat minor ailments will be provided. As most of the identified households are in rural communities, caregivers will receive training surrounding safe water storage, proper hand washing techniques and hygiene while HIV related cases for both children and their caregivers will be referred to the nearest ARV/PMTCT treatment centre. The ACCORD program will also continue to provide assistance to families in critical need by paying their medical bills.

Therapeutic and supplementary feeding of malnourished children particularly the under fives, based on assessment conducted following WHO guidelines, will be done in partnership with the primary health care facilities where food demonstrations classes will also hold. The feeding program will target malnourished children with priority given to infants of HIV positive mothers and under fives. HWWN will also leverage MARKETS' Family Nutritional Support Program (FNSP) which will target the immediate nutritional needs of the most vulnerable children. Through family economic empowerement program, HWWN will address the long-term livelihood support needs of OVC and their caregivers. The IAs especially will embark on community advocacy and solicit community support to improve vulnerable household food security.

Article 7 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child establishes the right of every child to a name and nationality. In many countries including Nigeria, birth registration is not accessible to large portions of the population especially to people in hard to reach areas. HWWN and her implementing agencies will continue advocacy to the National Population Commission, UNICEF, Federal and State Ministry of Women Affairs to access free birth registrations for all unregistered children enrolled into the program.

It is anticipated that 60% of the programs total beneficiaries will be girls and the remaining 40% boys.

In COP09, HWWN is providing technical assistance and field support to Cross River State MoWA to conduct a baseline assessment of all OVC providing NGOs, CBOs and FBOs in the State. In COP10 HWWN will continue to work closely with stakeholders including the Local Government and States' OVC desk officers plus the OVC steering committee to improve OVC program through provision of technical assistance, supporting monitoring and evaluation of OVC programs in the States. HWWN will continue networking and referral linkages with other OVC serving organization within the States - collaborate with the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs, National Population Council, Education and Primary Health Care Departments through working with their State counterpart and other governance structure like the Local government for the enrolled children to access services such as birth certificates, health care, education etc.

HWWN wll also partners with other USAID Implementing Partners (e.g. SESAME STREET and MARKETS) programs to leverage education and nutritional support for OVC and their caregivers. HWWN will continue to benefit from the LMS project implemented by MSH on Strategic and Sustainability Planning, Human Resource Management, Leadership and Governance as part of her Organizational Capacity Development.

HWWN will provide refresher trainings and continuous mentoring on monitoring and evaluation to IAs to further strengthen the data collection, collation and analysis skills of these different implementing agencies. All IAs will be retrained on the use of the CSI to evaluate the needs, outcome/impact of the program on individual beneficiaries and communities as a whole. Efforts will be directed to quality assurance and service delivery improvement through regular field visits, mentoring, supportive supervision and charts review with immediate feedback on areas of weaknesses and follow- up planning plus supportive supervisory implementation of corrective measures to ensure all round quality.

CONTRIBUTIONS TO OVERALL PROGRAM AREA

This activity contributes to the USG's PEPFAR Strategy of providing care to OVC and is consistent with the Nigerian National Plan of Action on OVC.

LINKS TO OTHER ACTIVITIES

This activity is linked to AB, HCT, Pediatric Care &Support, and Treatment. Through the kids club and the caregivers forum, abstinence as a prevention method information will be provided to children and their caregivers encouraging them to reduce or not indulge in risky sexual behaviors and giving life skills that enable the young people to say no to sex and 'zip-up'. Care givers and their wards would be referred for counseling and testing especially if caregiver is not the biological parent of her ward and cause of death of wards parent are unestablished. Referral for treatment, care and support at the nearest treatment centre would be done in cases of new cases of HIV infection. HWWN IAs will leverage existing USAID funded Economic Growth programs to provide wrap-around nutritional and income generating support for OVC in the programs.

POPULATION BEING TARGETED

This activity target population include OVC and their Caregivers, with the communities and support groups as indirect beneficiaries as HWWN advocates and mobilize communities through the Child Care Forum members to respond to the needs of OVC in their communities.

EMPHASIS AREAS

This activity emphasis is on Community base organization capacity development to provide sustainable services to the less priviledge within their community Wrap-Around that will primarily provide nutrition and IGA support for OVC. Local organization capacity development is another major emphasis area. Community mobilization and participation, development of network/linkages/referral system, and information, education and communication will also be addressed.

None