By Victor Julius | Project team Leader
FOREWARD
The Children of Mwambo are under threat. Today's HIV/AIDS pandemic and severe poverty have put at risk the nation and in particular its children. With the increase in parental deaths due to HIV/AIDS, the number of orphans has risen dramatically, subjecting these children to emotional and physical neglect, such as a lack of love, care and protection. They are all too frequently denied access to essential services including education, health, water and sanitation, nutrition and psychosocial support. Many live with the additional effects of stigmatsation, social exclusion, deprivation and discrimination, and are subjected to increased risks of ecomic and sexual exploiation.
Now, is the time for collaboration, the time for all sectors of society including family, the children themselves, community , government, NGOs, CBOs and FBOs and the international community to work together towards mitigating the daily hardships faced by orphans and other vulnerable children.
This project of Orphans and Other vulnerable Children (OVC) marks a recognized need for practical steps of cooperation that will ensure the rights of all OVC are fully met within the Community. This project therefore outlines clear actions to be taken, necessary to promote the survive, growth, well being, development and protection of OVC. The thrust of the plan is to develop and implement an integrated safety net system that will deliver multi-faceted care and support packages at household level. It puts forward a concreate work schedule, specifying stakeholder responsibilities and providing a clear framework for the continuam, implevement and scalling up of OVC interventions already on-going in community. The quality and effectiveness of the responses will be guided by periodic monitoring and evaluation exercises.
This project for OVC is a result of direct linkages to the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper, National HIV/AIDS Action framework, the Monitoring and Evaluation system established by NAC, as well as many other on-going partnerships in the areas of Health, HIV/AIDS, Education, Child Protection, Advocacy and social Mobilisation.
Finally, Orphans and Other Vulnerable Children need you and us. Let us love them as our own children. I therefore urge every person and Malawian citizen to take extra step towards ensuring the various projects and programmes are implemented in a coordinated and effective manner. Only then will we understand and recognise that the development and investment in this country' s human capital is being taken seriously.
Thus, it is with great pride and that i present this Report of orphans and Other vulnerable Children in Malawi to all Partners and Donors from USA through Global Giving that serve as a guide for OVC programmes during the period.
ENHANCING OVC's ACCESS TO ESSENTIAL HEALTH AND NUTRITION SERVICES
The most vulnerable Community Based Childcare Centers was identified and is on existinh indicators for elligibilty for School feeding and community garden interevention. Farm inputs were provided to 2 CBCCs and which have established community gardens in each CBCC.
ENHACING OVC's ACCESS TO ESSENTIAL HEALTH AND NUTRITION SERVICES
Micronutrities/Grwoth monitoring/De-worming for 120 000 children under the age of five. Being receing Vitamin A and albendazole .
OVC's ACCESSING OTHER ASPECTS OF ESSENTIAL HEALTH PACKAGE
Measles viccination was also given to children at the same time with Vitamin A supplementation in all Community Based Childcare Ceneters .45 000 Children were given the vaccine.
1000 pregnant women cared for through the donation given to Zomba central Hospital through the chief matron nurse mrs. chitsulo.
ENHANCE OVC's ACCESS TO AND KNOWLEDGE OF SAFE WATER AND SANITATION
Providing water points to 5 Community Based Childcare Centers identified using the same createria as for the identifaction of CBCCs eligible for school feeding . 200 OVC are accessing safe water in the communities.
ENHANCE OVC' s ACCESS TO QUALITY EDUCATION
Supporting education is one of the most relevant and effective methods progressing the lives of OVC, especially girls, but initiatives have been possible with in 2013 to 2014 first term school fees/ bursaries were offered to 30 orphans through the funds raised on Global Giving site.
Orphans and other Vulnerable Children, and in particular girls, are at greatest risk of being denied an education due to a number of reasons, including insuficient financial resources at household level. These children reguire on going assistance to to pay for school fees and materials, uniforms and foood in order to complete primary and secondary school education and this has been possible this year because of the funds being supported through Global Giving site.
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