Thursday 7 July 2011

Kakamega County Orphan and Vulnerable Children Proposal

THE WHOLESOME CHILD: HARNESSING TODAY TO SECURE TOMORROW
AN INTERGRATED LIVELIHOOD PROJECT FOR OVC AND ELDERLY CAREGIVERS









Elite Community Based Organization

P.O. Box 1217-50100
Kakamega
Tel. +254-721815537

APRIL 2011




INTRODUCTION

In 2010, Elite Community Based Organization conducted a baseline study covering over 2,000 households to understand issues affecting orphans and vulnerable children, OVC in Kakamega County Kenya.  The context of this OVC baseline study was based on the situation of children in the County and specifically children made vulnerable by different circumstances.  The design of the study was aimed at all-inclusiveness of stakeholders involved in different aspects of orphans and vulnerable children in the project area.

The National Programme Guidelines on Orphans and Vulnerable Children definition states that “an orphan is a child who has lost one or both parents while a vulnerable child is a child living in high-risk setting”.  From this and previous studies on HIV/AIDS Gender Relations and Culture, it was established that there exists a large percentage of the population being orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) in the Kakamega community.   Among these children are children who are caregivers to those who are ill or dying, do not have parents, do not have a family, do not have a home, live in an area with proximity to high risk behaviors, living on the street, have parents or guardians who are in prison with them, are exploited, are isolated and discriminated, live on their own in a child headed household, live in unsupportive or unhealthy environment, have inadequate medical care and/or are disabled. In the project area, there were other descriptions of children’s vulnerabilities among them children born out of wed-lock or out of incestuous relationship, children returning with the mother to her parents because the mother’s marriage did not work, children whose parents are irresponsible, among others.  The study also considered children orphaned as a result of parents dying specifically from HIV/AIDS related illnesses.
In light of the poor status of orphans and other children made vulnerable by HIV/AIDS and other circumstances, the government has been developing a national policy on OVC since the year 2005 and produced a draft which was shared by the public in June 2006. The draft policy seeks to support and promote child survival, child development, child protection and child participation within the framework of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The Policy stipulates that the minimum OVC package for all OVC must have the following: 1) appropriate family based care, 2)proper housing, 3)all immunizations as stipulated by the Ministry of Health, 4)primary health services, 5) proper nutrition, 6) adequate clothing, 7) birth registration and 8) attendance and completion of primary school.
Kenya has an estimated OVC population of 1.8 million nationwide. Of these 900,000 are said to be found in Western Province alone, Children’s Department-Ministry of National Heritage: OVC Report: 2003. The projected number of orphans by 2010 is 2 million.  Poverty is at the core of the OVC situation stalking the children, shrouded in food and nutrition insecurity among other dangers.  Apart from having a bulky OVC population, Ikolomani and Shinyalu ranks third and fourth poorest after North Eastern with Ikolomani Constituency registering a poverty incidence of 71%!


PROBLEM STATEMENT

Both guardians and children are poor in health. Significantly elderly persons are looking after a significant number of OVC. The situation of all children in Kenya is poor. Thirty percent (30%) of children under five years of age are stunted and 6% are wasted. Infant mortality is 77/1000 live births and under five mortality is 115/1000 live births. Only 57% of children aged between 12 and 23 months are fully vaccinated. Malaria kills 26,000 children every year. Thirty-two percent (32%) of girls and women are circumcised. Only 58% of children live with both their parents. One quarter (25%) live with their mothers only and 3% live with their fathers only. Another 11% do not live with either of the parents and are considered fostered. Orphaned children suffer these conditions more. HIV/AIDS has torn down the family unit, thus robbing children of parents and extended family system which in Africa, were the source of children’s security and well being. HIV/AIDS has not only robbed children of their parents, uprooted them from their familiar homesteads and communities; left many hungry and starving, anxious and emotionally unstable, it has robbed children of their childhood; the right to be children. Children have been forced to become care-givers for their ailing parents if not altogether forced into responsibilities meant for adults. They have been forced to abandon education if they ever started schooling; forced into child labour and are increasingly sexually manipulated, harassed and abused. As parents die or fade away from the scene of parenting and custodial responsibility, children’s vulnerabilities increase.
Traditionally the family unit in Kakamega County is a patriarchal extended structure with mechanisms for care and support for orphans. Children were rarely placed in a situation of vulnerability.  But the family as a basic unit of society has been undergoing profound change, a phenomenon with far–reaching social and economic consequences that affect development. The nuclear family defined as consisting of father, mother and their children is gaining dominance over the extended family system, which has been an important source of care and support for orphaned children. Among other families emerging as a   result of social transitions are single parent families, child-headed families and families headed by the elderly; mostly grandparents in their geriatric stage. As the family structure changes parents and care givers continue to be pre-occupied in making a living or meeting their social obligations at the detriment of the fast emerging OVC.

