Orphans and Vulnerable Children - CRIN

Mobilising Resources

A CCC needs to mobilise resources in order to address critical needs the home visitors identify when

visiting the homes of OVC, as well as to undertake projects that are determined to be of benefit to

OVC in the community. Depending on its activities, a CCC may need to access material or financial

resources on a regular basis. Resources needed may include food, school uniforms and other clothing,

cash for school fees and play /learning toys.

While there are sometimes resources available from multilateral, government and NGO sources,

the most reliable and sustainable resources come from within the community itself.

Methods for communities to generate resources

Communities have been very creative in developing ways to generate resources to

support OVC. Successful methods include:

 Income-generating activities like maize milling, brick making and basket weaving

 Vegetable and maize gardens, which provide food for the children and their households

 Fishponds, poultry and pig-rearing projects

 Choir festivals, arranged by youth groups and churches, which charge a small entry

fee to raise funds

 Collections of used clothing, food and cash (for example, in church services) to be

distributed to OVC households

 Piece-work or casual labour done by CCC members, with the earnings donated to

CCC funds

 Monthly membership contributions by CCC members (usually less than US$1 a

month) to create a regular influx of cash.

STAGE 11

The mobiliser can assist in resource mobilisation by providing financial and material assistance to

supplement the resources raised internally. It is important not to undermine or overwhelm a

community’s commitment and capacity to raise its own resources. Thus external assistance is often

provided in limited amounts to enable a CCC to gain experience of managing external resources

and develop a track record that can help it access additional funding from other sources.

To help CCCs access other external resources, the mobiliser can provide or link the CCC with training

in writing proposals and grant applications for assistance from government agencies or international

NGOs and aid agencies. In addition to capacity building, the mobiliser should work to link coalitions

with other sources of support (technical, financial and material) available at district and national levels.

The mobiliser may also advocate at district and national levels for the allocation of additional resources

for local groups caring for OVC.

(^22) Unit 1, Module 1 Guide to Mobilising and Strengthening Community-Led Care for Orphans and Vulnerable Children