SUMMARY:

The Child Welfare South Africa (CWSA) Asibavikele (Let's 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 AIDS affected households and to uphold children's rights. The program

emphasis is human capacity development. Primary target populations are OVC and people living with HIV

and AIDS.

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 for the rights of

children and addressing 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. The Asibavikele program now in its forth year, was initially implemented in 21 pilot sites in

2005 trained more than 600 community volunteers and reached over 7000 children within its first year. By

FY 2008 the program will be implemented in a total of 40 sites. Asibavikele is a nationally coordinated

program facilitating community-based care and support for OVC in disadvantaged communities. 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 as a result of 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

i) Employing Additional Staff

Building human resource capacity at national, provincial and site level has been identified as a priority.

CWSA will therefore ensure the employment of additional staff at national level for program and financial

management, M&E, and administrative support. Provincial program coordinators, bookkeepers,

administrative and M & E support will be employed in each province to ensure decentralization of activities.

The employment of Asibavikele dedicated social workers at site level will ensure that children needs are

met and targets achieved.

ii) Training Activities and Training Strategy

The focus in FY 2008 will be to sustain the existing 40 sites. CWSA will train all employees on the

Asibavikele program, not only those directly implementing the program at site level. This will ensure that

trained staff is always available to implement the program even during times of staff turnover. Training of

Project Teams will be conducted at provincial. This will allow for training in smaller teams, providing more

time to workshop issues specific to each of the provinces. All staff will attend a training workshop to equip

them with knowledge and skills to implement 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 key to motivation, skills and ability of prospective

volunteers to achieve the goals of Asibavikele. Structured training sessions in accordance with the volunteer

training manual will be conducted at each site, preparing volunteers to provide services to OVC.

iii) Mentoring and Support

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. Provincial coordinators, bookkeepers and administrative staff will provide ongoing training, mentoring

and support to project teams collectively and individually through monthly meetings and regular site visits.

Program reviews and exchange visits will be conducted within provinces and nationally to share best

practices. On-going support will focus on strengthening project teams, developing work plans and

administrative procedures to ensure efficient rollout and implementation. Member organizations will be

assessed in each province to identify roll-out sites in FY 2009. This strategy will contribute toward ensuring

sustainability of the program at all levels in the long term. The National Steering Committee will meet

quarterly 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 and their family within the context of their families thus promoting family centered care.

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. In addition, partnerships with other organizations to strengthen psychosocial service

delivery and memory work will be sustained. 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 child placements and supervision of care.

Activity Narrative:

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 will be aimed at OVC and their families. CWSA will

ensure that through such campaigns affected households are aware of pertinent issues affecting OVC,

including the rights of the girl child as well as changes to South African legislation regarding children and

OVC. The knowledge and information provided through these targeted awareness- raising activities will

empower households affected by the epidemic to make informed life choices and to plan for the future.

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. From focus group discussions

with volunteers and evaluations, 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 support for volunteers in the form of specialized training to enhance volunteer skills and

knowledge will be used to further sustain these valued caregivers. A dedicated caring for caregiver's

component will be added to the program to enhance volunteer debriefing and prevent burnout. Volunteer

support "clubs" will be encouraged so to provide assistance to each other in times of personal need, e.g.

burial funds.

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 the PEPFAR goal of providing care and support to 10

million HIV-affected individuals, including OVC.