While NGOs provide the thrust of care and support in other part of Kenya, there is nothing being done here in Kakamega. Tracking OVC care and support and reporting between the implementing organizations is a problem. For example, quantifying the inputs given to a specific OVC is difficult as this is done on “as needed or on as funds-are-available basis”. This means that those children receiving support may get only basic needs on and off and not in adequate quantity or quality. 
JUSTIFICATION

The following statements from the baseline study provide justification for the project:

1.      For more than 90% of OVC in Kakaega, the most pressing problem is hunger and anxiety related to inadequate food at household level. Children aged below 8 years suffered most in as afar as they were plagued with hunger.
2.      For all children, poor health status was recorded for more than 80% of studied households. The biggest health problem for all children is malaria followed by Acute Respiratory Infections (including pneumonia), Diarrhea, and skin infections including wounds, worm infestation and infection by jiggers due to poor hygiene. Malaria was also very common in adults.  
3.      More than 80% of children in the studied households and who are eligible for nursery school are not in school due to lack of school fees, school uniform and due to hunger caused by lack of food in the house. These were followed by sickness, stigma and pregnancy
4.       20% of children are heads of households
5.      Of sibling OVC care givers, boys constitute the majority. This corresponds with the finding that boys were more than girls in the studied households
6.      There is high incidence of child labor
7.      30% of OVC sleep on floor without a cover
8.      72% of the households have at least one orphan; the household with the highest number of orphans was 16 followed by 11, 9, 8 and 7. The average number of orphans in a household was 5.

9.      The negative impact of HIV/AIDS on orphans starts long before the death of a parent in this region according to the data.

Some unexpected findings emerged from the study.  It was felt that these further justify the need for the proposed project. 

1.      Lower cases of child sexual abuse including OVC were found
2.      High incidences of children with disabilities
3.      The majority of respondents who are widows fall between the age bracket of 31-40 years.
4.      The children said they do not like to be referred to as “orphans”; this project offers an opportunity to stop calling them orphans.  

Other general but important findings include the fact that the policy regulatory enforcement mechanisms are weak at the grass-roots level. Government officials at the divisional level have not seen or heard about the OVC Policy or National Plan of Action.
PROPOSED PROJECT
The baseline data on the situation of OVC and their care-givers has been established for the Division Lurambi of  Kakamega Central district in Kakamega County. Some of the opportunities for improving OVC programming as derived from the key informant, leaders’ and children’s forums named and quantified the household and child specific needs. The second opportunity is the knowledge and collaboration with over 100 local leaders and 2 CBOs working on OVC related initiatives in the study. There is need to build institutional strengths and capacity needs of these stakeholders for OVC programming.  The following recommendations from the study are being considered under the proposed project.
1)      There is need for a well structured and targeted OVC program initiative in Lurambi Division of Kakamega Central.
2)      The program initiative should target the same of the over 2,000 households and the children in those households
3)      Multi-stakeholder interventions should target among others, care-giver and other local institutions working with OVC’ empowerment and capacity building on OVC including faith-based CBO and community based organizations identified within the study. Capacity building programs should form a component with quality assurance, and results tracking and quantification. Major focus areas will include school feeding
4)      Program initiatives and strategies to develop elaborate plans for supporting  collaboration and networking between and amongst stakeholders
                        
