1. INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW OF NATIONAL PLAN OF ACTION FOR OVC AND MINIMUM STANDARDS

2. SOCIAL PROTECTION  Developed as a response to the ever increasing orphans and vulnerable children country wide.  By 2005, it was estimated that the number of orphans was 2.5 million, 49% of these being as a result of HIV/AIDS. This figure did not include childen who were rendered vulnerable by factors such as poverty, emergencies (Nyando floods), insecurity, terror attacks, road carnage and the increasing number of non communicable diseases like cancer.

3.  A Rapid Assessment, Analysis and Action Planning Process (RAAAPP) was conducted in 2004 to find out why despite several interventions by Civil Society, NGOs and several other actors were not making any impact in the area of Service Delivery to OVCs.  The RAAAPP findings revealed that there was need to:- 1. Urgently develop a National Plan of Action to address the needs of OVCs to guide interventions in the Country.

4. 2. The process of developing the NPA for OVCs begun in 2005 and it came up with the minimum package for OVC support. All children irrespective of the status, require quality services and proper upbringing in order to guarantee their transition to responsible adulthood. NPA  Provides a framework for a national response to OVCs  Provides crucial information of OVC support

5.  Highlights the need for specific OVC programmes  Defines selection criteria – who is a vulnerable child.  Identifies key strategic areas of focus for OVC interventions.  Minimum requirements for OVC of different age groups and the estimated cost of each of the components of the minimum requirements.

6. 3. It also explains coordination mechanisms and gives a general outline of the monitoring and evaluation framework.  It suggested a pool of finding mechanism that would go a long way in ensuring transparency, accountability and a wider reach of OVCs.  NPA recognizes the role of other Government Departments besides the Department of Children, the role of Civil Societies, Community Based Organizations (CBOs) and Faith Based Organizations (FBOs)

7.  The NPA attempts to address the existing gaps in OVC interventions and aims to increase the national response to ensure that more OVCs are reached, given appropriate and quality care and protection.  PRIORITY STRATEGIC AREAS OF OVC INTERVENTIONS  SUGGESTED MINIMUM PACKAGE  IMPLEMENTATION AND COORDINATION OF npa INTERVENTIONS  RESOURCE MOBILIZATION AND FUNDING MECHANISMS

8.  MONITORING AND EVALUATION PRIORITY STRATEGIC AREAS OF OVC INTERVENTIONS 7 PSAs were identified as a basis for the NPA 1. Strengthen the capacity of families to protect and care for OVCs 2. Mobilize and support community based response 3. Ensure access of OVC to essential services such as

9.  Education  Health care  Birth registration  Psychosocial support  Legal protection 4 Ensure that improved policy and legislation are put in place to protect the most vulnerable children. 5 Create a supportive environment for children and families affected by HIV/AIDS

10. 6 Strengthen and support national coordination and institutional structures. 7 Strengthen national capacity to monitor and evaluate programme effectiveness and quality. SUGGESTED MINIMUM PACKAGE NPA recommends a minimum package for various age groups of OVCs 0 – 5 Years 6 – 13 Years 14 – Under 18 Years

11.  The minimum package takes cognisance of the fact that the development of a child’s full potential which is every child’s right – is seriously threatened if the family environment deteriorates as a result of:-  Parental illness  Extreme poverty  Death  Impact of HIV/AIDS which undermines provision of basic services as heath care, education e.t.c.

12. MINIMUM PACKAGE FOR 0 – 5 YEARS  Appropriate family/household based care for the child/parental love  Appropriate housing or shelter  All required immunizations is provided to the child  Proper nutrition and household is food secure.  Birth registration  Proper clothing  4 – 5 access ECD

13.  Appropriate family/household based care  Housing and shelter that is appropriate  Proper clothing aand school uniform  Official birth certificate  Child attends primary school and completes  Sensitize the child on life skills  Sanitary towels.

14.  Appropriate care for family and household is available to the child.  Appropriate housing  School Uniform  Birth certificate  Child attends school  Proper nutrition and household is food secure  Sensitize the child o life skills  Vocational training  Sanitary towels as appropriate

15. Other packages that may cut across include:-  Provision of ARVs  Home visits by social workers  Community based day care centre  Provision of insecticides and treated bed nets.

