Over 10,000 Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC) in Lurambi Sub-County, Kakamega, Kenya lack basic needs, cannot access adequate support services, experience high levels of abuse, teen pregnancies, and an increasing rate of HIV/AIDs. Our objective is to build the capacity of local communities, families, caregivers and Community Health Volunteers (CHVs) to provide a range of critical services for the OVC including community and home-based care and access to health and social services.
The majority of families and caregivers of OVC are living in abject poverty so cannot provide access for the children to vital amenities such as basic health care, social services, education, clean water and sanitation. The homeless OVC are worse off. The challenge is to provide a sustainable community and home-based system of education and support to help improve the OVC's self-worth, health and quality of life, equally addressing the issues of homeless, frequent abuse and neglect.
Community Health Volunteers (CHVs) are trained to provide a home-based care programme to OVC families and caregivers covering nutritional guidance, assessment of nutritional health, and the provision of advice on OVC's Health, Educational and Sexual rights. Staff from the Ministry of Agriculture provide complementary education on the establishment of kitchen gardens to provide nutritious food. OVCs are supported in their schooling through the provision of uniforms, bags and stationery.
The programme improves OVC's food security and nutrition thus promoting their health and well-being as well as improving educational attendance and performance. It also enables the OVC, their families and caregivers to stand up for their human rights. Sustainability of the programme is assured through CHVs working in conjunction with the Ministry of Health and Community Units (CUs) enabling continued capacity building, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of the project.
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