Note: Late in FY07 child welfare South Africa inherited the FY07 budget and the FY07 targets from the OVC portfolio of Kingdom Trust. This added $240,000 and 2,000 OVC reached plus 72 providers/caretakers trained in caring for OVC.

SUMMARY:

The Child Welfare South Africa (CWSA) Asibavikele (Lets Protect Them) program facilitates the recruitment and training of community volunteers who work in teams to identify and meet the needs of Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC) and HIV and AIDS affected households, and to uphold children's rights. The program emphasis areas include training, local organization capacity development, quality assurance and supportive supervision. Primary target populations are OVC, HIV and AIDS affected families and caregivers.

BACKGROUND:

CWSA is the umbrella, development, capacity building and coordinating body for 170 member organizations and 49 developing child welfare organizations. It is a not-for-profit organization that works closely with the South African Government (SAG) Department of Social Development (DoSD)in advocating the rights of children and developing programs to address children needs. In dealing with the HIV and AIDS pandemic, CWSA with PEPFAR assistance, has developed a national program, Asibavikele, implemented by Child Welfare member organizations throughout the country. The Asibavikele program now in its third year, was initially implemented in 21 pilot sites in 2005/2006 training more than 600 community volunteers and reaching over 7000 children directly within its first year. In FY 2007 the program will expand into an additional 20 sites, reaching more OVC.

Asibavikele is a nationally driven and coordinated program facilitating community-based care and support for OVC in disadvantaged communities via the comprehensive infrastructure and collective action of CWSA, its member organizations and trained community volunteers. The program involves communities in the identification and care of OVC, sensitizes communities to the rights of children and establishes foster care and safe homes. CWSA has succeeded in leveraging support for these safe homes through a public-private partnership with Thokomala Orphan Care.

ACTIVITIES AND EXPECTED RESULTS:

ACTIVITY 1: Community Consultation and Mobilization of Child Welfare Affiliate members.

CWSA personnel together with member organizations will identify communities where there are high numbers of OVC due to HIV and AIDS. Project staff will consult with local leaders and other key role players to ensure buy-in and support for the program. Baseline studies and community profiles will be conducted to gain a deeper understanding of the community, its needs and resources. This activity lays the foundation for strong working relationships, fosters community participation and sets in motion M&E processes.

ACTIVITY 2: Human Capacity Development

CWSA personnel and member organization staff will attend a training workshop to equip them with necessary knowledge and skills to implement and oversee the program as well as to train and support community volunteers. These trainers will constitute the Project Teams at site level, and will recruit, screen and train community volunteers. Screening of volunteers is seen as a key task to ensure correct motivation, skills and ability of prospective volunteers to achieve the goals of Asibavikele. Lessons learned from program implementation will be used to revise and update the training manuals prior to training. Structured training sessions in accordance with the volunteer training manual will be conducted at each site preparing volunteers to provide services to OVC.

Set procedures and policies to guide project teams and community volunteers in implementing the Asibavikele program have been developed and will continue to be used together with a structured M&E plan. A National Steering Committee will be established to oversee the full implementation of the program and to focus on the CWSA national goals and targets. These mechanisms ensure that the program is implemented in a standardized manner and quality controls are in place.

ACTIVITY 3: Outreach Services

Volunteers will conduct door-to-door visits, introducing the program, identifying OVC and providing prevention messages to the community. Together with social workers, volunteers will draw up care plans for each OVC to address their specific needs. Volunteers will provide a range of assistance including: applications for birth certificates, other legal documents, SAG child support grants, school fee exemptions; provision of targeted short term emergency food, shelter and clothing; emotional support to children and their caregivers; referrals to relevant medical services, primary health care clinics, pediatric ART programs and linking OVC with social workers when foster care is needed. Focus will also be placed on aiding communities in developing food gardens to enhance food security. Volunteers will provide a comprehensive care package addressing the physical, educational and emotional needs of OVC. Social workers will primarily focus on protection of OVC through statutory placements and supervision of care.

ACTIVITY 4: Community Campaigns

Volunteers will develop and present bi-monthly HIV and AIDS prevention and awareness campaigns for their communities as a means to provide information and make them aware of the Asibavikele program, children rights, and gender issues. These campaigns are aimed at the general population including children of all ages and sex, adult men and women. CWSA will ensure that through such campaigns communities are aware of the rights of the girl child as well as changes to South African legislation affecting children and OVC.

ACTIVITY 5: Volunteer support and sustainability

Volunteers are central to the program and aid social workers in reaching OVC. Emphasis will be placed on sustaining volunteers with the support and guidance provided by social workers. Bi-weekly volunteer group supervision as well as monthly volunteer training sessions will be held to aid volunteers in their interventions with children and to enhance their skills. Social workers will also be available for individual consultations with volunteers as a means to mentor and support them. These mechanisms are aimed at ensuring a quality service to OVC as well as to prevent burnout and loss of volunteers. CWSA has established that this support plays an important role in sustaining the volunteer commitment to the program. This activity will require the employment of professional social workers or social auxiliary workers at each site dedicated to the Asibavikele program. Additional mechanisms of supporting volunteers will continue to be explored in FY 2007.

ACTIVITY 6: Referrals and Linkages

The Asibavikele program is a community-based response to OVC and requires strong networks within the community to ensure the needs of children are met. The CWSA program is consistent with the Department of Social Development's strategic framework on OVC. CWSA has developed a strong relationship with the Department of Social Development, which provides funding as well as support services to CWSA organizations on the ground. Further, at the onset of the program community profiles are developed highlighting role players within the community who will aid CWSA in providing a comprehensive service to children and their families. These will include hospice care, pediatric treatment programs, psychological counseling and material aid. Volunteers track referrals and make follow-ups to establish whether OVC received services.

These activities will contribute to PEPFAR's goal of providing care and support to 10 million HIV-affected individuals, including OVC.