ORPHAN & VULNERABLE CHILDREN (OVC) PROJECT

The Nkandla Municipality in KwaZulu-Natal Province has developed a Local Plan of Action (LPA) for children, and with the support of UNICEF is developing strategies to drive this initiative forward. Owing to the experience of CRH in the development of systems for health in the districts, UNICEF approached it to build capacity in the Nkandla Municipality subdistrict. This support includes the development of accessible and effective systems of care for orphans, vulnerable children and the children of Nkandla.

The project started in the second half of 2006, and its entry point was local government. The strategy is to build the skills of the OVC co-ordinator to be able to co-ordinate a multi-sectoral approach that includes tiers of government, the different sectors (health, social welfare, education and others) and CBOs. The aim of this is a single streamlined system for the subdistrict. A further important focus is the development of strategies and skills for child and caregiver participation and advocacy.

CRH works closely with the OVC role-players, with an emphasis on regular onsite visits and collaborative learning sessions. These sessions are used to reflect on current practice and procedures, and the steps that need to be taken in order to keep improving quality of care and to reach the vision of best practice. This quality improvement ethos has at its core the phases of the Action Learning Cycle, which involves repeated reflection on action and experience so that key learnings can be identified and necessary adjustments made.

The work is being done using a phased approach. Phase one is to establish a foundation on which to develop an OVC system. Phase two will include the building of skills and mechanisms for a co-ordinated system across the wards of the subdistrict. Lastly, phase three will share the learnings more widely across the Nkandla districts.

The development of the OVC project includes building on the activities already taking place in the subdistrict, the strengthening of fragmented services, co-ordination of existing programmes and role-players, and ensuring that all areas pertinent to OVC are covered. A further focus will include an effective data management system for clear monitoring of the OVC system. The challenge for CRH is to support the development of a community-owned process that takes account of the initiatives that already exist in the area, and is built on the principles of action learning.