1 / 22

Early Childhood Development HIV/AIDS in Malawi

Early Childhood Development HIV/AIDS in Malawi. Presented by Malawi Country Team Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania 2004. Situation of Malawi: Social Indicators. Pop – 10,800,000 65% of population lives below poverty level Total number of children (0-18) 5,250,000 Ages 0-6 – 24.4% (2,777,000)

tea
Download Presentation

Early Childhood Development HIV/AIDS in Malawi

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Early Childhood Development HIV/AIDS in Malawi Presented by Malawi Country Team Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania 2004

  2. Situation of Malawi: Social Indicators • Pop – 10,800,000 • 65% of population lives below poverty level • Total number of children (0-18) 5,250,000 • Ages 0-6 – 24.4% (2,777,000) • 49% of children stunted

  3. Social Indicators cont. • IMR – 104; MMR - 1,120; U5MR – 189 (main causes are malnutrition, anemia, pneumonia, diarrhea, malaria) • Urban – 25%; Rural 13% HIV+ • 1.2% children (0-14 yrs) infected with HIV (NAC 2003) • 16-30% HIV prevalence in child bearing women

  4. Situation of Orphans in Malawi • 17.5% (937,000) of all children are orphans • 24% of Orphans are under 5 • 49.9% are orphaned due to HIV/AIDS.

  5. Situation of ECD Services • 26% coverage of access to ECD services • Approximately 3000 CBCC’s (400 supported by UNICEF) • Ages 0-5 attend CBCC’s • 40% of children at CBCC’s are Orphans • On average 100 Children registered at CBCC (1:50) • Less then 50% of caregivers are trained

  6. Key Policies and Legal Framework • Human Rights Provision Ch. 4 Sect. 23 • Children and Young Persons Act • Affiliation Act • Maintenance of Married Women Act • Wills and Inheritance Act • ECD, OVC, HIV/AIDS, Gender, People with Disabilities, Decentralization Policies • PRSP • National Health Plan: IMCI, PMTCT Policies

  7. Programmes Targeting ECD and HIV/AIDS • Support to Orphans and families affected by HIV/AIDS • Community Child Care (using the IECD approach)

  8. Stakeholders • Ministry of Health, Gender, Agriculture, Water, Education, Finance, Local Government • NGO’s, CBO’s, FBO’s • UN Agencies • Bilateral Donors • Communities

  9. Programme ObjectivesSupport for orphans and families affected by HIV/AIDS • To ensure that families and orphans affected by HIV/AIDS are provided with appropriate care and support to facilitate healthy growth and development, education, protection, and participation • Strengthen the capacity of programme partners to collect and use information to monitor and evaluate programmes on early child care • Ensure that issues of orphans, ECD, and nutrition are well incorporated in relevant poverty reduction strategies

  10. Programme ObjectivesCommunity Child Care • Provide family with skills to care for children including nutrition, health, and psychosocial support; • To ensure that acute malnutrition among under 5 children stays below 10% • Strengthen the capacity of implementing partners to collect and use information to monitor and evaluate programmes on early child care • To promote integrate childhood development during the 1st three years of life • To prevent death among children occurring in the homes

  11. Programme Intervention Focus ECD/OVC • Advocacy on ECD/OVC • Support the capacity for parents/caregivers to provide early learning and stimulation, psychosocial development, and care for OVC • Establish CBCC’s and improve the quality of services to promote early learning and stimulation and the holistic development of children • Psychosocial support and counseling • Community Mobilization/Empowerment (Community Dialogue) • Support and training on IGA’s • Partnership and networking

  12. Best Practices • Multi-Sectoral Approach • Utilization of existing structures and local resources • Reaching the most vulnerable • Capacity building of parents/caregivers for providing quality care • Community Child Care initiatives (EL&S, Extended family care, granny’s and widows club, single mothers club )

  13. Best Practices • Community engagement (community dialogue) • CBCC as entry point for other development programmes • Human Rights Based Approach To Programming • Inclusion of Psycho-social support in the package of care • Maternal health and nutrition • Extended family care & Foster Care

  14. Challenges • Political Commitment not backed by adequate resources • High Level of Poverty; low literacy level • Increasing # of children affected by HIV/AIDS • Provision of Quality services • Capacity of service providers to provide integrated services • Service provider turnover rate • Inadequate human resources • Reaching children 0-8 (particularly 0-3)

  15. Challenges • Coordination/Convergence of Services • Appropriate infrastructures (physical) • Traditional Beliefs/Practices • Provision of EHP • Sector Wide Approach • Number of VCT’s within the communities • Child Participation • Advocacy to link knowledge/skills/practice • Communication strategies at community level

  16. Gaps • Reliable data on the magnitude of the problem of children affected by HIV/AIDS, and Psycho-social development • Provision of quality integrated services with focus on ECD and HIV/AIDS • Implementation of operational guidelines for ECD • Resources (funding, materials, human) • Untrained Caregivers

  17. Gaps Service Delivery for Children: • Food and nutrition • Health (growth monitoring, referral) • Management of common complications associated with HIV/AIDS infected children Parental Education and Support: • Parenting skills and knowledge • Counseling skills

  18. Gaps Care Provider Training and Support • Standardized training and materials • Capacity of caregivers and trainers • Comprehensive care to care providers Sensitization of the public on ECD • Inadequate advocacy on ECD and HIV/AIDS • Communication strategy not appropriate for behavioural change

  19. Gaps Community Mobilization • Follow up and sustainability • Community monitoring

  20. Opportunities • Availability of strong NGO’s, FBO’s, CBO’s • Availability of policies (e.g. ECD, OVC, PRSP) • Increase of father participation (trend improvement 2000-2003) • Emerging programmes (e.g. ARV therapy for infected children, ICHBC) • Increased demand from communities for ECD services • Community Monitoring tool for OVC • Ratification of CRC & CEDAW

  21. Results/Evaluations • Identified trends in increase in child rearing practices • Follow up to baseline study underway • Review and development of ECD materials (syllabus, training manuals) underway • Rapid appraisal for OVC • ECD Mid Term Review • Launch of ECD & OVC Policy

  22. Thank YouFrom the Warm Heart of Africa

More Related