Though peace was declared in 2003, Liberia continues to struggle to recover after 15 years of civil war. Addressing widespread poverty, providing employment for youth and ex-combatants and increasing domestic food production are all substantial needs. Though Liberia has no shortage of fertile land, many people, especially youth, see farming as an occupation of last resort rather than a viable business opportunity. Consequently, Liberia has to import most of its food, resulting in inconsistent supplies and high prices. On average, Liberian households spend 70 percent of their income on food—a situation that will only worsen as global food prices continue to rise, unless local agricultural production increases dramatically. Through the Agriculture for Children’s Empowerment (ACE) Project, ACDI/VOCA is addressing these needs by engaging youth and demonstrating that farming can be a profitable enterprise.

The ACE Project is developing entrepreneurship and bringing farmers into profitable value chains with the goal of increasing income, improving nutrition and enabling caregivers to better support their children. The project aims to:

• increase local production of key staple foods by supporting paddy rice development in four communities in Bong and Nimba counties, and vegetable production in two communities in Montserrado County;

• magnify impacts on child wellbeing by targeting communities with public information campaigns about children’s nutrition and education, and the potential dangers of child labor; and
• cultivate the next generation of Liberian farmers by working with local schools to introduce the Farming as a Business curriculum, which provides students with the skills and information they need to successfully engage in farming as a primary livelihood strategy.

By increasing household income and making farming more attractive to caregivers and youth, ACE aims to have a significant and sustainable impact on the wellbeing of Liberian children and the economic viability of their households and communities. ACE is one of five initiatives under the AED STRIVE Program exploring effective means of reducing the vulnerability of children and youth through economic strengthening.

STRIVE

Ruth Campbell
Managing Director, Enterprise Development
ACDI/VOCA
50 F Street NW
Suite 1075
Washington, DC 20001
United States
RCampbell@acdivoca.org

September 2008 to August 2012

This document provides guidance to governments, international organizations and NGOs in the monitoring and evaluation of the national response for children orphaned and made vulnerable by HIV/AIDS. It includes methods and tools for measurement at the national level.

The framework considers families and communities as the foundation of an effective, scaled-up response. The framework's key strategies are as follows:

1. Strengthen the capacity of families to protect and care for orphans and vulnerable children by prolonging the lives of parents and providing economic, psychosocial and other support;
2. Mobilize and support community-based responses;
3. Ensure access for orphans and vulnerable children to essential services, including education, health care, birth registration and others;
4. Ensure that governments protect the most vulnerable children through improved policy and legislation and by channelling resources to families and communities;
5. Raise awareness at all levels through advocacy and social mobilization to create a supportive environment for children and families affected by HIV/AIDS.

This study tested an economic intervention to reduce HIV risks among AIDS-orphaned adolescents. Adolescents (n=96) were randomly assigned to receive the intervention or usual care for orphans in Uganda. Data obtained at baseline and 12-month follow-up revealed significant differences between the treatment and control groups in HIV prevention attitudes and educational planning.

The report documents outcomes from the Special Session on Children. It contains 21 specific goals and targets for improving the well being of children the next decade, and four key priorities: promoting healthy lives; providing quality education for all; protecting children against abuse, exploitation and violence; and combating HIV/AIDS.

CARE designed the "5x5 model" to illustrate and integrate critical early childhood needs into a simplified holistic and replicable program, capable of delivering early childhood development interventions in resource constrained areas through community based childcare centers catering for the 2-8 year old age group. This document is part of the "Promising Practices" series.

This fact sheet provides a brief overview of how the Child Status Index (CSI) can be used by community health works to monitor the wellbeing of orphans and vulnerable children (OVC). The CSI measures six broad areas of a child's wellbeing: food and nutrition; shelter and care; protecting health; psychosocial; protection; and education and skills. The CSI is designed so that measurement can be performed by people living in the same communities as the affected children, who are in the best position to monitor the health of those children on a regular basis.

On behalf of a group of multisectoral child-focused organizations, Save the Children organized a review and analytical discussion of indicators most commonly used to assess the impact of microfinance on children. This study was conducted by Sarah Gammage and Sharon Williams of Development and Training Services, Inc. (dTS); it was financed by the anonymous donors of Wellspring Advisors with additional support from CARE and World Vision.

This report summarizes the findings of the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA)-commissioned study, "Impacts on Children from Microfinance Initiatives. The results of the study showed that when family income improves, the priority areas of spending are generally those that benefit children. Education is the highest priority for spending, followed by health care. Housing and nutrition are other areas of spending that were identified by the study participants.

This report summarizes the findings of the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA)-commissioned study, "Impacts on Children from Microfinance Initiatives." The results of the study showed that when family income improves, the priority areas of spending are generally those that benefit children. Education is the highest priority for spending, followed by health care. Housing and nutrition are other areas of spending that were identified by the study participants.