The Breaking Barriers (BB)-Uganda Program is a partnership between Plan - Uganda, Save the Children in

Uganda (Save the Children) and the Inter-religious Council of Uganda (IRCU). This is a four year project

that started in FY 2006 and will end in FY 2009. This activity/program is a continuation from FY 2008

without significant modification on strategy and programming. The program activities are implemented in

Luweero District, where all three partners are well-established and Tororo District (where Plan and IRCU

already collaborate). In addition, Save the Children works in Nakasongola, Nakaseke and Wakiso Districts,

while Plan Uganda and IRCU work in Tororo and Kamuli districts. The BB Uganda project also utilizes

existing educational infrastructures and a broad network of faith communities to create a shared, supportive

focus on OVC by coordinating the efforts of teachers, caregivers, faith communities and OVC themselves.

In this regard, the BB project focuses on building capacity of the formal primary education system,

expanding access to non-formal education (SC/US and Plan Uganda), and in building the capacity of

religious leaders to provide home-based care (HBC), psychosocial support (PSS) and stigma reduction

activities (IRCU). FY 2009 targets will include 1911 caregivers and 34599 OVC. The major objective of the

program is:

The Breaking Barriers project advocates for the rights of children made vulnerable by HIV/AIDS and

strengthens the capacity of local organizations responding to their needs. Through the BB program,

equitable, effective and high-quality OVC programs in education, PSS and HBC for children and families

affected by HIV/AIDS, will be expanded using school networks and religious institutions as a coordinated

platform for rapid scale up, expansion and sustainability.

Project progress, Activities and Achievements: The Project has reached 82,098 OVC with PSS, education,

and HBC. The project has trained 4537 caregivers including teachers and school management officials,

religious leaders as well community based caregivers/volunteers to provide psychosocial support and fight

stigma. One school latrine for girls has been constructed in Tororo reaching 63 female OVC and

approximately 320 girls in the school. 22526 OVC have benefited from psychosocial support, education

support project activities. Such activities include health club and group activities, HIV/AIDS awareness

sessions, counseling, home visits and outreaches, school enrollment and provision of scholastic and

reading materials in formal and non formal schools. Over 1200 OVC participated in the national advocacy

campaigns to commemorate the Day of African Children. 22931 OVC have benefited from BDR activities in

Kamuli, Tororo and Luweero districts. All these OVC have been registered and received short birth

certificates. 1649 caregivers including Reproductive Health Educators, teachers, ECD facilitators, School

management committee members and religious leader have been trained in provision of psychosocial

support, stigma reduction use of national thematic curriculum and learning frameworks by UNICEF. 961

OVC were supported to transition to other neighboring schools with 778 (402M, 384F) from CHANCE to

grade 4 and 175 (90M, 85F) to grade one from the ECD section. 512 (250M, 262F) caregivers from targeted

OVC households have benefited from Family health days organized quarterly for select sites that do not

have basic health services available including VCT, immunization. Caregivers support groups have

mobilized community members for VCT. 591(98M, 493F) members were tested and 33 members tested

positive were referred to the groups for support. 150 religious leaders have been supported with bicycles in

support of their outreach activities. This has improved home based care services in the communities.

In FY 2009, Plan and its partners are targeting 34,599 OVC with psychosocial support, education and home

based care support. The program will train 1,911 caregivers to support OVC and their families. The

following project activities will be implemented in Kamuli, Tororo, Kampala, Luweero, Nakaseke,

Nakasongola and Wakiso districts.

1. Education, Life Skills and HIV Prevention - In an effort to improve school sanitation and learning

environment, Plan Uganda will construct six stance school latrines for girls. The latrines with a

changing/cleaning chamber for girls who have reached menstruation age and will help to improve school

attendance for girls in that age group. Each of these schools will also receive a water tank for water

harvesting to improve school children's access to clean water. School health club activities identified by

school children will be supported to give school children an opportunity to participate in improving their own

health. In this FY 2009, Save the Children will support the renovation of CHANCE schools and ECD centre

structures. Each school will also be supported to establish water harvesting systems. Working with the

communities and local government, Save the Children will provide technical support and cement for this

activity. Plan Uganda and save the Children will provide basic scholastic materials and reading texts to

children in formal schools and non formal schools. This will lead to improved school enrollment, class

attendance and retention rates for OVC. In an effort to strengthen partnership, improve quality of OVC

program and implement the triangulation model, Plan Uganda, with support from Save the Children will

establish ECD centers in Luweero district. Community caregivers and religious leaders trained by the

project will spearhead community mobilization activities to support ECD activities.

