MERCY ORPHANS SUPPORT GROUP PROGRAM
C/O ST.CAMILLUS DALA KIYE CHILDREN WELFARE HOME
P.O BOX 119 – 40401 KARUNGU
OVC Project
ANNUAL REPORT
October 2014 – September 2015
ACRONYMS
AAC Area Advisory Council
AIDS Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome
CHW Community Health Worker
CT Cash Transfer
CRS Catholic Relief services
DAC Day of African Child
ECD Early Childhood Development
HIV Human Immune Virus
ITN Insecticide Treated Nets
MOSGUP Mercy Orphans Support Group Program
MOALF Ministry of Agriculture Livestock and Fisheries
MOU Memorandum of Understanding
OVC Orphans and Vulnerable Children
OWT OVC Wellbeing Tool
PLWA People Living With AIDS
PSP Private service Provider
QI Quality Improvement
SCCO Sub County Children’s Officer
SILC Savings and Internal Lending Communities
TCB The Child Behind
WOD World Orphans Day
WAD World AIDS Day
INTRODUCTION
Orphans and Vulnerable children all over the world suffer in silence. In Kenya, most of these children are born into poverty and live without access to education, medical care, adequate housing, clothing, appropriate food or a chance for a better future. MOSGUP operates in the Nyatike Sub County, in Migori County where diseases such as AIDS and malaria are prevalent, leaving millions of children orphaned.
However, without education, the cycle of poverty and death continues. Young girls are especially vulnerable, as those who miss the opportunity for education risk being forced into early marriages and bearing children by the age of 15. MOSGUP has been determined to break this vicious cycle of poverty through education and enhance the quality of life for the child and their community. The number of OVC who have joined Universities and other institutions of higher learning through the support of MOSGUP TCB project have increased in the past few years.
MOSGUP has implemented the TCB Project in line with principles of the national plan of action on OVC programming in Kenya. The guidelines among other things seek to strengthen the protection and care of orphans and other vulnerable children within their immediate and extended families and communities. The project has further demonstrated that the family and community centered approach in caring for OVC is the most beneficial for a child’s development. Therefore, the most scalable strategy for OVC support is to strengthen the capacity of families to provide better care for more children. The focus of the TCB project under Education support was to keep orphans and vulnerable children in school. The project laid great emphasis on schooling for OVC because education plays a crucial role in improving the prospects of orphans and securing their future.
Through the TCB project, MOSGUP have provided quality service and thereby guaranteed transition of OVC to responsible adulthood. The services provided include educational, psychosocial support, life skills and treatment support to OVC and caregivers. In Karungu, the project reached the most vulnerable children with the education support within the years of its implementation. In 2007/08, the project reached 145 OVC with secondary education support while in 2008/09 it reached 183 OVC with the same support. We realized a remarkable improvement in secondary enrolment due to the kind of support the project was providing to the households.
Through the provision of secondary school fees sponsorship to the vulnerable households and other forms of educational support, the project has contributed to an increased school enrolment, retention, and completion and performance rates for the OVC living in the supported households.
Some of the Project beneficiaries now in secondary schools and other institutions of higher learning have always confessed that the good education they have received through the support of the TCB project has given them a higher self-esteem, better job prospects and economic independence. As well as lifting them out of poverty, the education has also given them a better understanding of HIV and AIDS, thereby decreasing the risk that they themselves will ever become infected. Schools have also offered benefits to AIDS orphans outside of education, such as emotional support and care.
MOSGUP VISION
To be an organization that promotes improved livelihoods and equal opportunities to the OVC and community
MOSGUP MISSION
To initiate an effective community response to bring about holistic development of the OVC to participate in community development
MOSGUP GOAL
To improve the livelihood of 3,500 OVC and their estimated 1,311 household members in Nyatike Sub County through provision of compassionate care response and social support
Progress of Implementation
Achievements
· 21 OVC got bursary from Migori County ward Bursary. 1 OVC got presidential bursary and 1 OVC got KCB sponsorship.
