Action for Orphans and Vulnerable Children

With World AIDS Day coming up on December 1, this issue of The Soul Beat focusses on orphans and children made vulnerable as a result of the HIV and AIDS epidemic. This edition features a variety of projects, strategic thinking documents and resources that explore how psychosocial support, memory boxes, grandparents, social networks and advocacy and awareness-raising efforts contribute to supporting orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) in Africa.

Click here for more information on World AIDS Day 2006.

EXPERIENCES

1. Memory Box Programme - South Africa
Implemented by the Sinomlando Centre for Oral History and Memory Work in Africa, the Memory Box Programme provides AIDS patients and their children with support by recording the parent's living memories. These memories are kept in a "memory box" which contains the story of the deceased parents as well as various objects reflecting their history. The objective of the Memory Box Programme is to enhance resilience in vulnerable children and orphans affected by HIV/AIDS. The programme introduces the methodology of the memory box to volunteers of various community organisations who deal with orphans and vulnerable children affected by HIV/AIDS.
Contact Philippe Denis denis@ukzn.ac.za

2. Grandmothers to Grandmothers Campaign - Africa
In many cases, grandmothers in Africa are bearing the brunt of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Africa as they are taking on the responsibility for their orphaned grandchildren. In response to this, the Grandmothers to Grandmothers campaign was launched by the Stephen Lewis Foundation to raise awareness and mobilise support in Canada for Africa's grandmothers, and to build solidarity between African and Canadian grandmothers. The campaign helps grandmothers in Africa to secure food, opportunities to earn a living, and counselling and social support.
Contact campaign@stephenlewisfoundation.org OR dirprog@stephenlewisfoundation.org

3. Seeds of Hope - Ethiopia
This initiative uses the medium of film to document moments in the day-to-day lives of people affected by HIV/AIDS. The documentaries cover stories about orphans being raised by an elder sibling or a grandparent; young people who use performance and poetry to educate their peers, and sex workers who teach each other and their clients about condom use. Organisers hope that sharing these images will inspire Ethiopians and others across the world to get involved in HIV/AIDS prevention, to act with greater compassion, and to take part in the struggle for social justice and human dignity.
Contact info@concentric.org

4. Humuliza - Tanzania
Funded as a pilot project by terre des hommes Switzerland in 1997, Humuliza (which is a Kihaya word and means "consolation") is based in Nshamba in Tanzania and works to meet the psychological needs of orphaned children. It aims to do this by developing practical instruments to enable teachers and caregivers to support orphans and by developing children's capacity to cope with the loss of their caregivers by building their resilience through groups support sessions.
Contact humuliza@iwayafrica.com OR Kurt Madoerin kurt@repssi.org OR Franziska Lauper f.lauper@terredeshommes.ch

5. Malawi Children's Village (MCV) HIV Awareness Project - Malawi
This project uses theatre and film, as well as outreach activities, to create awareness about HIV/AIDS. The primary goal of MCV is orphan survival and welfare and through the use of live performance and video production, MCV hopes to equip these orphans with artistic skills, while increasing community understanding of the impact of HIV/AIDS.
Contact Kevin M. Denny Kdenny0000@aol.com

6. Vulnerable Children's Fund - South Africa
AIDS orphans aged 9 and younger head households and support siblings in South African townships and rural communities. This project uses self-powered Freeplay Lifeline radios to provide information and education to OVCs to help prevent the spread of AIDS and enable vulnerable children to survive. The radios provide constant companionship and vital advice that is no longer available from parents. The radios also extend the reach and capacity of local NGO staff and community care givers to support many of the destitute children.
Contact Kristine Pearson kpearson@freeplayfoundation.org

Also see:

The Children They Are Left With - Zimbabwe

Voice of Orphans and Vulnerable Children (VOVC) - Nigeria

STRATEGIC THINKING

7. World Vision's Experience Working with HIV/AIDS Orphans in Uganda
by Joe Muwonge
2002
Uganda, projected to have 3.5 millions orphans by 2010, was the site of World Vision's first major programme of assistance to orphans of HIV/AIDS and war. This paper examines how the programme addressed the critical challenge of ensuring sustainable orphan welfare in a family and community setting. The paper considers how impact was achieved through activities that focussed on direct support to vulnerable children (access to education and vocational training skills), while at the same time strengthening the capacity of families and communities to cope (increasing food production of foster families, strengthening basic social services in the area, and mobilising the community for orphan care). Community participation and collaboration with government and other NGOs were considered important elements in all components.

8. Africa's Orphaned Generations
by UNICEF's HIV/AIDS Unit
2003
This report outlines the context and current situation of children orphaned by HIV/AIDS in Africa. It examines the impact of orphaning on families, communities, and on the orphans themselves, and describes a framework for priority actions that includes community mobilisation, sharing of information, and raising awareness of the issues on a regional and global scale.

9. Sharing Family Stories in Times of AIDS: Sinomlando Project a Pilot Study Report
by Philippe Denis, Cynthia Hlabisa, Busi Magwaza, Nokhaya Makiwane, Carol Mitchell and Elizabeth Towell
This document looks at the use of memory boxes as a way to deal with the loss and trauma of losing a family member in the context of HIV/AIDS. The basic assumption of the methodology of the memory boxes is that children who remember their parents in a positive way when they become ill or when they die are in a better position to cope with the hardships of their condition as orphans. They know more about their roots and can figure out what happened to their parents. In this way they develop what psychologists call resilience - "a universal capacity which allows a person, a group or community to prevent, minimize or overcome the damaging effects of adversity".

