I recently had the opportunity to attend the Orphans and Vulnerable Children Forum hosted on 25-26 June 2008 by Catholic Relief Services. The event showcased CRS’s work in OVC programming and, of particular interest to me, the tools the agency has used in monitoring and evaluating program effects on children. The following overview of key sessions on this topic is meant to provide some background for others who are interested.
This report provides a summary of key findings from evaluations of four programs, two in Kenya and two in Tanzania, supporting orphans and other vulnerable children (OVC). This study was conducted by MEASURE Evaluation in 2006-2007 and funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) through the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).
Malnutrition rates continue to climb throughout the world, and food/nutritional security interventions, particularly those targeting children, are increasingly turning to foreign food aid donations, economic development interventions, and agricultural subsidy programs to address the problem of malnutrition. Donors and implementers alike are asking whether the solutions to these problems lie in interventions involving fortification (adding nutrients to food), nutritional supplementation (provision of vitamins), commercialization (growing food on large scale to be sold in the market), and provision of food aid and therapeutic food (free or subsidized provision of food); or in promoting the use of local resources and traditional knowledge in local gardening or subsistence farming.
This report makes the case for redirecting the response to HIV and AIDS to address children’s needs more effectively. Drawing on the best body of evidence yet assembled on children affected by AIDS, it shows where existing approaches have gone off track and what should now be done, how, and by whom. The report summarizes the evidence from two years of research and analysis by the Joint
Learning Initiative on Children and HIV/AIDS (JLICA).
This guest post comes from Chris Desmond and Linda Richter, contributors to the Joint Learning Initiative on Children and HIV/AIDS (JLICA). Among other conclusions, JLICA's final report advocates that, in countries heavily affected by HIV, the most appropriate economic strengthening action to be taken in support of children is the establishment of a social protection plan to transfer resources to the poorest families. Given the range of activities pursued in the name of improving the economic security of children affected by HIV, CYES asked Chris and Linda to discuss their findings in more detail. To learn more about JLICA and to access the report in multiple languages, visit their website at www.jlica.org.
Although there is a great deal of controversy about the relationship between poverty and the risk of becoming infected with HIV, it is not debatable that HIV and AIDS place a financial strain on affected individuals and families. Over time, and often repeated shocks, AIDS is impoverishing. Many of the impacts which occur as a result of the epidemic, particularly those which affect children, result from this financial strain. For families already facing serious economic constraints, the added burden of HIV/AIDS can push them into destitution. Budgets are further constrained, food consumption may fall, children may be withdrawn from school, and less is available to spend on the health care of children and adults who are not ill.
The SEEP Network's HIV & AIDS and Microenterprise Development (HAMED) Working Group is holding a weeklong online conference that addresses savings-led approaches in HIV & AIDS integrated programming. Discussion will be facilitated by HAMED members with the expert assistance of a panel of Savings-Led guest 'speakers' who will draft expert posts during the course of the weeklong conference. This conference is designed to be an open dialogue space for interested MED and public health professionals, a learning platform, and source of virtual peer review.
Millions of people in Africa are ill, suffering, and dying prematurely because of HIV, malnutrition, and food scarcity. Much has been documented about the critical importance of good nutrition to immunity, survival, productivity, and quality of life, and the challenge of ensuring availability of food. AF09 is providing participants with the opportunity to share their first-hand experience in designing and implementing the programmes that are so badly needed to address these issues.
This brief outlines the major findings of a research project into livelihoods and parental planning in Southern Africa. The aim of the study was to find out how parents and other caregivers are planning and acting to secure their children’s future. The intention was to paint a broad picture of people’s livelihoods to understand their perspectives and experiences, what is affecting their families and welfare, which interventions they are benefiting from, and how they are responding.
This document offers practical guidance for programs aimed at addressing the needs of children made vulnerable by HIV/AIDS. It provides key definitions, guiding principles, and important considerations for programming decisions. The guidance clarifies PEPFAR/Emergency Plan priorities and the activities that it will fund related to orphans and vulnerable children (OVC).
How can value chains include and support populations affected by conflict, natural disaster, or HIV/AIDS? USAID's microLINKS is hosting an online discussion, facilitated by Ben Fowler (MEDA), Luis Osorio (Practical Action) and Christian Pennotti (AED) from April 28-30 on this question. Explore how value chain development programs can effectively include vulnerable populations, discuss how use and abuse of power during a crisis can impact value chain programs, and learn how to adjust your activities to the particular position and population you are working with.