· 4 OVC are on full four years sponsorship from Migori Governor for excelling in KCPE.
· Through the principle of using less to achieve more, the project was able to surpass the secondary sponsorship target from 96 OVC to 136 OVC
· Through the RRI initiative for birth registration, the project was able to process birth certificates for 792 OVC against the target of 1320 OVC.
· The project organized a stakeholder’s forum bringing in key players in the financial sector from both County and National Governments to strengthen economic empowerment. Through this, the KCB Sori branch agreed to partner with the project in promoting SILC activities
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· 15 OVC qualified to join University through JAB in the 2014 KCSE results. Among them, 4 were girls
· 4 staffs, 4PSPs, 1 apprentice and 2 FAs were trained on BDS
· 1,003 caregivers are enrolled in SILC
· All staffs trained on PMD-Pro 1
· 25 caregivers benefit from government cash transfer (CT).
· 10 Apprentices and 5 FAs were taken through a refresher on SILC methodology and steps towards formation of a network
The Table below shows the numbers of OVC and caregivers currently supported by MOSGUP
OVC Class / Male / Female / Total1 / ECD / 176 / 155 / 331
2 / PRIMARY / 1,131 / 1,013 / 2,144
3 / SECONDARY / 403 / 391 / 694
4 / VOCATIONAL / 10 / 4 / 14
5 / SPECIAL / 5 / 5 / 10
TOTAL / 1,725 / 1,468 / 3,193
Graphical presentation of the OVC
Number of households supported by the project
Male / Female / Total95 / 1,216 / 1,311
KCSE AND KCPE RESULTS 2014
KCSE GRADES 2014MALE / FEMALE / TOTAL
A- / 1 / 0 / 1
B+ / 5 / 1 / 6
B / 6 / 0 / 6
B- / 5 / 1 / 6
C+ / 9 / 3 / 12
C / 7 / 3 / 10
C- / 3 / 0 / 3
D+ / 2 / 2 / 4
D / 2 / 0 / 2
TOTAL / 40 / 10 / 50
KCPE ANALYSIS 2014
MARKS SCORED IN KCPE 2014 / MALES / FEMALES / TOTAL Nᵒ OF OVC135-200 / 5 / 6 / 11
201-250 / 27 / 12 / 39
251-300 / 40 / 15 / 55
301-350 / 15 / 7 / 22
351-370 / 3 / 2 / 5
TOTAL / 90 / 42 / 132
HOUSEHOLD VULNERABILITY AS AT 25TH SEPT 2015
ANALYSIS OF BENEFICIARIES WHO HAVE BEEN SUPPORTED BY THE PROJECT SINCE 2007
Male / Female / TotalBeneficiaries who proceeded to University / 75 / 46 / 121
Beneficiaries who completed university / 12 / 3 / 15
Beneficiaries who proceeded to colleges / 30 / 28 / 58
Beneficiaries who completed college / 6 / 11 / 17
Beneficiaries who proceeded to vocational / 32 / 8 / 40
Beneficiaries involved in Juakali / 27 / 6 / 33
Those who completed form 4 / 82 / 15 / 97
Those involved in business / 4 / 0 / 4
Those who are working / 4 / 3 / 7
272 / 120 / 392
GRAPHICAL INTEPRETATION OF BENEFICIARIES SINCE 2007
IR 1.1 OVC HOUSEHOLDS HAVE IMPROVED ECONOMIC CONDITION
Output 1.1.1 Increased participation of caregivers in SILC
During the year, 5 project staffs and 5 FAs were refreshed on SILC/ PSP model, with the aim of sustainability and strengthening of the existing and formation of new SILC groups.
