Detailed Mechanism Funding and Narrative

Years of mechanism: 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018

Details for Mechanism ID: 16979
Country/Region: South Africa
Year: 2013
Main Partner: Regional Psychosocial Support Initiative
Main Partner Program: NA
Organizational Type: NGO
Funding Agency: USAID
Total Funding: $834,747

Regional Psychosocial Support Initiatives (REPSSI) program will improve the psychosocial well-being of vulnerable households and will improve the capacity of Department of Social Development (DSD) at national, provincial and district level, to implement a comprehensive child care and protection service through providing technical support to the DSD in mainstreaming psychosocial support (PSS) to operationalize the psychosocial support conceptual framework. REPSSI will collaborate with University of Kwa-Zulu Natal (KZN) and DSD at the district level to select and train 300 caregivers in a Community Based Work with Children and Youth (CBWCY) certificate. The CBWCY course will equip those working at community level with children and youth with skills and knowledge enabling them to support children, youth and their families in their communities. REPSSIs CBWCY training will increase the number of professionally trained community care givers providing PSS to OVC; and improve the usage of PSS tools and resources in service delivery for OVC and their households. At the national level REPSSI will support the DSD to develop PSS guidelines, improve coordination and referral structures for access to PSS and improve the coverage of professional PSS services to vulnerable children and their families. A skilled PSS Technical Advisor will provide technical expertise to DSD in developing and piloting PSS guidelines. REPSSI will support the DSD to develop and pilot guidelines for the Conceptual Framework for Psychosocial Support for OVC to strengthen the abilities of vulnerable households to provide care, support and protection for OVC. REPSSI will strengthen the DSD to improve their management and coordination capacity to provide quality PSS services for vulnerable families.

Funding for Care: Orphans and Vulnerable Children (HKID): $834,747

The goal of the Regional Psychosocial Support Initiative (REPSSI) program is to improve the psychosocial well-being of vulnerable households in one province and to improve the capacity of Department of Social Development (DSD) at the national, provincial and district level, to implement a comprehensive child care and protection service through technical support to the DSD in mainstreaming psycho social support (PSS) and to operationalize the psychosocial support for orphans and other children made vulnerable by HIV and AIDS conceptual framework launched in 2012. The main PSS should ideally come from the childs immediate and extended family and can be strengthened by community and service providers through effective national policies and legislation that protect the rights of the child. Children orphaned by AIDs experience more psychological stress than those who have both parents or are orphaned die to other causes. REPSSI will through the University of Kwa-Zulu Natal (KZN) to train 300 caregivers in a Community Based Work with Children and Youth (CBWCY) certificate program that will ensure that these caregivers are able to provide appropriate and high quality PSS support to vulnerable household. Mentoring and support of these caregivers will be a key component of this activity. Target 300 caregivers will be trained by December 2014.

Key Issues Identified in Mechanism
Implement activities to change harmful gender norms & promote positive gender norms
Increase gender equity in HIV prevention, care, treatment and support