PROJECT TO SUPPORT OVC SCHOOLING SE CNLS/BM Presented by Dr Cheikhou SAKHO November 2009

PRESENTATION PLAN 1- BACKGROUND 2- PROJECT OBJECTIVES 3- IMPLEMENTATION PROCESS 4- KEY STAKEHOLDERS AND THEIR ROLES 5- RESULTS ACHIEVED 6- LESSONS LEARNED 7- WAYS FORWARD

BACKGROUND 0.7% (EDS IV) 0.7% (EDS IV) SW: 19.8% 1 MSM: 21.8% 2 MSM: 21.8% 2 Low HIV prevalence within general population: High HIV prevalence in some groups: 1ensc, 2006 Wade et al, Low HIV prevalence in pregnant women 1.3% (BEH N°13) 1.3% (BEH N°13)

Feminization of the Epidemic EDS IV Ratio : 2.25 BACKGROUND

0,7 0,9 0,4 1,0 0,9 2,7 3,4 0,5 0,6 2,2 Regional Disparities Prevalence < 1 Prevalence 1- 2 Prevalence > 2 BACKGROUND

Priority Targets “PSLS 2007 – 2011” 1.Most Exposed Populations SWs MSM Men and Women with STIs 2.Exposed Populations Youths aged 15–24 Women aged 25–49 Mobile Populations (Migrants, security forces) People with small jobs in towns Detainees Populations in touristic sites 3.PLHA 4.Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC)

1,0 2,0 2,2 BACKGROUND KEY SUCCESSES INCLUDING THE SENEGALESE ARV ACCESS INITIATIVE CHALLENGE: PSYCHOSOCIAL CARE TO PEOPLE INFECTED OR AFFECTED BY HIV

1,0 2,0 2,2 ESTABLISHMENT OF THE PROJECT TO SUPPORT OVC SCHOOLING

Objectives of the OVC Schooling Project General Objectives:. Supporting schooling/vocational training for 5000 OVC during and school years throughout the administrative regions of Senegal. Specific Objectives To a ccommodate schooling/vocational training related fees; To provide financial support to meet OVC other needs (transportation, uniforms, snacks, private tuition, etc.); To provide financial support for monitoring at psychosocial, family, school, and vocational training levels.

Project Implementation Process 1.Establishment of the Process Coordination Team: - SE CNLS Team - 3 Consultants (2 Senegalese and 1 from Benin) 2. Selection of Money Transfer Institution: POSTEFINANCES Selection criteria: Having a national network; Being experienced in money transfer; Having social capital (several years of collaboration between post officers, the populations, and the administrative authorities); Ensuing confidentiality in operations; Ensuring easy and quick withdrawal; Ensuring quality and cost effective services.

Implementation Process of the Schooling Project 3. OVC Identification by Monitoring Units: PLHA groups, health facilities, social worker office, IDEN (education), PLHA support NGOs (Social survey); 4. Validation of the OVC File by SE CNLS and POSTEFINANCES (identification, amount of scholarship); 5. Money Transfer by SE CNLS (Fiduciary Agency) through POSTEFINANCES and opening of savings accounts for the OVC.

ABOUT THE SCHOLARSHIPS The Beneficiaries:  Particularly vulnerable children aged 2-18 living in underprivileged areas;  HIV entry point is not exclusive. Amounts: They depend on educational level or class - Around 108,000 F CFA at preschool level ; - 165,000 f CFA in second cycle, secondary level; - 280,000 f CFA for vocational training lasting more or less than two years. The amount for each family depends on the number of eligible children.

KEY STAKEHOLDERS AND THEIR ROLES The Guarantor : He/she provides psychosocial support to OVC. Signs the covenant committing him/her to: 1 – Ensuring child’s education and to providing evidence that the child goes to school on a regular basis and stays there (or is undergoing vocational training). 2 – Ensuring child’s compliance with medical care, if sick, and routine medical control.

KEY STAKEHOLDERS AND THEIR ROLES Monitoring Units: Identification of OVC, monitoring at family, school, and vocational training levels. POSTEFINANCES: Money transfer and provision of savings books to the OVC. SE CNLS and Regional Monitoring Committees : disbursements, supervision, coordination, monitoring.

CONDITIONALITIES The money transfer process should be :  Quick  Reliable  Secured The guarantor should provide evidence of :  OVC enrolment at school;  Payment of schooling or training fees;  Child’s regular attendance at school or at training facility;  Child compliance with medical care, if needed.

RESULTS ACHIEVED 3,290 scholarship recipients in school year Total amount of scholarships awarded: 465,112,000 FCFA

RESULTS ACHIEVED The project keeps on encouraging girl schooling. 52% of scholarship beneficiaries are girls, and 48% are boys

RESULTS ACHIEVED Distribution of Scholarship Recipients based on Educational Level

RESULTS ACHIEVED The majority of scholarship beneficiary OVC (67%) are in public schools throughout the administrative regions, except in Dakar where 73% of them are in the private sector, and 27% in the public sector.

LESSONS LEARNED  Beneficiaries can quickly be enrolled in a system based on existing outreach social services;  High risk of stigma as a result of project context may hamper identification of beneficiaries;  The mother is the most common/efficient guarantor;  The nature of the project requires specific and flexible procedures (identification process, specific financial management, increased confidentiality, etc.);  The conditionality and their operational mode should be made easier.

LESSONS LEARNED  In order to be productive, financial resources should be gradually disbursed to the family and on a regular basis;  In a context of free care services, food related expenses are heavier on the OVC and their guarantors;  The withdrawal counter should be closer to avoid high unproductive transportation fees and waste of time. Procedures should be simplified as much as possible;  The lack of birth certificates or what it takes to get it is common and a joint solution should be found.

LESSONS LEARNED  For this type of project, it is necessary to have an effective coordination of all stakeholders (synergy/complementarity, role distribution, etc.), and an equal geographical coverage.  Outreach monitoring is necessary in terms of psychosocial support in an effort to optimize the project impact;  The development and operationality of a reliable database is key to the project success.

WAYS FORWARD  Scholarship awarding process for school year  Ensuring project continuity and sustainability by mobilizing additional funds and complementary opportunities in the form of co-funding. A woman living with HIV/AIDS said: “This project rekindled by interest in life”.