· PSPs trains caregivers on business skills development (IGAs)
To promote value addition in the SILC methodology through the support of CRS-Kenya, 4 TCB staffs and 4 PSPs, 1 Apprentice and 2 FAs went through 5 days BDS training. The aim of the training was to provide business development skills to PSPs, which they are supposed to transfer to the support groups. Two caregiver Groups were trained on small enterprise development, have identified, and started engaging in rope making as a group enterprise. 426 caregivers (24 males, 402 females) have been sensitized and small-scale business management. Through the project mentorship on economic empowerment during the reporting period, a total of 1,003 (45 males, 958 females,) caregivers participate actively in SILC group activities, 432 female caregivers households enrolled in the program are operating small scale businesses through the loans taken from SILC groups and 1,297 caregivers (82 males, 1,215 females) are involved in agricultural activities i.e. farming, poultry keeping,
domestic livestock keeping. 241 caregivers were able to enroll the OVC in form one. The caregivers through SILC have managed to retain the OVC in secondary school by paying secondary school fee. Some caregivers have subsidized by selling of poultry and farm yields to pay school fee and buy scholastic materials.
· Conduct monthly mentorship meetings between PSPs and caregivers
30 SILC groups comprising of 75 males and 642 females were mentored on PSP model, services and payments. The meetings addressed adherence to the PSP model of which most groups and PSP have so far violated thus leading SILC groups not getting quality services and members getting dissatisfied with the PSP model. During the reporting period, two meetings were held with the PSPs. The meetings streamlined the working relationship between the PSPs network and the partner. The meetings also centered on MIS reporting and adherence to the methodology in order to improve quality SILC services to members and popularizing SILC among the community.
· Start link up initiatives between SILC groups with financial institutions
The project staffs were engaged on caregivers support group sensitization on the benefits of registering with Social department and existence of other funds from private sectors, financial institution and government. The project conducted two stakeholders meeting to share the impact of SILC methodology intervention and possible linkages with other financial institutions, county government and National government. The stakeholders who participated in the meeting were 5 staffs, KCB manger Sori branch, 5 Ward Admin, Social Department officer, 10 PSPs, 5 FAs, 3 Apprentice, Sub-county representatives. The KCB manager agreed to open bank account to registered groups without charges. The Ward Administrators expressed interest in mobilizing resources to the groups. Through this initiative, The Ward Administrators promised to work in partnership with the project to allocate ward bursary with a priority to project enrolled OVC mobilization continued to have the groups registered with the Social Development department
to enable them benefit from products offered by the government and other agencies. During the reporting period, 27 SILC groups had already started banking with KCB following the discussion held with the bank management during stakeholder’s forum. This has not only provided an avenue for safe custody of the groups funds but also an avenue for future
partnership with the bank in other development ventures. 6 groups comprising of (153 Females and 7 Males) have benefitted from the women Enterprise Fund (WEF). This was achieved through sensitization of SILC group on government devolved through supervision meetings, Caregivers Support group meetings and household visits. 1,003 caregivers (45 males, 958 females) are active members of SILC groups. 161 (161female) households enrolled in the program are operating small-scale business and 1197 caregivers (82 males, 1215 females) are involved in subsistence agricultural activities i.e. farming, poultry keeping, and domestic livestock keeping.
· Conduct supervision visits to SILC groups
To increase caregiver’s participation in SILC methodology and addressing the gap of PSP supervision, which has been lacking in the past thus creating room for the compromise of the SILC methodology in the community, 192 SILC groups (4,104 Females, 581 Males) visits, were conducted to increase knowledge and offer mentorship to newly formed group.
Output 1.1.2 enhanced knowledge and skills on value addition and market linkages for caregivers
· Support caregivers to form Farmer Field Groups
To enhance knowledge and skills to OVC households, 5 Farmer Field Schools have been established with membership of 108(14males, 94females). The groups have identified various enterprises on which they shall learn the agronomic practices and trends. One group comprising 14 (all females) members has established a local poultry project where they have
contributed local chicks for rearing. The Poultry FFs were supported with 30 birds and 400 kilograms of Kienyeji mash to jump-start the group. The poultry proceeds will uplift the economic and nutritional value within the OVC households. The 4 FFS with facilitation with project staffs and Agriculture extension officers have developed the enterprise curriculum to help them draw lessons from the various agronomic practices used.