ACTIVITIES

The following will be developed remove households from the circle of vulnerability) among them:
Plan basic and strategic needs while the parent is still alive to remove households from the circle of vulnerability.
Curtail negative practice by developing a well concerted and sustained human rights approach to secure OVC and widows’ property and assets thus contributing toward psychological stability and healing
There is need to target the households with appropriate measures for ensuring that the OVC in those households do not suffer additional loss to a series of care-givers.
There is need to recognize, appreciate and manage OVC transition.
Strengthen the capacity of care-giver to gain life skills such as confidence building in becoming comfortable in discussing HIV/AIDS related matters and measures for their own protection, care and support.
Keep children in school as a motivation in itself but also as a source of helping them build a positive self image as achievers in school.
Work strategically with foster care families and the community leadership and the children themselves in coining a different term to refer to children who have been orphaned due to HIV.
Strengthen family coping systems and finding ways for reconstructing strong social values for supporting “OVC”.
METHODOLOGY
A well concerted and sustained human rights approach to tackling OVC and widows property and asset loss could mean additional resources for educating OVC. This milestone strategy could contribute toward the psychological stability and healing for widows and orphans knowing they belong to their homes and have a right to their properties and assets. Such an achievement would build the OVC’ and widows’ confidence about their future.
Both guardians and children are poor in health as established by the baseline data. At the same time, significantly elderly persons are looking after a significant number of OVC. This data provides opportunity for the partnerships to specifically target the households with appropriate measures for ensuring that the OVC in those households do not suffer additional loss to a series of care-givers. Strategies for enhancing communication between siblings and care-givers within household level on each others’ needs/feelings will be devised.
Issues concerning the need to recognize appreciate and manage OVC transition has already been extensively discussed within the Shinyalu section of Kakamega County. It suffices to reemphasize that in Kakamega OVC transition from one developmental stage to the next will be planned and will constitute one of the major programmatic areas of intervention.
Concerning the household capacity to effectively look after OVC, Elite Community Based Organization will elaborate an integrative approach that concomitantly addresses care-givers’ own health and welfare needs. As some other reports have noted, the best thing one can do for an OVC is stop them from becoming orphans in the first place. This means that Elite CBO will invest more in strategies for keeping the living parent/guardian alive longest while rebuilding the broken family environment to become more friendly and responsive to the needs of the children. This baseline demonstrated the need for such a long over due intervention as strengthening the capacity of care-giver to gain life skills such as confidence building in becoming comfortable in discussing HIV/AIDS related matters and measures for their own protection, care and support.
Special mention is necessary of the need to keep children in school as a motivation in itself but also as a source of helping them build a positive self image as achievers in school.
The data has validated the need to nurture and strengthen collaboration that has been established between stakeholders among them care givers and other service providers   

EXPECTED OUTPUTS
·         Sustainable food and nutrition
·         Visionary education
·         Sustainable health
·         Security and asset building
·         Programme coordination

EXPECTED INPUTS

Inputs will include a cross section of resources among them: finances, land, agricultural inputs, relevant government support including commitment from schools, Ministries of Education, Health, Agriculture, Office of the President, Gender and Children’s Department, Justice and constitution office.


SPECIFIC REQUEST

Elite CBO specifically requests you as the development partner for financial and other resources support to implement the proposed project.


PROPOSED LONG AND SHORT-TERM PROJECT OBJECTIVES
LONG TERM (5+YEARS)
IMMEDIATE (STARTING NOW)
Sustainable food and nutrition 
Reliable food supply
Use of traditional nutritious food
Establishment of school feeding programmes


Visionary education
Universal school feeding programmes
Provision of social amenities (basic clothing and shelter)
Capacity building for teachers
Monitoring OVC progress till exit from school
Institutionalization of OVC guiding and counseling in schools
Education of OVC on their rights


Sustainable health
Access to medication
Institutionalization of health support
Outreach to OVC in isolated areas
Timely administration of ARV/ART
Provision of psychosocial counseling
Awareness raising on use of VCT
Provision of HBC to OVC infected with HIV/AIDS


Security and asset building
Mapping of OVC security needs

Mapping OVC resources
Lobbying policy support for OVC rights
Utilization of OVC resources


Programme coordination
Oversee programme design and implementation
Build capacity of stakeholders
Monitor and evaluate
Provide linkages
Impact assessment



PROPOSED 5-YEAR STRATEGIC INTERVENTIONS
YEAR 2011 WITH INCREMENTAL SCALING UP OF 100% ANNUALLY TILL 2016

BASELINE RECOMMENDED OBJECTIVE
GROUP RECOMMENDED INTERVENTIONS
LONG TERM
IMMEDIATE
PROPOSED ACTIVITIES
PROPOSED STRATEGIES
PERCEIVED CHALLENGES


SUSTAINABLE FOOD AND NUTRITION 
Reliable food supply
Mobilization and awareness campaigns
Food needs assessment
OVC site-training
Enterprise management
M&E
Capacity assessment
Increase income levels
Planning workshops
Barazas
Formation of common interest groups (CIG)
Demonstration
Introduce loan scheme
Introduce revolving fund


Ownership and sustainability
Adopting technologies
Timely release and adequacy of donor funds
High demand and expectations
Loan defaulters
Limited land for 4-K Clubs
Natural disasters
Sustainable school feeding programmes
Training and empowerment
Capacity building in livestock, horticulture and root crops
Increase financial resource base
Nucleus production
OVC centers
Schools
Fundraise through alumni and others
Use of traditional nutritious food
Awareness raising
Research and technology in bio-farming techniques
Introduce value addition to food
Formation of marketing groups
Guardian and OVC exchange visits
Demonstration in Barazas
Mass media
Use of certified seed
Adapt relevant technologies in packing, milling, rationing and utilization
Tours to Central platforms

Introduction of farming activities in schools
Introduction of 4-K clubs
Training of schools in agriculture
Establish plots in schools
Conduct exchange learning
Schools
Demonstration


Tours
Establishment of school feeding programmes
Training and empowerment
Supply input
Capacity building in livestock, horticulture and root crops
Guardian groups
Nucleus production
OVC centres