10. Circles of Support: Children's Voices
The Circles of Support intervention aims to support orphans and other children made vulnerable as a result of the HIV and AIDS epidemic. One of the primary objectives of the project is to ensure that children continue with their schooling. This is achieved by creating support networks for the children in their communities and schools. The purpose of this report is to document children's perspectives of their lives as well as their perceptions of the Circles of Support project, in order to assist the project to better understand and meet the needs of children. The report recommends that girl children need special attention within the Circles of Support project to ensure they are able to access the necessary resources to continue with their schooling. It also showed that the active participation and involvement of children in the Circles of Support project should be further encouraged and strengthened.

11. HIV/AIDS: What About Very Young Children?
by Alison Dunn
July 2004
According to this paper, in current programming there is an overt focus on orphans and vulnerable children and on preventing mother to child transmission. However, much less attention is paid to the emotional and educational needs of those young children who are living with ill and dying mothers and fathers. This paper recommends increasing household and community capacity to care for very young children affected by HIV/AIDS through sustainable community initiatives. It states that services can be improved by listening to young children and encouraging their participation. Advocacy to get very young children on local, national and global agendas is considered critical to include HIV/AIDS in national early childhood development (ECD) programmes and to include very young children in National AIDS Plans.

12. Social Networks, Migration, and Care in Tanzania: Caregivers' and Children's Resilience to Coping with HIV/AIDS
Ruth M.C. Evans
2005
According to this paper, studies of children living with HIV/AIDS have neglected the far greater number of young people affected by the sickness and death of close relatives. Few studies have looked at the coping strategies used by caregivers, children with dying relatives and orphans who must take care of themselves. The document highlights the role of the extended family and makes recommendations for community-based education programmes to combat stigma and discrimination, supporting and counselling each other by involvement in self-help groups and developing social networks to help combat isolation.

See also:

But Where are our Moral Heroes?An Analysis of South African Press Reporting on Children Affected by HIV/AIDS
A Joint Working Paper of the Children's Institute and the Centre for Social Science Research, University of Cape Town
by Helen Meintjes and Rachel Bray

Civil Society Involvement in Rapid Assessment, Analysis and Action Planning (RAAAP) for Orphans and Vulnerable Children:An Independent Review
by Louisa Gosling

More than Words? Action for Orphans and Vulnerable Children in Africa
Monitoring Progress Towards the UN Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS
by Helen Young, Mesfin Loha, Senait Afework, Martha Rezene, Jaime Chivite, Celia T. Kakande, Chibeta K. Nkwemu, Faith Ngoma, Brian Munkombwe and Harrison Banda

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For more information related to HIV/AIDS please see these previous issues of The Soul Beat:

"HIV & AIDS: Access to ARV Treatment in Africa" November 23 2005

"MDG # 6 - Combatting HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases" May 10 2006

"Women & HIV/AIDS" July 14 2004

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MATERIALS

13. Forgotten Families: Older People Caring for Orphans and Vulnerable Children Affected by HIV/AIDS
This report discusses the role of older carers in supporting orphans and vulnerable children and shows that - provided appropriate support is available - older people and orphans and vulnerable children can overcome some of the challenges posed by the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The case studies featured in this report describe ways of dealing with some of the difficulties faced by older-headed households. These community-driven programmes demonstrate the impact that minimal additional resources and appropriate technical support can have.

14. Orphans and Other Vulnerable Children Support (OVT) Toolkit
This is a website and CD-Rom from the International HIV/AIDS Alliance and Family Health International on supporting orphans and other vulnerable children. It contains over 650 documents sharing learning and resources from a wide range of organisations. The website and CD-Rom both cover these categories with sub-sections: Running a Programme, Health and Nutrition, Education, Psychosocial Support, Economic Strengthening, Living Environments, and Children's Rights.

15. Building Resilience in Children Affected by HIV/AIDS
by Maskew Miller Longman
This handbook is aimed at people who live and work with children affected by HIV/AIDS. Originally developed in Namibia, it is intended to supplement and reinforce various training programmes on orphans and vulnerable children in Namibia and other African countries.

16. Building Blocks: Africa-wide Briefing Notes
These briefing notes consist of a set of six booklets designed to help communities and local organisations support children orphaned and made vulnerable by HIV and AIDS. Topics covered include psychosocial support, health and nutrition, education, economic support and social inclusion.

17. Family and Community Interventions for Children Affected by AIDS
by Linda Richter, Julie Manegold and Riashnee Pather
This book discusses the effectiveness of family and community support for children affected by HIV/AIDS. The report forms part of a project funded by the WK Kellogg Foundation to implement a strategy for the care of orphans and vulnerable children in Botswana, South Africa and Zimbabwe. It aims to identify and define key groups of vulnerable children and explore the impacts that HIV/AIDS has on children, their families and communities. It also discusses various approaches that have been adopted by community-based organisations to care for children affected by HIV/AIDS.

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The Soul Beat seeks to cover the full range of communication for development activities. Inclusion of an item does not imply endorsement or support by The Partners.

Please send material for The Soul Beat to the Editor - Anja Venth aventh@comminit.com