The Community-Based Orphan Care, Protection and Empowerment (COPE) Project is a five year regional

project being implemented in Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and Mozambique. The goal of the project is to

reduce the socioeconomic impact of HIV/AIDS on orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) and their

caregivers. COPE aims to achieve this goal by strengthening the capacity of families to cope with their

problems and increasing the capacity of children and young people to care for their own needs.

In Uganda, the Project is being implemented in fifteen sub-counties of the Ntungamo district. In FY 2007,

the project served OVC and their caregivers through 109 sites/service outlets providing psychosocial,

education, nutrition and economic support. The project intends to increase the sites by adding on new

schools and other community service outlets. The total outlets for FY 2008 are estimated to be over 130. To

date, COPE Uganda has served 31,021 OVC. In FY 2007, the project registered commendable results as of

March 2007, a total of 23,002 (12,354 female and 10,648 male) OVC and 5,964 caregivers and service

providers received services. Activities supported by USG funds included providing life skills training, peer

education and psychosocial support (PSS) for OVC and caregivers. As of March 2007, scholastic materials

were provided for 3,033 OVC in primary school and 732 OVC were enrolled in secondary or vocational

school. Capacity building programs were held for service providers as 50 primary school teachers were

trained in life skills, 500 OCC members in PSS, and 7 CBO/FBOs in monitoring and evaluation (M&E) and

OVC national policy guidelines. 328 caregivers were trained in savings, governance, financial management

and business development in preparation for undertaking the fruit drying income generating activity (IGA).

Among the activities implemented, school block grants and income generating activities are successful

program models that will be scaled up during FY 2008.

Non-USG funds were mobilized from a local association to support shelter construction of a child headed

household. The services provided helped OVC stay in school, access health services and improve their

nutritional status. Increased incomes have been reported by caregivers participating in IGA activities who

have also begun supporting OVC with additional services. OVC, caregivers and the community at large

benefited from educational messages on HIV/AIDS prevention.

Most of the activities to be implemented in FY 2008 are continuing from FY 2007. The project will target

20,000 OVC and 5,000 caregivers. The project will emphasize comprehensiveness of services by providing

at least three core services. In FY 2008, the project intends to accomplish the following activities per

strategic objective:

1.Enhanced district/community capacity to coordinate care and support services for OVC and caregivers.

TOT trainings on home based care will be given to 40 staff members from CBO/FBOs and 45 service corps

volunteers. The organizations and SCV will in turn train 1,024 orphan care committees (OCC) who will then

train caregivers. 35 staff members of partner institutions will be trained in resource mobilization at the

community level for ownership and sustainability of the project. 9 members of the District Child Forum

(DCF) will be trained in child rights and protection. Advocacy and lobbying for OVC support will be done

through 4 radio talk shows and radio spots. 91 OCCs and caregivers will be supported to start up

cooperative activities.

2.Increased access to life skills training, peer education and psychosocial care and support to OVC and

their families. The project will continue to train 5,000 in-school and out-of-school OVC in life skills and PSS.

80 teachers will receive refresher training for in PSS and life skills. Caregivers, too, will be trained in PSS.

450 peer educators will be trained on HIV/AIDS transmission and prevention in order to train 9,000 of their

peers and assist in raising community awareness about the risks.

3.Increased access to educational support services for OVC. COPE will continue to train 15 school

development committee (SDC) in block grants methodology, proposal writing and development and how to

improve enrolment and retention of supported OVC. The project will also provide scholastic materials to

6,000 OVC and uniforms to 1,000 OVC in primary schools and monitor OVC school attendance in those

schools being supported by block grants.

4.Increased access to healthcare and nutritional support (including nutrition education and food for OVC

and caregivers). COPE will continue to provide improved vegetables for nutrition improvement, agricultural

tools to 500 vulnerable households in the establishment of backyard gardens, support school-based food

programs through the provision of seeds to support the activities of 10 COPE clubs in the schools, train 500

caregivers in nutrition, establishing nursery beds, less intensive farming technologies, support Growing of

fruit trees to supplement nutrition and to ensure the sustainability of the project. 500 caregivers will be

trained in domestic hygiene and sanitation to control the occurrence of sanitation related diseases, provide

hygienic materials to 4,000 OVC in schools and COPE club members, provide 2,000 long lasting insecticide

treated nets (LLITN) to control malaria among OVC. In addition, the new interventions will include linking

2,000 caregivers and OVC to VCT services and school based- hygiene and sanitation program with

emphasis on hand washing.

5.Increased access to income generating opportunities for OVC and Caregivers. The project will continue to

support fruit drying and Artemisia growing for 500 caregivers, establish IGA activities for 30 child headed

households, place 100 OVC in artisan training programs, procure start up kits for 130 artisan graduates,

monitor child headed households supported with IGAs and conduct monitoring of all supported activities.

Also, caregivers and OVC will form 10 savings and loan associations to improve the saving culture and

facilitate sustainability of their projects.

COPE will conduct a mid term review of the project to assess whether project activities are being

implemented as planned. COPE project will work closely with the TSO in south western Uganda to

strengthen coordination mechanisms of CSOs that support OVC in Ntungamo district. TSO will build on the

already formed District Child Forum to streamline the coordination mechanisms. COPE views sustainability

as a cross cutting objective with two components: (1) Capacity building of local organizations, COPE trained

CSOs, local existing associations and other service providers to improve service delivery, ownership and

sustainability of OVC activities and (2) Expanded community participation. The project had a major

challenge of delayed and insufficient funding that caused the Project to scale back on some activities. The

project is exploring ways of getting additional money to complement Track 1 funding from the mission.