SUMMARY:

Senzakwenzeke (SEKA), a South African non-governmental organization (NGO) based in KwaZulu-Natal,

provides psychosocial support, nutrition, counseling, homework assistance and social grant application

assistance to orphans and vulnerable children (OVC). SEKA conducts training programs for Child Care

Forums (CCFs) and caregivers on children's rights, child protection, and care and support for OVC. The

main emphasis areas of Senzakwenzeke activities are community mobilization and participation, the

development of networks, linkages, and referral systems, and training. The target beneficiaries are orphans

and vulnerable children, caregivers of OVC, community leaders, SA-based volunteers, and people living

with HIV and AIDS.

BACKGROUND:

Senzakwenzeke (SEKA) is a community-based organization operating in Nkandla Local Municipality, in the

Uthungulu District 28 in KwaZulu-Natal province (KZN). KwaZulu-Natal is the South African province with

the highest HIV prevalence rate (39 percent). The Nkandla District, one of the largest districts in KZN is

characterized by high unemployment, lack of resources and a very poor infrastructure. This affects service

delivery to children and the community. Within their population radius, Senzakwenzeke has identified 924

OVC, and this number is likely to increase during the next few years.

SEKA is a partnership between the local community and local health professionals. The Nkandla Hospital

had identified the need for a community-based care program to provide services to OVC. SEKA provides

services that are relevant to the development and well-being of OVC, such as assistance in getting social

security grants, health promotion, HIV prevention messages and reproductive health education, assistance

in waiving school fees for OVC to access education, and access to legal documents for succession

planning. SEKA was a sub-partner under the Nelson Mandela Children's Fund program which ended in FY

2006.

With PEPFAR support since 2006, SEKA has expanded their OVC activities to three wards in the Nkandla

District. As of March 2006, SEKA has been able to provide services to 924 OVC. SEKA has established

strong links with the traditional leadership, the local government of Nkandla, the Nardini Sisters (a faith-

based organization providing shelter and food to OVC), and the Nkandla Hospital (for OVC ART referral), in

an effort to provide a strong community response to care for OVC. These and other partners work with

SEKA to provide food aid, scholarships for tertiary education and skills training for OVC.

ACTIVITIES AND EXPECTED RESULTS:

ACTIVITY 1: Strengthening Community Care Forums (CCFs)

SEKA will provide support in the establishment and training of Child Care Forums (CCFs). CCFs are

community-based structures focusing on meeting the needs of OVC. The role of the CCF is to ensure the

identification of OVC, to be aware of initiatives involving child care and support, to create awareness of

OVC issues, to assess OVC needs, to liaise with other community-driven initiatives focused on children,

and to perform advocacy for OVC in the community. CCFs are vital for sustainability of OVC programs and

community involvement in ensuring that the needs of OVC are addressed. SEKA partners with the

Department of Social Development (DOSD) to train the CCFs, which is composed of representatives from

the community. The training follows the DOSD Guidelines for establishing CCFs. SEKA implements all its

OVC activities in line with the DOSD OVC Policy Framework and the National Plan of Action. Topics

covered in the CCF training include, the role of the CCFs, drawing up a community profile, costing and

fundraising, monitoring and evaluation, and understanding the needs and rights of children.

SEKA will expand the program by mobilizing and training 25 new caregivers in the CCFs. They will be

linked to the 35 existing caregivers. These 35 caregivers will receive refresher training through a direct Train

the Trainers course. SEKA will ensure close monitoring and tracking of trained caregivers and their CCFs.

ACTIVITY 2: Human Capacity Development

SEKA will provide monthly training and mentoring for their thirty-five caregivers (recruited from the

community) on counseling, psychosocial support, OVC needs assessments, children's rights, special needs

of the girl and boy child, referrals for ART, nutrition, child protection and gardening. In FY 2008 SEKA will

recruit and train an additional twenty five OVC caregivers. During these training sessions Supervisors will

provide psychosocial support or debriefing sessions for the SEKA caregivers to share their concerns and

provide a forum to openly discuss what they see and experience in caring and supporting OVC.

ACTIVITY 3: OVC Care and Support

Through using the Sinomlando and REPPSI models, SEKA trains OVC on how to create memory boxes to

capture family memories, deal with grief, and build resilience in OVC. Periodic home visits to the OVC,

provide an opportunity for follow-up and monitoring to see if the OVC are coping with the difficult situation in

their home environment. SEKA works with a number of partners in the Nkandla area, to assist with OVC

follow-up by observing resilience in the families that have benefited from memory boxes.

ACTIVITY 4: Improving OVC access to Social Security Grants

During home visits, SEKA caregivers will assess whether OVC are in possession of legal documents such

as birth certificates and identity documents. These documents are required in order for OVC to access

government social security grants. Once the OVC is in possession of the required documents, the caregiver

will assist the household with the application process to access the government social security grants and

the caregivers will also provide training in budgeting skills so the OVC are able to manage this new source

of household income. OVC and their households will also receive information and counseling on other

available government social and health related services such as child protection and pediatric ART. The

SEKA caregiver will act as a point of linkage, referral and follow-up for the OVC to access these services.

SEKA will continue to coordinate community-based outreach by Home Affairs to assist in fast tracking legal

Activity Narrative: documents for succession planning of the OVC (using mobile vans).

ACTIVITY 5: Strengthening Gender-Based Activities

SEKA caregivers work in and out of schools which run specific gender programs for girls and boys. Special

sessions are held for girls and boys separately and cover issues such as sexual reproductive health,

sexuality and abuse. South African Government training materials are used for the training. Additionally,

SEKA caregivers will host sessions where boys and girls interact together, to share their experiences and

learn from each other. Caregivers also ensure that during the OVC home visits they spend time with each

individual child to give them an opportunity to ask questions or share concerns around these topics.

ACTIVITY 6: Food Gardens for Child-Headed Households

SEKA caregivers will provide training to OVC, especially child-headed households, on the skills required to

create survival food gardens. The food gardens are at the homes of the children and on community land

provided by the municipality. This is a wrap around activity where other stakeholders in the community

provide the seeds and fertilizers for the gardens. The survival food gardens will provide vegetables which

enable the children to have better nutrition. A SEKA two-week training module on food gardening includes a

nutrition component encouraging the use of local plants and high nutrition vegetables to supplement the

OVC nutritional needs.

Additionally, post-harvest food processing and storage activities will be included with help from the AED

Umbrella Grant Management Program.

The Senzakwenzeke OVC activities will contribute to the PEPFAR goal of providing care and support to 10

million HIV-affected individuals, including OVC.