16. There exists a Joint Financial Agreement (JFA) between the government and development Partners/donors in funding the OVC activities in the country. Through this arrangement, the government of Kenya has been able to implement cash transfers to vulnerable groups through the support of World Bank, UNICEF and other donors. Other Resource Mobilization Mechanisms include:  Government funding  Bi lateral funding from Development Partners

17.  Faith Based activities  Individual donors  Charitable Foundations  Corporate giving e.g banks  Professional associations and organizational funding.

18.  An M & E framework for OVC is a vital component This will enable us to measure progress, promote accountability and enhance effectiveness in responding to the issues of OVCs.

19.  Proper coordination of OVC interventions remains key to ensuring concerted efforts that impact on the lives of OVC.  The primary responsibility of overseeing and coordination of OVC activities in the county lies with the Ministry of Labour, Social Security and Services, through the Department of children’s Services.

20. 1. The National Treasury 2. Ministry of Health 3. Education, Science and Technology 4. Judiciary 5. Devolution and Planning 6. Interior and coordination of National Government 7. Civil Societies 8. Private Sector 9. Development Partners 10. County Government.

21. MINIMUM SERVICE STANDARDS FOR QUALITY IMPROVEMENT OF ORPHANS AND VULNERABLE CHILDREN PROGRAMME

22. SITUATION The situation of OVC became an issue of national concern in 2000 after HIV/AIDS was declared a national disaster. Over 2.5 million orphans in the country 30% of children in Kenya are estimated to be OVCs. 49% of whom are orphaned by HIV/AIDS HIV/AIDS scourge with high levels of poverty, breakdown of the traditional coping mechanisms due to the changing socio-economic status has resulted in most of the orphaned children being left on their own.

23.  Children exposed to stress, trauma, discrimination and loss of parental love, care and protection.  OVCs are exposed to different forms of abuse, neglect and exploitation, a situation that diminishes the capacity to participate in matters that impact on their lives.

24.  Because of the situation above, efforts to provide care and support to OVCs has expanded rapidly within the Government and Civil Society Organizations characterized by increased funding from the Government and Development Partners. It has been noted that more emphasis has been given to the expansion of coverage and outputs without corresponding attention to the impact of these programmes on the lives of OVC.

25.  In 2009, a situational analysis was conducted to assess the quality of services provided to OVC and determine the extent to which the interventions make a difference in the lives of the targeted children.

26.  Failure of service providers to adhere to the universally accepted definition of OVC hence leaving out other vulnerable children.  Quality of services offered y some of the organizations have been inappropriate leading to stigmatization and discrimination of OVC by the rest of the community and wastage of resources.  Existing interventions only support a small proportion of OVC.

27.  Lack of social mapping of OVC service providers making it difficult for the Department of Children’s Services to monitor and coordinate their operations.  Lack of regulations on the duration a service provider should support a beneficiary.  Inadequate and inaccurate data on the needs of the children before the intervention is launched

28. All these lead to  Unharmonized interventions,  Mushrooming of uncoordinated programmes and projects in the country purporting to support OVCs  Unfair distribution of interventions targeting OVCs.

29. To address these challenges, the Government of Kenya and other partners in November, 2009, started a process of developing the Minimum Service Standards that were finalized in 2012.  The financial support was from United States Agency for International Development (USAID)  Technical support was from the University Research Company through USAID Health Care Improvement Project.

30.  Organizations or implementing partners who participated in the process were:- ◦ Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Development ◦ Ministry of Education ◦ Ministry of Public Health and Sanitation ◦ Ministry of Local Government ◦ World Vision ◦ Catholic relief Services ◦ S.O.S Children’s Village ◦ UNICEF

31. ◦ USAID ◦ URC ◦ Child Fund e.t.c The standards are meant to:- Harmonize interventions by various stakeholders Encourage fair distribution of interventions within the country. Provide a framework for monitoring and evaluation of impact of interventions.