2nd National Conference on Orphans and Other ... - FHI 360

Comment: Everything in the strategy is covered
in the recommendations, but monitoring is not
mentioned. There should be a fifth recommendation
on monitoring PSS services.
Response: If one considers the objectives of
the OVCNSC last year and what it is planning
for the coming years, these could be seen as the
ultimate monitoring system. Various organisations
will be reporting to the OVCNSC – whether
through regional stakeholder or local community
structures or their own organisational structures
– which will thus be representative of all services
for OVC in the country, be this on a primary or
secondary level. For this reason we did not focus
on creating any new or additional monitoring
structures. Though parts of the OVC programme
are not yet in place, monitoring of all activities
certainly forms part of the national programme
in line with the OVCNSC’s five-year strategy.
Comment (Amanda Kruger): I would just like
to note that in listing existing services we found
KEY STRATEGY
GROUP 2
Identify the most suitable
care setting for OVC
Facilitators:
Ms A Mushimba, C&ECD Division, MWACW
Ms M Shalumbu, C&ECD, MWACW
Mr C Willemse, COLS
Ms F Soul, C&ECD Division, MWACW
Develop a national comprehensive home-based family and OVC support programme to strengthen
the capacities of families and communities themselves to care for OVC within the communities.
RECOMMENDATIONS
that most people are not aware of them. Also,
because the stakeholders are so far apart in geographical
terms, we felt the emphasis should be
on the doing rather than on meeting and talking
about doing. If one can get the green light only
in a grouping, a lot of energy will be spent on
that grouping and it will not be directed energy.
Comment: The strategy does not seem to meet
the group objective of identifying the PSS needs
of OVC. The strategy would certainly be a good
recommendation on PSS support, but it is not
the crucial strategy required.
Response: Our line of thought was that with
collaboration, co-ordination and dissemination,
we would be able to identify the gaps in PSS
services. The words “to enhance ...” imply this.
The strategy may not be clear enough and we
could try to clarify it through further discussion.
(There was no further discussion. The OVCNSC
may refine the wording of the strategy taking
the plenary comments into account.)
Rapporteurs: Mr B Pieters, Regional AIDS Co-ordinator, Hardap Region; Ms A Mushimba
1. Promote and enhance the integration of OVC care and support into the community and
extended family networks by strengthening the capacity of the family and community-based
structures in order to avoid the psychosocial and economic effects of institutionalisation, which
should be regarded as a last resort.
2. Develop an effective and realistic information dissemination mechanism that enables families
and communities to properly benefit from and gain access to the available OVC-related services.
<strong>2nd</strong> <strong>National</strong> <strong>Conference</strong> on Orphans and Other Vulnerable Children – Windhoek, Namibia, 25-27 June 2002: Full Report
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