TITLE: Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC) Affected by HIV/AIDS

NEED and COMPARATIVE ADVANTAGE: Salvation Army Tanzania (TSA/Tanzania) will scale up the OVC

programs in all districts of Lindi and Kilimanjaro regions to serve 15,000 orphans and vulnerable children

(OVC) in 2008. These programs were originally supported by central funds but are now being transferred

over to country-based funding. Kilimanjaro Region has a relatively high prevalence rate (7.3%) due to

commercial activities, tourism, and migration of people resulting in increased numbers of OVC due to

HIV/AIDS. Lindi is one of the poorest regions in Tanzania, ranking the second to last according to both the

basic needs poverty line and the food poverty line. Several studies show that poverty is growing in

Tanzanian communities because of the AIDS pandemic where trained people die at their most productive

age. Experience obtained from OVC programs in Nachingwea district in Lindi Region, show that the

majority of girls give birth at a very young age, with little or no capacity to cope with their children's basic

needs, hence escalating the number of OVC. Their burden then lies in the hands of their relatives,

grandparents, and guardians. Grandparents are particularly shouldering much of the care for OVC in rural

areas.

TSA has been in the forefront in working with communities to provide psychosocial support (PSS) to OVC

and their guardians. TSA has established physical structures and collaborated with communities to utilize

staff and pastors to give hope and provide spiritual support for those who need it.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS: TSA/Tanzania has been implementing OVC programs across Lindi and Kilimanjaro

regions since 2004 through Track 1 funding. As of March 2007, about 3,500 OVC have received

psychosocial support through kids clubs, home visits, and counseling sessions. In addition to this, these

children have received support in the form of materials for education, food and nutrition, healthcare, and

bedding, which were obtained from community members during community conversations and resource

mobilization meetings.

A total of 240 caregivers (Mama Mkubwa members, Most Vulnerable Children's Committee—or MVCC, and

community volunteers) have been trained in Nachingwea, Lindi, Same, and Moshi rural districts in the

Kilimanjaro region. These individuals are equipped with knowledge and skills for effective delivery of care

and support to OVC. About 86 kids clubs have been established in these areas. Through clubs, children

receive education, depressed and abused children have increased their joy and confidence, and children

have notably changed their behavior. There has been a transfer of knowledge from clubs to guardians with

children acting as the conduit. Guardians who used to abuse children are now changing their behaviors

based on acquisition of parenting skills and coping mechanisms. There has been high interaction between

OVC and non-OVC, thereby decreasing stigma.

ACTIVITIES: With FY 2008 funding, TSA/Tanzania will:

1) Train 2,500 Mama Mkubwa/MVCC members in community counseling, PSS, first aid, M&E, nutrition, and

resource mobilization to improve knowledge and skills for OVC care and support:

1a) Train 80 Mama Mkubwa members/MVCCs members per district;

1b) Train ten individuals from the DSW and community development officers (one per district) in M&E and

navigation of the database, Officers will be able to monitor data collection, tracking, and progress in the

respective districts according to program indicators and objectives.

1c) Engage the community in conversations in order to enable communities to understand problems facing

OVC, identify needs, and establish community committees and plans for further provision of care and

support.

2) Identify and serve OVC. Mama Mkubwa teams/MVCCs will be established through the national

identification process. The capacity of these committees will be built to deal with the situations that may

arise as they provide care for OVC.

3) Scale up services and intensify coverage of the Lindi and Kilimanjaro regions.

3a) Provide PSS through 300 kids clubs. Children will receive counseling, education, and psychological,

physical, and emotional rehabilitation. This will include 100 new kids clubs kits and 100 first aid kits

distributed to new clubs and replacement of old club tools.

3b) Production and printing of HIV/AIDS sensitization materials and nutrition books.

3c) Provide food supplements through centrally purchased commodities, and the insecticide treated

mosquito nets available through the national voucher system.

4) Conduct refresher training for ten staff members in community counseling, PSS, First Aid, Nutrition,

M&E, and resource mobilization. Staff and officers will have more knowledge, skills, and will have

increased capacity to effectively provide quality care and support to OVC.

LINKAGES: This activity will contribute to the implementation of the OVC National Plan of Action (NPA) and

will link with all USG-funded OVC Implementing Partner Group (IPG) networks for OVC. TSA will link with

Peace Corps/Tanzania on income generating activities (IGA) to support the nutritional and economic needs

of OVC households. TSA has also initiated discussions with Save the Children Fund (UK) in Tanzania for

the purpose of complementing (and avoid duplication) of OVC support in the area of nutrition for children

under the age of two, since both groups are operating similar programs in the Lindi region. The program

will also be linked to the national voucher system for the provision of ITNS.

CHECK BOXES: Gender was selected due to the WORTH program that will increase women's access to

income and productive resources; Human Capacity Development was selected due to the in-service training

to addresses the needs of staff and community volunteers in PSS, community counseling, nutrition,

monitoring, and reporting tasks.

M&E: 1) Adopt the national Data Management System (DMS) and use that system for M&E purposes.

Ensure that sub-grantees' information about OVC identified at the local level feeds not only into the national

system, but is also available to MVCCs at the local level for planning, decision making, and monitoring.

Assist local government in using the data available in the DMS for planning, budgeting, and decision

making.

2) Build capacity of the district social welfare and M&E officers to provide basic training to use the

purchased computers to ensure data quality and integrity.

Activity Narrative: 3) Mama Mkubwa will conduct daily monitoring and TSA will conduct quarterly field visits to assess the

quality of services provided, to collect data, and provide onsite refresher training as needed.

4) Conduct mid-term and year-end evaluations. Feedback is provided to staff, partners, community

members, and district leaders to ensure quality services as well as follow up of challenging situations.

5). Program work plans include M&E activities that are built in throughout the program processes for each

category of staff. Data are collected from the field on monthly basis and reviewed by the program M&E

specialist. In FY 2008, 7% of the budget will be used for overall M&E purposes.

SUSTAINAIBLITY:

TSA will support capacity development of the district social welfare officers and local CSO sub-grantees. It

will play a facilitative role to ensure the incorporation of TSA work plans, budgets, and reports in the overall

district response plans and integration of the OVC data in the local government database. TSA works

closely with government structures from the entry into the community using the OVC identification process,

to the direct support of MVCC and caregivers. The project's support of MVCCs, district child forums, and

communities in caring for OVC enhances ownership of the situation with locally grown solutions while

ensuring sustainability. Village MVCC and households will be strengthened through training. Economic

strengthening activities in the community will further enhance caregivers' earning potential and ability to

care for family needs in the long term without dependence on donors. Low-cost, community-run kids and

youth (KAY) clubs are effectively operated and will contribute to sustainability of PSS for OVC in the

communities. Having trained peer kids club leaders in place also contributes to sustainability of the PSS

program for OVC in the areas.