2009 May Archive | Network of Organizations for Vunerable & Orphan Children

This project focused on providing basic drugs and supplies, support for Home Based Care programmes for PLWH, facilitation of transport to and from hospital for clients on ARV and provision of HIV counseling and testing.

Provision of drugs

To increase access to basic drugs this project supported the procurement and distribution of drugs such as pain killers, antimalarials, and albendazole. In addition, supplies such spirit, gauze, GV paints, iodine, bandages, cotton wool, antiseptic soap and health passport books were provided. School children in the project areas of FCR and Somebody Cares were dewormed with albendazole. Schools were also provided with First Aids kits in Ntcheu.

Access to ARVs

Organizations such as Somebody Cares, Kindle, Chinansungwi and Save Orphan Ministries provided funds to clients for meeting the cost of transport to the ARV Centre in Lilongwe and Blantyre which are not easily accessible to most clients.

Patients were previously transported to hospital on machila as seen in this picture from Chinansungwi

Machila is an old story as this car is now an alternatives means of transporting patients to hospital

Home Based care

Organizations such as Somebody Cares, Kindle, Chinansungwi and Save Orphan Ministries established Home Based care programmes to provide palliative care to improve quality and length of life of PLWAs. The project also supported the training of HBC volunteers and the formation of support groups. For those PLWAs in critical condition assistance to access the clinics for treatment was provided.

Funny is a beneficiary of Home Based Care support. From Somebody Cares From being bed ridden after a long illness Funny can now fend for herself

Construction of health facilities

Through Kindle Orphan Outreach 1 modern health centre has been constructed comprising of an outpatient department, consultation room, the short stay ward, pharmacy, injection room and dressing room. In addition, the health centre has 2 staff houses, a borehole fitted with a water pump that takes the water into the reservoir tank, improved latrines, a placenta pit and the incinerator. The facility which was opened on 1 July 2008 will serve a population of about 20, 000.

The previous clinic building with very little space

Newly constructed Kindle’s Katawa Community Clinic providing service to about 20, 000 people in the area in Salima (it has an outpatient room, consultation, injection room, pharmacy, dressing and short stay room)

A child in the clinics’ short stay ward awaiting referral to Salima Hospital

In appreciation of the facility, Group Village Headman Kazimbi had this to say, “No one but God has answered our prayer. I can only thank God for this health centre as He is the one who gave wisdom to the donors of the Clinic. It has reduced the walking distance for women and children. We hope the maternity will come soon. We are ready to mould the bricks for it.”

GVH Kazimbi whose house is next to the Katawa Health Centre of Kindle Orphan Outreach

Through Save Orphan Ministries a therapy centre, though uncompleted, has been constructed to provide integrated OVC activities including the provision of clinical service.

Uncompleted Children therapy centre in Ntcheu that will provide clinical service to OVCs under SOM

Increasing access to safe water

In an effort to reduce walking distance and increase access to safe water sources, this project supported the construction of 3 boreholes at Chinansungwi in Blantyre, Consol Homes in Lilongwe, and Katawa Clinic at Kindle in Salima. The water from Katawa clinic reservoir has been extended to the community in Group Village Headman Kazimbi. Through Somebody Cares 6 boreholes were maintained at Mgona in Lilongwe benefiting a population of about 23, 000.

Unprotected water source from a river

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water-sources2

Borehole water support 410 households around Chinansungwi

Sanitation improvement

In addition to providing water to poor households, this project supported the construction of improved pit latrines at CBCCs and primary schools to improve environmental sanitation. Toilets were constructed at Chagumukile (3), Chinansungwi (4), Zombwe Primary School through FCR (4) and Namanda Primary School through Kindle (4)

Dilapidated, unhygienic and unsafe toilets previously used by children in schools and CBCCs

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toilets4

Improved latrines which are in good state, hygienic and safe for children which have replaced the above

In order to ensure increased access to income the project supported implementation of responses focused on economic strengthening of orphans and other vulnerable children, their household and families. These responses included among others skills and vocational training for widows and OVC, communal agriculture activities, and animal farming.

Skills and Vocational training

This kind of training and support targeted both widows and youths. With support from Somebody Cares a total of 300 widows were trained on various types of skills such as tailoring, soap making, bread making, tie and dye etc. These widows have been linked to clients to whom they can sell their products. In addition Ministry of Hope similarly supported the training of 30 other widows on tailoring. The sewing and selling of school uniform is one product of vocational skills training in tailoring. A total of 81 youths have been supported with vocational training on trades such as carpentry, brick laying, textile design, secretarial studies, tinsmith etc.

A widow trained in tailoring by Somebody Cares

This school uniform is the product of vocational skills training for widows

Michael presenting his assignment to the Assessor from MANEB at Namitete

A student in carpentry workshop at a technical school

A young boy practicing basket weaving at Console Homes

Supported by Ministry of Hope these girls have just graduated from their Textile and Designing course at Phwezi Technical School course ready to be absorbed by the industry

Animal farming

Organizations such as Foundation for Children Rights, Mdeza, CHAD and Console Homes supported households with the rearing of chicken, piggery and goats. In terms of pigs it is estimated that 1 female can breed 10-14 piglets every 4-6 months. This means one pig can breed twice a year if well taken care of. This means that a family can benefit 20-28 piglets per annum. In terms of market value each pig once slaughtered sells at an average price of K14, 000. Should all the 20 piglets grow well a household is expected to have an income of K280, 000 per annum less feed. In an effort to ensure that more households benefit from the animal scheme, for every household that produces piglets, one female of these newly born is shared to another household and the trend continues for every recipient household.

Chicken rearing as a source of household income

Piggery farming as source of household income

Communal gardens

To promote food security for OVC households, both Somebody Cares in Lilongwe and CHAD in Chitipa supported the establishment of communal maize and vegetable gardens.

In Chitipa 34 households (PLWH inclusive) were provided with farm inputs in the form of maize seed and fertilizer to produce maize for their household and successfully got a bumper harvest which helped to support 150 OVC. In addition CHAD established a total of 17 communal maize gardens of 1 acre each in 14 villages. These are expected to yield about 12, 750kg part of which will be sold for cash to support the children with fees in secondary schools and other scholastic materials. The other part will be distributed to poor households during lean period around January and February 2009.

Communal Vegetable garden at Somebody Care

An irrigated maize garden at GVH Kafola in Chitipa

Communal vegetable garden at Chinansungwi

As for Somebody Cares communal vegetable gardens were established for 800 Home Based Care (HBC) clients. Vegetable seedlings were provided for backyard gardens. The vegetable were not only a source of income but also nutrition for the HBC patients.

Microfinance

To ensure access to credit and promote savings, Somebody Cares mobilized 300 widows to form a savings and credit scheme. Pay back has been 100%. These widows are involved in microenterprises following the vocational skills training they received. (tailoring, soap making, tie and dye etc)

A maize mill as a source of income to the CBO for Mdeza, Chinansungwi and Console Homes

The elderly and the youth have been taught Clay pot making for flowers, storage and cooking at Console Homes

Kids enjoying safe drinking water from a new borehole funded by NOVOC and Raising Malawi.

A walk through a peri-urban village outside of Lilongwe. Raising Malawi backs NOVOC (Network of Organizations for Vulnerable and Orphan Children) with substantial funds and resources to help this and other villages build capacity for improved orphan care.