The Ambassador's PEPFAR Small Grants Fund (an extension of the Ambassador's Self Help Program) is designed to assist communities and local organizations with projects that promote HIV/AIDS prevention, and care and support for orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) at a grassroots level. The Small Grants scheme will help to build local capacity by encouraging new partners to submit applications for review. Programs will be designed to continue to promote stigma reduction associated with HIV orphanhood, strengthen OVC care and treatment service linkages on the community level, and benefit OVC caregiver families and child-headed households with increased support. Food supplements will be provided through a community driven sustainable means. OVC Food and Nutrition Support will follow Zambian national nutrition guidelines, and will adhere to OGAC Food and Nutrition guidance. OVC nutrition support will prioritize at-risk infants starting as young as six months, up to five years. All HIV positive and HIV exposed infants will be considered OVC as they are all vulnerable. Applicants will be encouraged to work closely with current USG partners (e.g. RAPIDS) to establish sound referral systems and to ensure continuity. The Small Grants Program will fund 15-20 innovative OVC activities to reach a total of 2,000 OVC and their caregivers. Community-based groups, women's groups, youth groups, faith-based organizations (FBOs), groups focusing on gender issues, and groups of persons living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) from all 9 provinces will be encouraged to apply.

Generally, PEPFAR activities are carried out in all 9 provinces and 72 districts of Zambia. Activities are concentrated in major districts with a high prevalence HIV/AIDS rate, but there remain gaps in the smaller towns and communities. In particular, residents of remote rural areas receive next to no services, other than what is provided by CBOs. Site visits have proven that a village only 15 kilometers away from a town center is effectively cut off from civilization. The Ambassador's PEPFAR Small Grants Fund adheres to the same model as the Ambassador's Special Self Help Fund, serves a unique niche, providing support where there would otherwise be none. The OVC this project will serve are those who are geographically located beyond the reach of PEPFAR prime partner activities.

Successful FY 2009 projects include skills training for OVC and caregivers in carpentry, tailoring, and auto mechanics, scout camps to provide psychosocial support to OVC and to build self-esteem and promote behavior change, and various income generating activities aimed at providing sustainability for caregivers and organizations that provide care and support to OVC. Community outreach on OVC issue, HIV/AIDS prevention, and stigma reduction have also figured prominently in the current projects, and more than 3,000 OVC have been provided with support in the forms of educational support, nutritional support, medical care, and psychosocial services.

Activities funded by the program will involve capacity-building for 15-20 grassroots and community-based organizations to conduct HIV/AIDS programs for OVCs. These funds will be managed by one a full-time Small Grants Coordinators. This position will develop project guidelines, promotional materials, application and other documents as well as coordinating review of applications, and determining qualification of projects. This position is responsible for project monitoring and evaluation, and providing close program management to selected programs.

In FY2010, The OVC small grants program will seek to encourage the community support and coordination of the needs for OVC children. Furthermore, it is anticipated that the funds being provided through this scheme will enhance community/household strengthening as it is one of the most sustainable ways to ensuring that children's programs have a long lasting lifespan. During the implementation, some recipients will direct the resources in improving the quality of services directed through children. This will be done through trainings and other capacity development programs such as mentoring. Among the activities that recipients will implement includes training of OVCs in life skills, Educational support, Income generating activities that are aimed at sustaining the needs of OVCs, Psychosocial support and training of Caregivers in OVC management. By doing this, the program will be meeting the holistic needs of OVCs.

In meeting the needs of OVC, the most important strategies are offering support through families. This is very important as children are already part of these families. This program is targeting children below the age of 18. As in the past, organizations based in remote parts of the country will be prioritized over partners based in urban settings.

Successful FY 2009 projects include skills training for OVC and caregivers in carpentry, tailoring, and auto mechanics, scout camps to provide psychosocial support to OVC and to build self-esteem and promote behavior change, and various income generating activities aimed at providing sustainability for caregivers and organizations that provide care and support to OVC. Community outreach on OVC issue, HIV/AIDS prevention, and stigma reduction have also figured prominently in the current projects, and more than 3,000 OVC have been provided with support in the forms of educational support, nutritional support, medical care, and psychosocial services.