Orphaned & Vulnerable Children (OVC)
Welfare in Bunyala Sub-County, Busia County Western Kenya
CSA collaborates with four Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) to enhance their capacity to address socio-economic challenges faced by children, particularly OVCs, while promoting and protecting children's rights and advocating for better access to services. The project focuses on developing sustainable, locally rooted solutions to address OVC challenges, departing from traditional relief-based approaches to test, document, and share these innovative models for potential scaling.
PROJECT DESIGN
The OVC project strengthens four CBOs through training, empowers duty bearers on OVC rights, and advocates for policy development with the county government. It also includes community awareness campaigns, educational and healthcare support, and establishes Child Rights clubs in schools for child rights education.
recipients
The primary beneficiaries are 1,200 OVCs in Budalangi Sub-County, Busia County, along with their parents, the local community, and various stakeholders involved in child protection and welfare.
Impact
The project has reached 1,183 Orphaned and Vulnerable Children (OVC), including 136 children living with HIV. This impact includes strengthening the Local Area Advisory Council (LAAC), and training 12 police officers, 12 healthcare workers, and 51 school head teachers in OVC rights. Additionally, the project has educated community leaders, such as chiefs, assistant chiefs, religious leaders, child protection volunteers, and women in business leadership, about their roles in child protection, especially for OVC. It has also trained 51 teachers as child rights patrons, leading to the establishment of Child Right clubs in 25 schools at the primary and secondary levels. The project has facilitated three consultative meetings with Busia County executives, the legislative arm, and National and county departmental heads to address OVC-related issues and formulate a county OVC policy. These efforts collectively enhance the socio-economic status and rights of OVC in the region. Also, CSA has supported the development of the Busia County Child Protection Bill since 2022
