Abstract
Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC) and their families face many challenges but there are opportunities to provide care and support programmes for them in their communities. This paper presents the achievements and implications of HIV Programme Development Project (HPDP) funded by World Bank on care and support services for OVC in Osun State, Nigeria. Eight Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) were engaged by Osun State Agency for the Control of AIDS (OSACA) as part of HPDP to provide care and support services for OVC between year 2013 and 2015. Using reporting tools, data collected by the CSOs were entered into District Health Information System 2 (DHIS2) platform and analysed using Microsoft Excel. In addition, Key Informant Interviews (KII) were conducted among the selected CSOs, OVC and the caregivers who were beneficiaries of HPDP in Osun State, Nigeria. A total of 12,353 OVC were reached and about half of them were female. There was an increase in the trends of number of OVC seen and the support services provided from the year 2013 to 2015. Of the 12,353 OVC that benefitted from this programme, 1905 (15.4%) received health care services, 5383 (43.6%) received nutritional services, 5317 (43.0%) received educational services and 9861 (79.8%) were provided with psychosocial support services. About 503 (4.1%) of the OVC received economic strengthening services while 270 (2.2%) of household heads were provided with economic support. However, 3 OVC were lost to follow-up, 14 OVC voluntarily withdrew from the project and 6 OVC died. The FGD and KII revealed that the project was very impactful in transforming the lives of the OVC. Programmes for children orphaned and made vulnerable by HIV/AIDS will contribute to the achievement of HIV/ AIDS prevention and control efforts. The HIV/AIDS free generation can be built by responding to the physical, social and mental needs of these children and their families in their communities. There is a need to scale-up this programme.
Highlights
The Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS) pandemic has impacted children in many ways; from parental loss, to HIV infection, to increased poverty and marginalization, and these children have been labelled Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC)
This paper presents the achievements and implications of HIV Programme Development Project (HPDP) funded by World Bank on care and support services for OVC in Osun State, Nigeria
Socio-demographic characteristics of the enrolled OVC A total of 12,353 Orphans and vulnerable children were enrolled into the project (2013-2015)
Summary
The Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS) pandemic has impacted children in many ways; from parental loss, to HIV infection, to increased poverty and marginalization, and these children have been labelled Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC). United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) defines OVC as orphans and children less than 18 years of age whose mother, father, or both parents have died as a result of AIDS [2]. The United Nations Children Funds (UNICEF) estimates that the number of orphans (age 0 - 17 years) globally is 140 million, with an estimated 17.7 million orphans attributed to AIDS [4]. An estimated 15.2 million children in SSA are orphaned due to AIDS [4]; this represents 86% of the global burden of orphans due to AIDS. UNICEF reported 10 million Nigerian orphans due to all causes in 2013, with 2.3 million orphans due to AIDS, as well as 450,000 children and 180,000 adolescents living with HIV [4]. One in every 10 households in Nigeria is estimated to be providing care for an orphan [7]
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