 | The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
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| The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
Irene Mwaponda, BEd, Pathfinder International-Kenya Office, 9 Galen Street, Suite 217, Watertown, MA 02130 and Tayla C. Colton, SM, Technical Services, Pathfinder International, 9 Galen Street, Suite 217, Watertown, MA 02472, 617-924-7200, jhalperin@pathfind.org.
Pathfinder’s Community-Based HIV/AIDS Care, Support, and Prevention (COPHIA) Program in Kenya improves the ability of local communities to identify their needs and carry out activities for people infected and affected by HIV/AIDS. In addition to prevention efforts, home-based care, and linkages to medical facilities and support networks, support for orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) is a necessary component of community-based care.
OVC support requires pooling of donor and community resources. The COPHIA program enlists the participation of community stakeholders, local implementing partners, and community health workers to fill the gaps in donor funding and provide sustainable solutions. Community implementation committees (CIC) serve as a link between local leaders and households with OVC. Local implementing partners, who register OVC and provide links to educational, medical, and food support through local administrative channels, complement the CIC. This model also relies on a cadre of community health workers to identify households with OVC and provide referrals.
With COPHIA and local business support, the CIC in Ruiru Division mobilized food donations for households with OVC, pooled money for school fees, textbooks, and uniforms, and constructed new classrooms at a primary school that later admitted 38 OVC. In Mombassa, another CIC helped support orphans to attend vocational schools and participate in awareness raising activities in the community. The three-pronged COPHIA model for OVC support has successfully pooled donor and community resources and can serve as a sustainable model for other organizations implementing community-based HIV/AIDS programs.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Community Programs, Vulnerable Populations
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.