Orphans and Other Vulnerable Children (OVC)

Around the world, approximately 15 million children have lost one or both parents to AIDS, with devastating consequences; millions more whose parents are HIV-infected are also vulnerable. Orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) are at risk of poverty, stigma, malnutrition, poor health and nutrition, limited educational and vocational opportunities, and inadequate social and emotional support.

From its inception, PEPFAR has made the needs of OVC—food and nutritional support, shelter and care, protection, health care, psychosocial support, education and vocational training, and economic opportunity—a priority for U.S. Government efforts. Significant technical and financial resources have been available to ensure that governments, NGOs, and communities can meet the multiple needs of OVC and their families.

AIDSTAR-One seeks to advance OVC activities globally by:

• Expanding the knowledge base by identifying lessons learned and enhancing information dissemination.
• Supporting and promoting the uptake of good and promising programmatic practices that increase access to and use of comprehensive and integrated OVC services.
• Providing support for implementation, including OVC-related technical assistance and service delivery support, as well as knowledge management and analysis.

OVC News

Technical Consultation on Food and Nutrition Programming for OVC and Their Families

AIDSTAR-One helped support a two-day Technical Consultation on Food and Nutrition Programming for OVC and Their Families in Washington D.C. in December 2009. The consultation was planned and organized through the joint efforts of a multi-partner team including AIDSTAR-One, the Academy for Educational Development (AED), Save the Children, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and the Office of U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator.

The consultation introduced an initiative aimed at building consensus and publishing information and recommendations on the design of quality food and nutrition programming for OVC and other children in high HIV-burden settings. The consultation emerged because, despite programming addressing food security and nutritional needs of OVC, many challenges exist in bringing together the OVC, food and nutrition areas of programming.

This was a first step in a larger process of identifying and responding to the programmatic needs of OVC program managers and technical staff. The consultation provided an opportunity to create inter-sectoral dialogue among OVC, food security, and nutrition specialists, from both the policymaking and implementing communities. The discussions at the consultation helped identify a set of key recommendations on food security and nutrition for OVC that will be elaborated upon in a document targeted at OVC program managers and decision makers.

OVC Leadership Forum: Building on the Past, Planning the Way Forward

From May 17 to 22, 2009, with the support of AIDSTAR-One, co-chairs and members of the United States President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC) Technical Working Group (TWG) initiated and planned the second PEPFAR OVC Leadership Forum, titled “Building on the Past, Planning the Way Forward.” This forum was as an opportunity for OVC Specialists and Care Portfolio Managers from country and regional PEPFAR teams to discuss their situations in country, share creative solutions to common problems, and examine how these experiences affect the direction of PEPFAR-funded OVC programs.

Approximately 62 people attended from USAID and PEPFAR headquarters (HQ), regional Eastern and Southern Africa PEPFAR offices, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) HQ and the UNICEF Eastern and Southern Africa Regional Office (ESARO) office, and representatives from 14 PEPFAR country offices from Africa, Vietnam, and India. Country officers included USAID and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) representatives.

Event:

"Presentation of Child Protection Review Briefing" - the fourth event of the OVC Task Force series on child protection.

To RSVP, click here.