2. Psychosocial Support - The provision of psychosocial support in schools and communities is supported

through the training of teachers including Reproductive Health Educators, community based caregivers and

committees, Community Care coalitions, peer support groups, community and religious leaders. In this FY,

Breaking Barriers will carry out refresher trainings for these caregivers in psychosocial support, HIV/AIDS

prevention and care, home based care, child counseling and protection. The training will be delivered using

the national approved training guidelines and manuals on HBC and OVC. The caregivers will then provide

psychosocial support, carry out home based care and outreach activities in their communities. The home

based caregivers will receive kits and supplies to support their work. The teachers will carry out cascade

trainings for teachers in their schools to increase the number of caregivers within the school environment.

Breaking Barriers will provide funding for the training and facilitate caregivers to carry out project activities

including health club activities, outreaches and home based caregivers. The School Management

committees will also be trained in problem solving and psychosocial support. A combination of religious

leaders, local leaders, and community based caregivers as well as schools teachers will create a web of

support for OVC and their families within the community, linking OVC families to different services and

service providers within and around their communities.

3. Building Capacity of Individuals - Community resource persons will be trained in improved methods and

Activity Narrative: provision of education, psychosocial support and community based care. Other than the religious leaders,

teacher support groups and home based caregivers, the program will train district officers and district OVC

committees in psychosocial support, communication and counseling. The district project support teams

made up of district technical officers from the education, community development, health and planning

departments will be facilitated to support and supervise community care coalitions, schools teachers and

community based givers activities. Besides, the officials will be supported to participate in national and

district level OVC task forces to represent the interests of OVC and their education. The program will also

mobilize home based caregivers to access livelihood support through Village Savings and Loans

Associations.

4. Reducing HIV Related Stigma and discrimination - Religious leaders will be trained in stigma reduction

and advocacy skills to campaign in collaboration with PLWA, community leaders and children with positive

messages to raise HIV/AIDS awareness. To achieve this, the program will conduct refresher trainings for

religious leaders, community social workers and community care coalitions to create awareness and

support community advocacy for OVC and their families. Basing on the findings of the education policy

review, the program will develop advocacy messages to inform the advocacy campaigns. The program

partners will jointly support national advocacy campaigns that encourage children's participation in activities

aimed at improving their lives. Breaking Barriers will also support districts to disseminate the NOP and

NSPPI in areas where the program is implemented.

6. Advocacy for Services and Resources - School children, teachers and community members will

participate in school and community advocacy activities including awareness matches, exhibition and MDD

festivals to raise awareness on the plight of OVC in their respective communities. The participants will use

this platform to lobby for OVC support from community members and their local leaders. School children will

also have exchange visits to share experiences and learn from one another.

7. Program Management, Monitoring and Supervision - Program meetings for partners, local and religious

leaders, teachers and community based caregivers have been planned for planning, progress review and

decision making. Besides, the program support team will organize quarterly joint field visits to promote

shared learning. Such field visits will give the partners an opportunity to carry out internal Data Quality

Assessment. The religious leaders will be trained in basic M&E to ensure the generation of quality data. The

partners will also organize quarterly data validation exercise to verify data sources and consistence.

8. Wrap Around - Through activity integration, OVC and their families will benefit from other health programs

that support child survival like malaria control, medical treatment, immunization and deworming. The OVC

and their families will also have access to Community Based Reproductive Health Services program that

provide family planning, antenatal and postnatal care to mothers in Luweero, Kamuli, Kampala and Tororo

Districts. Partners will continue in their quest to include women and men in the implementation of the

program. IRCU for example will ensure that more women lay religious leaders are trained to ensure that

female OVC caregivers have the option of seeking support from female home based caregivers.

New/Continuing Activity: Continuing Activity

Continuing Activity: 14237

Continued Associated Activity Information

Activity Activity ID USG Agency Prime Partner Mechanism Mechanism ID Mechanism Planned Funds

System ID System ID

14237 8655.08 U.S. Agency for PLAN International 6747 4895.08 Breaking $1,226,720

International Barriers:

Development Ensuring the

Future of OVC

through

Education,

Psychosocial

Support and

Community-

Based Care (PI

OVC Track 1)

8655 8655.07 U.S. Agency for PLAN International 4895 4895.07 Breaking $769,301

International Barriers/ Track 1

Development

Emphasis Areas

Gender

* Increasing gender equity in HIV/AIDS programs

Health-related Wraparound Programs

* Child Survival Activities

* Malaria (PMI)

Human Capacity Development

Public Health Evaluation

Food and Nutrition: Policy, Tools, and Service Delivery

Food and Nutrition: Commodities

Economic Strengthening

Education

Estimated amount of funding that is planned for Education $16,000

Water

Table 3.3.13: