The STRIVE Mozambique project aims to improve child well-being in Nampula Province, which has the highest level of food insecurity in the country. An alarming 63% of children in the province are chronically undernourished. The factors contributing to food insecurity in Nampula include lack of and limited access to food, poor food utilization and vulnerability in the form of economic, health and market shocks. Save the Children is addressing the issues of access to food and vulnerability by targeting individuals in households – particularly women with children under the age of 5, who face the highest risks of food insecurity – with interventions that increase household income and social capital.
By mobilizing, training and mentoring village savings and loan (VSL) groups, STRIVE Mozambique provides a mechanism for asset building, income generation and risk mitigation. VSL participation enables women to purchase more or better foods, invest in better income earning strategies and/or enter into and expand participation in agriculture value chains that increase their earning potential. The VSL groups, along with the community support networks formed under rotating labor schemes (called the Ajuda Mútua) that Save the Children is promoting in Nampula, will create a stronger social capital base for households, increasing their resilience to shocks.
Working in concert with an on-going food security project in the province, STRIVE Mozambique expects to improve nutritional outcomes for children under 5 by expanding both the amount and quality of food they eat. Specifically, by increasing household access to cash through savings and income earning opportunities, it is expected that dietary diversity and months of adequate food provisioning will increase, particularly through the prolonged “hungry season.” STRIVE Mozambique is one of five initiatives under the AED STRIVE Program exploring effective means of reducing the vulnerability of children and youth through economic strengthening.
Thierry van Bastelaer
tvanbastelaer@savethechildren.org
October 2008-August 2012
The Local Links project is aimed at improving the well-being of orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) and their caretakers in three locations in Africa—Kibera, Kenya; and Limpopo and Free State, South Africa. The major objectives of the project are:
- Strengthen the economic coping mechanisms of OVC families and communities
- Strengthen the capacity of local organizations to meet the needs and rights of orphans and vulnerable children
- (Kenya) Reduce stigma and discrimination experienced by orphans and vulnerable children and their families
- (South Africa) Improve advocacy efforts with and on behalf of orphans and vulnerable children
In both countries, a group savings and loan model is used to strengthen economic security for vulnerable families and community members. The model does not require external infusion of cash, but rather relies on group member contributions. Loans are made from the pooled funds to group members based on individual emergency need. CARE provides training for the Voluntary Savings and Loan (VSL) groups in South Africa (or Group Savings and Loan (GS&L) in Kenya) and regular monitoring. Under the Local Links project, CARE provides initial training for establishing income-generating activities (IGA), followed by ongoing mentoring. Combining VSL/GS&L and IGA improves group members’ livelihood sustainability by greatly reducing reliance on external money lenders with high interest rates.
To improve sustainable outcomes of the project, CARE contracts community and faith-based organizations to implement Local Links project activities with OVC and families. CARE helps these organizations build capacity in:
- organizational development
- project management
- resource mobilization and management
- lobbying and advocacy
- VSL and IGA approaches
- provision of care, psychosocial support and counseling to OVC.
In addition, CARE provides training for community health workers on providing home-based care and on caring for OVC. Where necessary, volunteers and paid staff are placed at institutions and facilities to improve access to HIV/AIDS care and treatment services.
Strengthening social ties is important to supporting OVC households and communities. Reducing barriers and stigma and discrimination through advocacy efforts improves community responsiveness and support for vulnerable families and children. Local Links employs participatory theater with youth and other community members to address issues such as social protection, stigma and discrimination, social protection, rights of the child, and obstacles to accessing essential HIV/AIDS services. Youth groups are engaged to develop information, education and communication (IEC) materials to help increase understanding, compassion and reduce barriers. The project also trains and mobilizes traditional and mainstream church leaders to raise these issues with their congregations and encourage support for OVC and families. This integration of economic strengthening with social and health activities is critical to holistic support of OVC needs.
Bill Philbrick
bphilbrick@care.org
The Local Links project is aimed at improving the well-being of orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) and their caretakers in three locations in Africa—Kibera, Kenya; and Limpopo and Free State, South Africa. The major objectives of the project are:
- Strengthen the economic coping mechanisms of OVC families and communities
- Strengthen the capacity of local organizations to meet the needs and rights of orphans and vulnerable children
- (Kenya) Reduce stigma and discrimination experienced by orphans and vulnerable children and their families
- (South Africa) Improve advocacy efforts with and on behalf of orphans and vulnerable children
In both countries, a group savings and loan model is used to strengthen economic security for vulnerable families and community members. The model does not require external infusion of cash, but rather relies on group member contributions. Loans are made from the pooled funds to group members based on individual emergency need. CARE provides training for the Voluntary Savings and Loan (VSL) groups in South Africa (or Group Savings and Loan (GS&L) in Kenya) and regular monitoring. Under the Local Links project, CARE provides initial training for establishing income-generating activities (IGA), followed by ongoing mentoring. Combining VSL/GS&L and IGA improves group members’ livelihood sustainability by greatly reducing reliance on external money lenders with high interest rates.
To improve sustainable outcomes of the project, CARE contracts community and faith-based organizations to implement Local Links project activities with OVC and families. CARE helps these organizations build capacity in:
- organizational development
- project management
- resource mobilization and management
- lobbying and advocacy
- VSL and IGA approaches
- provision of care, psychosocial support and counseling to OVC.
In addition, CARE provides training for community health workers on providing home-based care and on caring for OVC. Where necessary, volunteers and paid staff are placed at institutions and facilities to improve access to HIV/AIDS care and treatment services.
Strengthening social ties is important to supporting OVC households and communities. Reducing barriers and stigma and discrimination through advocacy efforts improves community responsiveness and support for vulnerable families and children. Local Links employs participatory theater with youth and other community members to address issues such as social protection, stigma and discrimination, social protection, rights of the child, and obstacles to accessing essential HIV/AIDS services. Youth groups are engaged to develop information, education and communication (IEC) materials to help increase understanding, compassion and reduce barriers. The project also trains and mobilizes traditional and mainstream church leaders to raise these issues with their congregations and encourage support for OVC and families. This integration of economic strengthening with social and health activities is critical to holistic support of OVC needs.
Bill Philbrick
bphilbrick@care.org
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.
