Zimbabwe Orphan Care and Youth Program

Please note that this is a closed, archived program.

July 2000-July 2003

Zimbabwe's AIDS orphans are an increasingly tangible reminder of the awesome capacity of AIDS to destroy families and to leave behind a lost generation of young Zimbabweans. Alarming as the current situation is, the full impact of the disease has yet to be felt. Estimates suggest that 35% of Zimbabwean children will be orphaned by 2010 and that many of the children will live in "youth-headed" or "grandparent-headed" households.

Ranging in age from newborn infants to young adults, the children affected by HIV/AIDS require material support, emotional care, and moral leadership to move successfully through their formative years. Without this support the resulting poverty and social isolation will place them at greater risk of contracting HIV themselves.

Youth must be recognized for their key leadership roles in filling the void left by their parents lost to AIDS. In partnership with remaining adults and grandparents, youth will be the ones to revitalize hope for the future. Youth-serving NGOs working in HIV/AIDS represent an important source of support and empowerment to these children and youth but lack the planning and strategic focus, along with prospects for sustainable financing, to meet the challenge. The goal of the orphan care program is to strengthen the capacity of these NGOs to facilitate and replicate community-driven and youth-led sustained programs that integrate effective HIV prevention with care for orphans. The programs for youth focus on HIV/AIDS education and prevention strategies.

Pact's approach

Pact is providing training, mentoring and grants management to ensure that NGOs have the overall organizational capacity to manage and administer orphan-related programs with an emphasis on community and resource mobilization. Activities focus on the capacity of NGOs to carry out four critical activities:

• to facilitate the development of community-led orphan strategies
• design and implement a training of trainers program in psycho-social support methodologies and strategies for community leaders and teachers
• provide subgrants to NGOs and community based organizations for community coping efforts and projects to fund orphans? school fees and health care
• provide small start-up grants for income generation projects and basic business education to households that have taken in orphans.

Interim results

• Formed partnerships with NGOs working with orphans affected by AIDs and infected with HIV in six regions in Zimbabwe
• partnered with four youth groups to strengthen their capacity to conduct peer education and training in HIV/AIDS prevention and mitigation
• Developed manuals and instructional materials for community leaders and educators in developing psychosocial support programs
• Developed an organizational capacity assessment tool with extensive partner involvement and participation, which was, pre-tested and applied with all program partners.