Orphans and Vulnerable Children - CRIN

National OVC Policy

In this activity, you will:

 Explore what it means to have a national OVC policy

Facilitator’s notes:

For this activity you will need:

 Flipchart and markers

To facilitate this activity:

1 Ask participants what they understand by a national OVC policy.
Listen to their ideas and then clarify based on the information in your definition.

Note that you will not read the description from your facilitator notes, since the language

is sophisticated. You could explain in your own words what it means. For example:

A National Policy is a set of guidelines that the government and other stakeholder organisations or

individuals have agreed upon and will follow to improve the situation of orphans and vulnerable children

in their country.

2 If time permits, lead the question of policy into a general discussion on

a government’s duty and responsibility to respond appropriately to the

needs of the population. Remind participants of the definitions for

orphans and vulnerable children, for example, disabled children are

generally considered vulnerable, whether they are orphans or not.

In Activity 2, you will expand on this further by getting participants

to review what their own government is doing in response to the

challenge of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, particulary in relation to the

plight of vulnerable children.

The definition of a National Policy on OVC:

A policy on OVC is a set of broad guidelines (preferably

legal) for action that is intended to eliminate the

unfavourable conditions of orphans and other

vulnerable children in society, so as to mainstream

them into society and to enhance their social and

economic progress. These guidelines provide a general

framework within which relevant interventions by both

governmental and non-governmental bodies can be implemented.

Activity 1

15 minutes

Guide to Mobilising and Strengthening Community-Led Care for Orphans and Vulnerable Children Unit 2, Module 1^115