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Orphans and Other Vulnerable Children (OVC)

Mother and baby at home in Jodhpur, India
Mother and baby at home in Jodhpur, India

Did You Know?

AIDSTAR-One is working together with The Academy for Educational Development (AED), Save the Children, Nzinga International and USAID to hold a technical consultation on Orphans and Vulnerable Children, Food and Nutrition (OVC-FN) in December, 2009. The purpose of the consultation is to introduce 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 key outcome of this initiative will be a brief for use by U.S. Government staff and OVC program managers to assist in designing effective food and nutrition support. This document will include information on assessments, description of food and nutrition options, criteria for choosing interventions, and related monitoring and evaluation frameworks to determine success.

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.