Shelter intervention

CompreCare in partnership with child care organisations is implementing a program for orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) since August 2005. The program was originally implemented in the Tshwane area of Gauteng. As from October 2009 the program was extended to communities in North West Province and Mpumalanga.   CompreCare, as prime partner, manages the program with 11 sub-partners. Care workers render the service under supervision of team leaders. In the Tshwane area the interventions are overseen by social workers.

The beneficiaries are children under the age of 18 years, who is either orphaned or made more vulnerable because of HIV and AIDS; has lost one or both parents or is more vulnerable because of factors such as the child being HIV-positive; lives without adequate adult support; or is marginalized, stigmatized, or discriminated against. Beneficiaries also include parents or guardians of these children.

The beneficiaries receive the following core services:

• Clinical nutrition interventions;
• Food parcels;
• Benefiting from shelter interventions;
• Provided with child protection interventions;
• Receiving increased general care services;
• Receiving antiretroviral treatment;
• Receiving prevention education;
• Provided with psychosocial care;
• Receiving support to increase access to general education;
• Receiving vocational training; and
• Economic opportunity or economic strengthening.

Involve other people in the design, delivery and evaluation of activities?
All care workers come from the communities they serve. They are consulted on a regular basis on the design of activities. They are engaged in focus group discussions to evaluate the program. Beneficiaries are requested to complete questionnaires on the standard of services.

Targets

Reaching disadvantaged children

The target for 2010 is to reach 12 050 orphans and vulnerable children. A monitoring and evaluation section is responsible for monitoring progress. Sub-partners submit monthly and quarterly reports on their progress. Regular data quality audits are conducted to ensure that work of good quality is delivered.

What impact has your organisation had on the lives of disadvantaged children?

The number of children reached with services increased from 1351 in 2006 to 7518 in 2009.

Qualitative data was collected through focus group discussions with staff working with the children and event report analysis to reflect on the extent to which different services and program activities were reaching targeted beneficiaries.

Care workers described through numerous examples how they were able to make a difference in the lives of families. Families were assisted in starting vegetable gardens at their homes. The families use the vegetables to supplement their usually insufficient food resources. Several families with large enough vegetable patches were able to sell some of the vegetables to earn a small income.

The care workers are convinced that there is an overall improvement in the health of the vulnerable children because of their intervention. A homework program showed a remarkable impact on the children’s school performances as well as an improvement on their overall well being.