Orphans and Vulnerable Children

An initiative to strengthen the capacity of families and communities to care for orphans and vulnerable children

The AMPATH Orphan and Vulnerable Children (OVC) program has served over 1,200 children within four AMPATH clinic areas in the past two years. The OVC program aims to reinforce AMPATH's medical and other support services' holistic and multi-disciplinarian approach. It strengthens the capacity of families and communities to care for and protect orphans and vulnerable children through prolonging the lives of those HIV-infected and providing economic, psychosocial, and educational support. Our emphasis is assisting orphans within an individual family and community setting as we believe it allows the child to socialize, learn, and address challenges within his own environment.

AMPATH believes in community ownership of the OVC program. The community participates by identifying the orphans, caregivers, community health workers, and land to be cultivated. As an entry point into a community, we utilize existing community structures such as chief barazas, churches, schools, and hospitals. We also partner with government and faith-based organizations in provision of OVC services. Services include the provision of school fees, school uniforms, nutritional counseling and food assistance, medical expenses, clothing, bedding, shelter renovations, cultivation and planting of crops on 150 acres of land, caregiver workshops, capacity building of community leaders, and other OVC basic needs.

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Adapted with permission from the IU Kenya website, February 2009.