Orphans and Vulnerable Children - CRIN

 Activity 2: The needs of OVC

Now that the participants have discussed the general trends related to HIV/AIDS in the community,

you can focus the assessment on the current situation of OVC. In plenary, ask the group to brainstorm

the various needs that vulnerable children have. List these on flipchart paper. It is important to allow

the group to decide on this list – so that they can identify needs based on their own perceptions of

the community situation, and from information given by children themselves to stakeholders prior to

this meeting. Nonetheless, you may suggest others, as per the list below, and ask the group if they

feel these (additional) needs are relevant for their situation.

 Healthcare/nutrition

 Education

 Psychosocial support

 Protection from abuse and exploitation

 Birth registration (in order to access additional services).

This list reflects the suggestions from the UNICEF Framework for the Protection, Care and Support of

Orphans and Vulnerable Children Living in a World with HIV and AIDS, which recommends that efforts

to be made to improve OVC access to these identified services.

 Activity 3: The situation of OVC

Divide the participants into groups once again, and assign one topic from the list developed in the

previous step to each group. Each group should discuss the current situation of OVC with respect

to the assigned topic or need. For example, questions related to healthcare may include:

 To what extent do OVC in the community have access to healthcare?

 What is the general nutrition status of OVC?

 Are births generally registered in the community? Does this differ for OVC?

Allow time for discussion, and then ask each group to record their observations on flipchart paper

and present to plenary.

 Supplementary activities: Child participation

While the previous brainstorming activity helps to understand the participants’ ideas about the

situation of OVC in the community, the assessment would be strengthened if the participants could

supplement their ideas with some practical research. The following three activities can be carried

out with community children. In all cases, the activity is aimed at participants understanding the

situation of the children more fully and allowing the children to give insights and ideas to inform

the assessment process. It is not necessary for participants to undertake all three of these activities.

After completing any of the activities, the participants should fill out an Assessment Summary Sheet

(see Mobiliser Reference 2 on page 35) with their observations. If the activities are carried out

thoughtfully and if the participants probe sensitively for information, much may be learned from the

children themselves.

(^30) Unit 1, Module 2 Guide to Mobilising and Strengthening Community-Led Care for Orphans and Vulnerable Children