TITLE: CRS COP FY 2008 Program Support for OVC Njombe, Songea, and Tanga

NEED and COMPARATIVE ADVANTAGE: The increasing rate of AIDS orphans, poverty, and lack of

access to essential services continue to strain traditional coping mechanisms thereby requiring Catholic

Relief Services (CRS) and its partners to expand their outreach. The proposed activities with Track 1 funds

are based on assessments, monitoring, and evaluation conducted over the implementation of the FY 2007

work plan. CRS/Tanzania builds upon years of successful orphans and vulnerable children (OVC)

partnerships with faith-based organizations (FBOs), with extensive community structures, and locally based

experience to address social and development needs of poor communities and HIV/AIDS affected families.

CRS is an international development and relief organization with 65 years of experience in successfully

implementing local partnership-driven projects to enhance protection, care, and development of vulnerable

communities.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS: With FY 2006 - FY 2007 Emergency Plan funding, CRS has made pioneering gains

in sustaining care and support services to over 15,000 OVC. In FY 2006, 7,466 OVC received services and

support to address their educational and vocational training skills, which will ultimately enable those children

to access employment opportunities and trade. By March 31, 2007, 6,400 OVC had received primary direct

support, while 2,093 OVC received supplemental direct support and 330 OVC care providers were trained.

ACTIVITIES: The FY 2008 CRS OVC programming strategy focuses on interventions that safeguard the

best interests of OVC and protect their well-being. To achieve this goal, CRS will provide a comprehensive

package of interventions for OVC across seven core program areas; education and vocation training

support; food and nutrition; health care; psychosocial; child protection; shelter and care; and economic

strengthening. The program has identified the following the interventions that will be monitored and

provided to all OVC receiving primary direct support:

1. Education and vocational training support activities will include the provision of school materials,

uniforms, school fees, bus fares, and monitoring of attendance and performance.

2. Life skills through psychosocial support trainings. All OVC under direct support will participate in an

eight-hour "In Charge" life skills curriculum. OVC over 12 years of age will be enrolled in a longer one to

three month curriculum such as "Stepping Stones" complemented by a reinforcement of values and faith

approach for meaningful life and behavior changes. Other psychosocial support interventions like grieving,

youth clubs, and memory work will be integrated at different levels depending on individual needs, culture,

and context.

3. Health Care. All primary direct OVC are guaranteed emergency health insurance to ensure equity and

universal access to services. OVC and poor OVC guardians living with HIV/AIDS will have access to

antiretroviral therapy (ART) services through the provision of bus fares, strengthened linkages, and

improved referral systems. Insecticide treated nets will also be provided to most vulnerable groups

(e.g.,OVC under the age of five, HIV/AIDS cases, and other poor OVC families living in substandard

housing) since these groups are most vulnerable to malaria transmission.

Depending on individual OVC needs assessments, the following services will be offered as supplemental

direct support:

1. Child protection activities including: formation and strengthening of community-based child protection

committees that act as paralegal support units; create awareness of what constitutes physical, sexual, and

emotional abuse; develop appropriate systems to protect children from abuse; and minimize neglect and

stigma. A portion of this education activity will include a capacity to mobilize support for specific workplace

program requests.

2. Food and nutritional support through the Emergency Plan and leveraged community support.

3. Shelter and care through the Emergency Plan and leveraged community support.

4. Economic strengthening. Grandparents and older school-going OVC will be given trainings on business

skills, farming skills through the formation of Junior Farmers' school fields, establishing Savings and Internal

Lending Communities (SILC), and will be eligible to receive small grants or tool kits to access local

employment opportunities.

LINKAGES: This activity also relates to Peace Corps, CRS's programs in TB/HIV, treatment, and PMTCT.

It relates to other OVC initiatives. Finally, as an OVC partner, this activity will link with all OVC

implementing partners through the Implementing Partners Group for OVC and the FHI OVC data

management system. CRS works closely with the National Implementing Partner Group and the Ministry of

Health and Social Welfare's (MOHSW) Department of Social Welfare (DSW) to forge opportunities for

program integration, and coordination. Partners will integrate with the council multi-sectoral AIDS

committee, and Most Vulnerable Children's Committees (MVCCs) in their operational sites. In Arusha, the

project links to Seliani and Mt Meru Hospitals, Karatu DH, Rhotia RC Mission Hospital, and Medicine De

Monde's mobile health services. Likewise, in Manyara the project will link with five CRS/AIDSRelief District

and Mission Hospitals operating in Babati, Mbulu, and Hanang districts.

CHECK BOXES: Primary school-aged OVC are targeted, as school withdrawal increases the chances of

OVC becoming street children, victims of child labor, and (particularly for girls) victims of physical and

sexual abuse in addition to a higher likelihood of childhood pregnancy. Desperate child and grandparent

heads of households will also be targeted. Human and institutional capacity building are also key in

ensuring sustainability. Local partner, training on finance management and compliance procedures;

program management; and trainings to address the needs of frontline care providers will assure sustained

capacity to deliver quality services to OVC.

M&E: The M&E framework utilized by CRS includes tools and formats to encourage strong community

participation in the collection process in order to build community ownership and sustainability. Tools will

collect capacity building data in addition to quality OGAC and country-level program indicators. This data

will be standardized to feed into the National Data Management System for OVC programs. Indicator

Activity Narrative: results will be shared with the beneficiary population across the core program areas and communities will

be engage in identifying and periodically monitoring their OVC using the "Well-being Tool." To strengthen

participatory M&E system, CRS will train MVCC, parish priests, community volunteers, and teachers, while

full time M&E focal persons will be recruited and deployed at partner level.

SUSTAINAIBLITY: Partner and community capacity building develop skills assuring mobilization and

sustainability beyond the intervention. The program strengthens and focuses on locally based responses to

provide both immediate and long-term support to vulnerable households by sensitizing local communities

and leaders, to foster a dialogue on HIV/AIDS, and by reinforcing OVC issues in various government

development and poverty reduction strategies at all policy levels. Through sensitization, strengthening, and

formation of village advocacy committees, communities will organize cooperative support for affected

households by leveraging locally available material and human resources to create a supportive

environment for OVC. This will ultimately help tip the social balance against stigmatization and abuse.