Implication of
Community Based organization (CBO) is of great importance in the care and support projects to protect orphans
and vulnerable
Children (OVC) affected by HIV/AIDS. Implimentation of the project should adhere to existing
community structure so as to easily scale up where possible and to ultimately reduce the impact of the pandemic on the social and economic well being of OVC and families affected by HIV/AIDS. The target groups are PLWHA , AIDS orphans , other vulnerable children and affected families.
The project was designed to continue assisting Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC) and PLWHA to meet their urgent needs in the area of education, health, and nutrition to start with, in 120 communities the east province of the Republic of Cameroon.
Local CBOs/NGOs, and those infected/affected, have requested assistance to continue with activities started last FY who was mainly focus on training of circle of hope and how to identify OVC. They now continue working with in the framework of the Circle of Hope approach to mobilise community support for OVC.
Also, an initial direct financial/material assistance was provided through the NGOs and. CBOs for the above urgent needs of OVCs.
The capacity of these collaborators was further enhanced in the relevant areas of need through effective technical training, and logistic support and a close follow up of their operations on the field. These areas include, the fight against stigmatisation, the conduct of home visits to those in need, the conduct of advocacy on the needs of OVC, development of memory books for the children and their families, and promotion of VCT.
These activities are lead in the short term to HIV prevention, fighting stigmatisation and above all, providing needed care to OVCs in their respective communities.
In the long term it is expected to lead to a long lasting awareness building on the complexities of issues related to HIV/AIDS, and the extension of the life of Parent-Child relationship through MTCT prevention. It will also strive to bring about a change in the attitude of family members, especially those of the father, in matters of rights of the children, over the property of their parents thus assuring the children’s future.
In order to ensure sustainability, NGOs will continue to identify community coping mechanisms in respect to the multiple problems confronted by OVC to support.
Partners shall assist dynamic CBOs/Anti-AIDS committees involved in IGA to better manage these projects in other to be able to support OVCs in a more sustainable manner.
Initiatives such as recommending OVCs to be trained on life skills and vocational training will be promoted. Existing association of PLWHA will continue to be assisted in identified needs including IGA.
This strategy help to enhance the strategic direction of working in partnerships and alliances who lead on the identification of more than 5000 OVC ignore by the community in the zone and help those CBOs to take care with them more than 25%.