Orphan and Vulnerable Chlidern(OVC)

 Introduction

AMURT-Likoni is a Local Implementing Partner (LIP) of APHIAPLUS Project for Orphan and Vulnerable Children (OVC) from the age of 0-17 years old under the support of ChildFund Kenya.

It is geared towards the fight against spread of HIV, care and support of infected and affected populations through quality-driven services and best practices in the Mombasa-Kwale counties.The Project serves 400 Orphan and Vulnerable Children (OVC)The services are provided through 19 Community Health Workers (CHWs) who hail from the vicinity and understand the plight of the OVC.

The project provides 6+1+1 services which include PSS, Education, Shelter and Care, Health, Food and Nutrition, Protection and Legal  protection Services as well as Household Economic Empowerment and coordination of care.

Goal:

To ensure that all OVC achieve their full potential through the creation of a supportive environment that upholds their right to survival, development, protection and participation.

Objectives:

The objectives of the OVC program are:

1. To strengthen the capacity of families to protect and care for their children by prolonging the lives of their parents

2. To mobilize and support community-based responses to provide immediate and long term assistance to vulnerable households

3. To raise awareness at all levels through advocacy and social mobilization to create a supportive environment for children affected by HIV/AIDS

4. To provide access to essential services for the most vulnerable children 

5. To improve the quality of care for children through the provision of a continuum of care and support services from the formal health care sector to the community and back

6. To create strategic alliances with private sector, Ministry of Health, and other key-stakeholders to ensure sustainability of services for children  

7. To empower children to be able to make healthy life choices and to become part of the solution to the local HIV epidemic.

 

Core areas of service delivery for Orphans and Vulnerable

Children(OVC) in the APHIAPLUS PROJECT-Likoni:

1.Care Coordination

  Refers to a series of steps used to identify children impacted by HIV/AIDS and to assess their ability to cope with HIV/AIDS. Care Coordination includes the provision of services or referrals by NGOs for those services; in addition to ensuring that the services were accessed and beneficial to the child/family. Services and support are coordinated in order to meet children’s comprehensive needs.

2. Psychosocial support

 The activities carried out enable children to cope up with the emotional,spiritual,social or physical  aspects and impacts of HIV/AIDS.  In particular psychosocial interventions help children (and families) to build self-esteem, and to process and manage stressful situations such as grief, abuse, and disclosure.

                                  OVC Field Officer conducting home visit

3. Education/Vocational Training
Activities that support children’s intellectual development across the age span from preschool to secondary level.Distribution of scholastic materials such as Books,Geometric sets,Pens,School Uniforms and conducting school visit.

Vocational training are provided to older OVC in the project.

                                 OVC receiving scholastic materials

                                          Older OVC undergoing computer training

4. Food & Nutritional Support

  The activities carried out include;distribution of Uni-mix,Maize flour,cooking oil,beans and providing nutrition education to caregivers to enable them set up kitchen gardening for sustainable solution.

                                              OVC receiving beans,Unimix,Maize flour

5. Shelter & Care  

Activities supports the children to live in a safe physical environment and to grow up within the confines of a family and a community. It aims at ensuring children have a guardian in place should they lose their current parent or guardian(s) as well as efforts to place institutionalized children in permanent families (through reintegration, fostering or adoption)The project also provide the basic support material such as bedding.

                                                 OVC Field Officer caregivers on child care

6. Protection & legal support  

The project puts efforts to protect children from neglect, abuse, exploitation and trafficking as well as protection of their legal rights such as civil registration, guardianship and inheritance through Child Right and Participation training.

                                    OVC undergoing training on Child Right at AMURT



7. Economic Opportunities/strengthening.

 Service provides include formation of SILC/IGA groups to caregivers

to earn a livable income and to cater to the needs of their children through micro-enterprise,loans and group savings.

                                Education to Caregivers on Kitchen Gardening

 
8. Health Care  

Project ensures that children and their families have access to age-appropriate preventive and curative health care offered through public services. under the supervision of the Community Health Workers(CHWs)

HIV infected and HIV exposed children including diagnostics, home and palliative care, opportunistic infection prophylaxis  ART. Access to ART and other care should be timely.

Prevention knowledge and behavior change including training in infection prevention for children caring for HIV and/or TB infected household members.

 Distribution of sanitary pads to girls,water guards,Bar soaps is also provided.

                                              OVC undergoing medical check-ups
 

                                                  
                                                THANKS TO APHIAPLUS PROJECT