Orphans and Vulnerable Children - CRIN

Action Planning

Activity 1: General planning

Based on the first three steps already carried out, the CCC should have some ideas about the types

of actions they would like to implement. As a mobiliser, you should allow them to make their own

decisions about what it is they want to do. If they ask for guidance, you can share ideas, but the

process should be theirs.

The CCC may choose to focus on an array of activities with relation to OVC, and all of their ideas

should be welcomed and considered. Your contribution at this point is to explain that WV is available

to help the CCC to train home visitors to visit and support vulnerable children in the community using

Unit 2 of this guide. For oneof their ideas, however, you may offer World Vision’s training for OVC

home visitors.

If the CCC decides that they do want to undertake a programme of home visits to OVC, you may

then proceed to the next activity.

Activity 2: Identify community OVC

In order for the CCC to identify who the vulnerable children are in the community, they should agree

on a definition of what constitutes vulnerability. The community must take the lead in deciding which

children are most in need of care. However, the guidelines used by World Vision (see Mobiliser

Reference 4 on page 50) may be useful as an example. Once the CCC has agreed upon a definition

of OVC, they may begin to identify OVC in the community.

Optional activity - Defining vulnerability

Divide the CCC members into small groups and give each group eight or ten blank cards.

On these cards they should write characteristics of vulnerability. You may give one or two examples

so that they understand the exercise. (For example, a child is vulnerable if his mother is chronically ill;

or a child is vulnerable if her family has taken in two or more orphans). In their groups, they should

try to arrange their cards in order of increasing seriousness of vulnerability. Once each group has

completed the exercise, they should present and explain their answers in plenary. The CCC as a

whole should then debate the inputs until they arrive at agreed-upon criteria for judging the vulnerability

of a child. These criteria should then be listed on a sheet of flipchart paper.

Optional activity - Mapping vulnerability

As an optional activity, you may assist the CCC members in carrying out a mappingexercise, where

groups draw a map of their community on pieces of flipchart paper. They may divide the community

into different areas (if the community covers a large area) with small groups taking responsibility for

different portions. CCC members can draw houses on the maps which highlight vulnerable households

(based on previously-defined criteria) that need to be prioritised and reached with CCC home visits.

STEP 4

(^44) Unit 1, Module 2 Guide to Mobilising and Strengthening Community-Led Care for Orphans and Vulnerable Children