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DCOF Country Programs: South Africa
Improving the Well-Being of Orphans and Vulnerable Children
(Goelama Project)
Implementing Partners: The Nelson Mandela Children's Fund (NMCF)
Funding Period: September 2000 - October 2003
Amount: $750,000
Purpose: Strengthen household and community capacity to
support orphans and other vulnerable children. The pilot
program aims to reach an estimated 250,000 OVCs in 10
communities affected by HIV/AIDS across four provinces.
Accomplishments:
- Appointed catalyst and community-building
organizations in 11 targeted sites by November 2002.
- Trained partner organizations in community
mobilization.
- Held a “Coordinated Action for Children”
conference from June 2 - 5, 2002 in partnership with the
Department of Social Development, Department of
Health, Save the Children/UK, and UNICEF.
- Funded, monitored, and evaluated 18 organizations.
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South Africa has more citizens living with HIV than
any other country in the world (an estimated 4.7 million
by 2001). At a time when South Africa is striving to
take advantage of the democratic processes that
replaced apartheid and to reduce acute levels of poverty, AIDS
is killing individuals in unprecedented numbers
and wreaking havoc within families.
The HIV/AIDS epidemic in South Africa is a fundamental threat to national
development and in particular to the survival and well-being of the country's
children. To help develop effective responses to children affected by AIDS, USAID
allocated DCOF and other funds to the Nelson Mandela Children's Fund (NMCF).
NMCF initiated the Goelama Project, a community mobilization strategy aimed
at mitigating the impact of HIV/AIDS on children and young people, in
October 2000. The project aims to enhance
community-based responses to the needs of orphans and vulnerable
children and their households by coordinating efforts
of stakeholders; implementing, reviewing, and
identifying lessons from interventions at the community level;
and addressing the needs of children affected by
HIV/AIDS. NMCF provides funding to NGOs and local
organizations to enable them to undertake needed
community-based work. NMCF also works at the national level
to establish a policy framework and strengthen
government networks to assist these children.
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