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Many North American Christians feel compelled to respond to the care and protection needs of children deeply affected by the global AIDS pandemic. This paper provides clear and evidence-based insights into how the Christian community can best direct their efforts.
Institutional care settings (orphanages) are a common response to caring for orphans and at-risk children and youth, but a growing body of global research shows that institutional care presents great social and psychological risks for young children. Among these risks is the reduced ability to form lasting attachments, community…
This article provides an overview of a pilot scheme by UNICEF and the Government of Malawi involving monthly cash transfers to poorest targeted families. Malawi is one of the poorest countries in the world, and this program was designed to provide assistance directly to families in need. The goal was to reduce poverty and hunger while also increasing education, health, protection, and well-being of orphaned and other children.
Monthly cash payments were given to families, with bonuses given for children enrolled in primary or secondary school. The hope is that by helping…
Government leaders, educators, and practitioners are trying to alter the course of the AIDS pandemic through educational programs directed at children. Most respondents in the study claimed that their schools do not teach HIV/AIDS education. A large portion also said they do not have a good understanding of HIV/AIDS. The idea of educational programs within schools was received positively by all parties, including students and adminstrators. There are also suggestions for other intervention mediums in HIV/AIDS education.
©Families in Society, 2007, v. 88, no. 1, page…
A National Plan of Action (NPA) for Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC) is a government strategy document detailing a set of key objectives and the corresponding activities to address the national OVC situation. In general, NPAs share a common format, drawing their key objectives from the 2001 UN Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS, generated at the UN General Assembly Special Session on HIV/AIDS. The plans are therefore oriented towards HIV/AIDS. NPAs are usually designed as a five year matrix, often broken down into one or two-year planning phases. The purpose is to respond…
This study was commissioned by the Ministry of Community Development and Social Services to provide a comprehensive situational analysis of street children in Zambia. Its approach differs from previous situational analyses of the issue as it took a more solution-oriented view of the challenges facing street children. Based on available information, it is anticipated that over the next 10 years (2015) the number of orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) will increase in Zambia. Street children represent a particular sub-category of OVC as their vulnerability is exacerbated by the partial or…
This report presents a profile of street children interviewed by means of a structured questionnaire with a view to understand the problem better by gathering life style and life circumstances data. It should be emphasised that the data is not based on a census but on what can be defined as a sample of sufficient size to produce reliable data. It was a deliberate decision in the design of this project not to attempt a census as this would be too costly, too time consuming and would in all likelihood still produce results that can be questioned.
The emphasis in developing this profile was…
Report on Wilton Park Conference (WPS05/30)
Monday 14 – Wednesday 16 November 2005
HIV and AIDS is described as a lens through which to look at child poverty. Different countries will require different responses, but there is a need for stakeholders to agree to an overarching framework for social welfare and social protection.
An ‘effective’ state has some productive capacity, a civil service, and provides health, education, and a social security system. In OECD countries, spending on social security for the poorest and most vulnerable is recognised as fundamental to poverty…
Recent consultations undertaken by the ILO in Kenya, the Philippines and Guatemala have confirmed that there is little awareness about child labour issues among indigenous peoples; that previous child labour studies and research largely ignore indigenous communities; and that few programmes and projects address indigenous child labour.
It has, however, also become increasingly clear that indigenous children are disproportionately affected by the worst forms of child labour. Specific approaches are needed to effectively combat child labour among indigenous peoples.
The following…
Slow progress towards achieving the Millenium Development Goals (MDGs) has rekindled interest in social transfers as a means to reduce poverty and accelerate progress. The Commission for Africa, for example, has called for a major scaling up in social assistance to vulnerable children. Social transfers are increasingly recognised as an important component of an overall care package for children affected by AIDS. The World Bank is scaling up its support to social transfers as a key policy response to inequities in health and education opportunities for the poorest and socially excluded groups…
This background paper is part of a research project by the Humanitarian Policy Group into the use of cash and vouchers in emergencies. This work seeks to assess the impact of such interventions, and examine the extent to which cash and vouchers – rather than in-kind assistance – are practical, appropriate and cost-effective. It considers the particular implementation challenges inherent in cash interventions, and how these are addressed. The project also investigates attitudes towards cash and vouchers on the part of aid agencies, donors and governments, examining institutional factors which…