In response to the growing number of children affected by HIV/AIDS, efforts to provide services, including basic shelter and care, education, health care, nutrition, legal protection and psychosocial support have sprung up throughout Africa. As these programs mature and expand, implementers and donors are asking about the impact and quality of the care they are… View Article
Read more »“Gender-based differences in legal rights and status particularly affect girls and women.” (1) An initial step in securing a girl’s protection and legal status is to legally register her birth. Birth registration is a fundamental means of securing girls’ rights. Without birth registration and identification documents, children, especially girls, may be unable to access critical… View Article
Read more »Boys and Men also experience violence and exploitation that can increase their risk for HIV infection. Gender expectations and norms around masculinity can discourage men and boys from admitting ill health or seeking services such as HIV testing and other critical care and support services. Socialization of boys may cast them in roles of dominance… View Article
Read more »Gender is a cross-cutting issue that affects all aspects of children’s lives. Throughout the life cycle, girls and boys are affected by gender inequalities that can increase their vulnerability to exploitation, abuse, violence and HIV infection. Both girls and boys are vulnerable to gender-based violence and the consequent risk of HIV infection. Compared to adolescent… View Article
Read more »During middle childhood, children are gaining more control over feelings and behaviors. They become less “me-centered” and more aware of others’ feelings, and form greater connections with family, friends, and school. Middle childhood is a critical time to engage children in building the major developmental milestone of this stage: a growing sense of self-efficacy. Simply… View Article
Read more »Age appropriate interventions actually begin well before birth, with a mother’s health (2) and prevention of mother-to-child transmission, and continue with safe breastfeeding practices, and fostering the developmental building blocks of healthy childhood. The World Health Organization asserts that “early childhood is the most important phase for overall development throughout the lifespan.” (3) Experiences during this… View Article
Read more »Strengthening service delivery: integrated, family-centered, coordinated, evidence-based, quality services Social service system strengthening “The social service system is defined as the [combination] of interventions, programs and benefits that are provided by governmental, civil society and community actors to ensure the welfare and protection of socially or economically disadvantaged individuals and families.” (2) Critical to a strong… View Article
Read more »Building capacity: coordination within and beyond social service systems To coordinate is to harmonize in a common effort or action, to have equal importance or rank, to organize in a way designed to match or complement one another or to establish a set of reference points by which to navigate. (2) Each part of this… View Article
Read more »Information management, accountability, and strengthening the evidence base through quality data Strengthening the social service system requires evidence-based information and quality data across all system levels — from family and community to civil society and government. Both quantitative and qualitative data need to be collected and shared with stakeholders on a regular basis so programs… View Article
Read more »Systems strengthening of social welfare ministries: sound financial systems, shared responsibility, diversity, sustainability The Ministries typically responsible for coordinating services for orphans and vulnerable children, referred to here as Social Welfare Ministries, are usually underfunded and often lack strong connections to other ministries that also serve children, such as ministries of health, education and justice. … View Article
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