Helping Umkhanyakude Support Vulnerable Children

NEED

Umkhanyakude is described as one of the two most deprived districts in the country according to the District Health Barometer. 59% of the population in Jozini Municipality is aged below the age of 20. Local therapists have found that 10% of children are living with some kind of disability. Among adults, less than 5% of the population is employed. The community is therefore materially vulnerable and poorly placed to deal with the large numbers of children who are being made even more vulnerable through the AIDS epidemic.

Ingwavuma Orphan Care already has 3,000 vulnerable children registered on its database. With high HIV-prevalence rates, and around 2000 HIV-positive patients in Ingwavuma Orphan Care’s home-based care project, the number of orphans is set to increase in the coming years. Many children also care for their sick parents, often needing to drop out of school to do so.

The area Ingwavuma Orphan Care covers is 2100km². People live in remote areas spread over mountains and valleys. With poor road and transport networks, this makes it very difficult for the community to access government services such as foster care grants and health care.

OVERVIEW

Ingwavuma Orphan Care has been working in the Umkhanyakude district since 2000. This project will allow the organisation to continue its work in the community to strengthen its support for children. The project consists of three parts. Firstly, the organisation’s coordinators work with 120 community members drawn from the local churches who visit vulnerable children in their communities giving them practical support and friendship. Each of these community workers will have 10 families in need of support that they will meet with once or twice a week.

Secondly, the project partners with Clowns Without Borders to run workshops to provide psychosocial support to children and their caregivers as well as doing a tour of schools to relieve stress through laughter. Clowns Without Borders uses laughter and play to help improve the psychosocial condition of children living in communities in areas of crisis.

Thirdly social workers and paralegals assist orphan families to access foster care grants and then a foster care supervisor monitors the families. These grants are often the only source of income for families in the district, and can represent a dramatic improvement in their quality of life.

This project also provides training and skill building for the staff, family members and volunteers in areas such as psychosocial support, HIV prevention, money management and gender issues. The support and training provided as well as the practical assistance in accessing grants leaves the community in a much stronger position both socially and economically to care for its vulnerable children.

WHAT WE LIKE ABOUT THIS PROJECT

• Ingwavuma Orphan Care has consulted widely with all stakeholders to ensure the buy-in from the community.
• The organisation has an established track record of working in this community.
• The organisation has excellent information management systems which allow it to quickly and effectively access information and track progress.
• The Umkhanyakude District is one of the most deprived regions in the country. Ingwavuma Orphan Care brings crucial help to the people in this area who live in extreme poverty.
• By assisting the existing networks of church volunteers, the organisation helps to strengthen the community’s ability to care for their children.

IMPACT HIGHLIGHTS

The project will directly support an estimated 1,260 children. The organisation will train approximately 120 volunteers drawn from the community in basic childcare and memory work.

Through their partnership with Clowns without Borders, the programme will reach over 10,000 learners, entertaining and allowing children to relieve stress through laughter. They will also facilitate psychosocial support workshops to assist children and caregivers who are in need of further assistance.

ORGANISATIONAL CAPACITY

Ingwavuma Orphan Care has been in operation since 2000. In that time, it has developed extensive networks of people at grassroots level, most notably through church and traditional tribal structures. The organisation is well-respected in the region and has the support of the local population.

The organisation has an extensive track record in the community of providing psychological support, gaining access to education for children, protecting children from abuse, helping families to get identity documents, birth certificates, and government grants. They are also involved in HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention strategies.

The organisation’s strategy is documented in a formal three-year strategic document, against which progress is regularly monitored. Individuals and teams responsible for each strategic goal are outlined and the necessary networks and structures for achieving their strategic goals are identified.

In terms of finances, the organisation currently has only enough financial reserves to sustain their operations for two to three months. The organisation is, however, confident that it will be able to grow this over the coming years. The organisation also relies quite heavily on one or two major donors, and although it does have a fundraising strategy to move away from this dependency, it remains an area of concern for the organisation.

PROJECT PROFILE

Key Strengths

• Concept: The programme works with existing community groups to ensure buy-in and commitment.
• Design: Ingwavuma Orphan Care’s model has produced good results over their years of involvement in the district. Strategic partnerships with other stakeholders ensure an effective use of resources.
• Capability: The organisation is led by highly qualified individuals who have a lot of experience working in the district.
• Control: The organisation’s management is accountable to their board, and their board are accountable to their members. This provides a secure system of checks and balances.
• Sustainability: Creating a better environment for children to grow up in will have a lasting impact on their development. The skills training done by the organisation will be shared in the community, having an impact that will extend beyond the implementation of the programme.

Key Risks - Low

• Concept: The project relies on the help of volunteers in an area of extremely high unemployment. Inevitably, some of these volunteers might leave the project to seek an income.
• Capability: While the organisation has identified personnel to share some of the higher-level tasks, the organisation remains quite dependent on its director for strategic direction at the moment.
• External: As the AIDS pandemic matures, there are likely to be an increasing number of orphaned children in South Africa generally. This could lead to more children needing additional support services.