VISIONARY EDUCATION
Universal school feeding programmes
Community mobilization
Allocation of farming responsibilities
Management of harvest
In-service training on feeding programmes
Increase food supplies
Use OVC available land
Donations
Parents, guardians
Teachers
Conduct food drives
Expand acreage
Resistance
Poverty lack of resources
Illiteracy and ignorance
Teachers’ workload

Provision of social amenities (basic clothing and shelter)
Purchase and distribute school materials
Purchase and distribute basic materials
Construct classrooms
Project initiators
School management committee
Teachers and caregivers
Poor quality
Ad hoc and short term
Capacity building for community
Sensitize community on children’s rights
Conduct exchange learning

Meetings
dissemination of documented information
Children rights clubs
Platforms for exchange

Monitoring OVC progress till exit from school
Daily records
Daily close supervision
Stocks
Performance
Lack of capacity in record keeping
Institutionalization of OVC guiding and counseling in schools
Training in guiding and counseling
Rapid response sessions
Teachers
Counselors
Some OVC
Teachers’ workload

Education of OVC on their rights
Formation of clubs
Organized discussion forums
Child-rights clubs
Organized platforms
Negative attitudes towards children knowing their rights






SUSTAINABLE HEALTH
Access to medication
Sensitize community
Lobby health personnel
Community members
MOH



Sustaining motivation and commitment
Adequacy of health services to meet demand
Denial about HIV/AIDS
Stigmatization
Retaining capacities built
High expectations
Institutionalization of health care support
Maintain OVC databank
Train health personnel on VCT/DTC
Conduct refresher-training in all fields
Equip schools and programme with health kits for OVC
Local level health institutions
Referrals
Outreach to OVC in isolated areas
Conduct mobile clinics
Establish model facility
Conduct home visits
VCT
Immunization
Monthly home visits
Timely administration of ARV/ART
Training
Health personnel
Provision of psychosocial counseling
Training
Support groups
Awareness raising on use of VCT
Training
Community
Schools
Provision of HBC to OVC infected with HIV/AIDS
Training on HBC
Community in meetings
Caregivers






SECURITY AND ASSET BUILDING
Mapping of OVC security needs
Review baseline report
Local level leaders
Navigation map to HH
KII, FGD






High expectations
Political interference
Financial limitations
High initial costs for micro-finance project
Natural disasters
Poor infrastructure
Marketing
Extension services
Mapping OVC resources
Mobilization of community
Local level leadership
Relevant policy experts
Other stakeholder e.g. family
Lobbying policy for OVC rights
Identification and training
Paralegals at sub-location
Utilization of OVC resources
Mobilization of community support through provincial administration
Groups: youth, women and others to provide labour
Line ministries for policy
Provision of basic support to OVC
Skills training for caregivers
Local poultry and goat keeping, beekeeping, banana or organic farming
Tree nurseries
Cereal banking
Micro-finance (table banking), and revolving fund
Monitoring and Evaluation
Conduct mid-term and end term review
Scale up the program
External consultants

Initiators to re-plan
Positive impact for further up scaling into the province






PROGRAMME COORDINATION
Operationalize strategic plan 2010-2015 (programme design)
Develop proposal
Develop M&E framework
Prepare implementation schedule for year 1
Recruitment of staff
Track activities
Baseline report
Strategic plan report
Implementers


Political environment
Community participation:
Contribute land, time and other resources
Attitude of other implementers in OVC programmes
Government’s response in implementation
Donor funding levels and timing
Build capacity of stakeholders
Capacity needs assessment
Identify resources for training
Provide space for activities
Assessment reports
Workshops
Seminars
Conferences
Provide linkages
Mapping of potential partners
Partners records
Partners programmes
Monitor and evaluate
Conduct PM&E
Field visits
Briefings and debriefings
On-the-job assessments
Oversee programme
Document, disseminate and feedback
Maintain continuous flow of information between all partners
Impact assessment
End-of-phase 1 assessment
Coordinate external evaluation
Prepare for next phase
Prepare project areas for next phase
Project reports and plans


















                                         ELITE CBO BOARD MEMBERS
NO
NAME
GENDER
AFFILATION


WOMEN
MEN

1.
Ezekiel W. Mpapale

*
Chairman
2.
Kevin Miima

*
Staff
3.
Mildred Wanjala
*

Secretary/Staff(Kakamega)
4.
Kennedy  shimaka

*
Treasurer/ Staff
5.
Gertrude Shinali
*

Board member      
6.
Thomas Khasiani

*
Vice chair








7.6.7 Details of the CBO bank account

Bankers: EQUITY BANK

Branch: KAKAMEGA

Account Name: ELITE CBO

Account No: 0500296593769

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