• Defining, understanding and addressing the issue of children on the move in Lesotho, Mozambique, South Africa, Swaziland, Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe and the region as a whole: In December 2010, HDA was contracted by UNICEF Eastern and Southern Africa Regional Office (ESARO) to undertake a consultancy to define, understand and address the issue of children on the move. This regional consultancy intended to provide UNICEF Country Offices in Lesotho, Mozambique, South Africa, Swaziland, Botswana, Namibia and Zimbabwe with the required technical support to work with governments and child protection agencies to put in place an inter-country and multi-agency action plan for the protection of children on the move. The assessment included 1) a desk review of ongoing UNICEF and partner agency work on child migration 2) identification of existing agreements, plans, and protocols that are applicable to the protection of children on the move, and recognition of gaps in the current system 3) drafting of action plan and additional protocols, as necessary/appropriate according to review of capacity and gaps 4)Organising in-country stakeholder meetings/workshops and conducting fieldwork with beneficiaries.

• HDA has just been awarded the contract to manage the Technical Support Facility (TSF) for Southern Africa for a further two years. This UNAIDS -funded programme facilitates access to timely, good quality short-term consultant support for scaling up national HIV/AIDS programmes across 14 countries in Southern Africa. The focus areas of the project are programme management and planning, including support to Global Fund proposals and Grant Implementation. TSF-SA works closely with country partners in collaborative planning and management of technical support to ensure country ownership of technical support and improved results of consultancies. The TSF has also systematically expanded use of regional consultants to serve the needs of countries and programmes in the region.
  
  As part of this initiative the TSF has had a professional development programme for consultants and country counterparts that targets priority needs identified in the region, and works with other TSFs, UNAIDS and other partners. Recent capacity development initiatives have covered areas that include: results based planning and management (RBM); costing and budgeting of HIV and AIDS programmes and proposals; Global Fund and other M&E; Global Fund performance based management systems and governance; and consulting skills. The TSF team has accumulated considerable experience in developing innovative ways that overcome traditional obstacles to effective capacity development.
  

• The Thogomelo Caregiver Support and Child Protection Training is funded by the US Agency for International Development, in partnership with the Program for Appropriate Technology in Health (PATH) as prime contractor, HDA and  The International HIV and AIDS Alliance, this 5-year project develops training approaches and materials for supporting the caregivers of vulnerable children across all 9 provinces of South Africa. At least 500 learners are targeted annually. To promote sustainability and scale up of deliverables, the seeks to build the capacity of provincial training service providers to deliver training as well as undertake assessment and moderation of learners in line with the requirements of the Health and Welfare SETA.  To date the project has developed an accredited skills development programme addressing the psychosocial wellbeing and support for of community caregivers at levels 1 and 2 of the National Qualifications Framework (NQF). 

  The training incorporates two modules on developing appropriate skills in child protection. During Year 2 a second curriculum offering more advanced child protection skills to the supervisors of community caregivers will be piloted (levels 3 and 4 of the NQF). A further curriculum offering Psychosocial Support Skills for supervisors is in the planning stages. The project has developed a Good Practice Case Study on developing accredited curricula to share the lessons it has learnt in this process.  Further Good Practice Case Studies will be developed and disseminated through a seminar series in Year Two.
  

  The South African Department of Social Development (DSD) and USAID/PEPFAR, in collaboration with the Population Council, HIV‑911/HIVAN, Westat Contract Research Organization, and Trialogue is completing the development of the new national Children Services Directory. The directory contains a comprehensive, up to date listing of non-profit organisations (NPOs) and governmental organisations that are working in South Africa to address the needs of orphaned and other vulnerable children (OVC). The directory will be accessible in four ways: Online, Hard Copy, CD-Rom and SMS-like Service. For more information please visit: www.childrenservicesdirectory.co.za

  
  
  STATUS OF CURRICULA DEVELOPED
  The first two years of the project have shown that there is a high demand for the curricula developed namely the Thogomelo Psychosocial Support Skills Development Programme for Community Caregivers and the Child Protection Skills Development Programme for Supervisors of Community Caregivers. The Child Protection curriculum has been field tested with 32 learners in the North West Province and is currently being reviewed and aligned with national standards (SAQA). To strengthen the institutional sustainability of the curricula developed, a third curriculum will be developed in collaboration with DSD, the Psychosocial Support for Supervisors of Community Caregivers Skills Development Progamme. Both these curricula will become fully operational in 2011.  In Year 3 the Project will engage further with the  HWSETA in the career pathing of community caregivers towards occupationally based qualifications .
  
  PROVINCIAL ROLL OUT
  To date and since 2008 the project has trained 1018 community caregivers across the nine provinces. The distribution of learners trained I 2009 and 2010. Training targets for Year 3 are as follows: Psychosocial Support for Community Caregivers (270 learners), Child Protection Skills development Programme for Supervisors (180 learners) and Psychosocial Support for Supervisors (90 learners).  This totals 540 learners nationally.
  
  PROVINCIAL IMPLEMENTATION, CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT AND SCALE UP PLANS
  Provincial implementation planning meetings were held at provincial level during October and November 2010 to embed the Thogomelo project within existing DSD provincial strategies. Each province has developed specific plans detailing (a) priority districts according to development and health indicators, (b) training targets and (c) budget allocation to cost share scale up of the training. This collaborative process aimed at strengthening partnerships and community networks to ensure provincial ownership of the Project and in turn sustain the development of community caregivers and their supervisors beyond the life span of the Project.
  
  Provincial DSD is expected to scale up the training in Year 3 with EPWP and capacity development funds. Thus far the following provinces have committed to scaling up as follows: Northwest 90 CP, Limpopo 30 PSS, Mpumalanga 30 PSS, Western Cape 30 PSS, Gauteng 30 PSS from 3 districts. This is over and above the 500 caregivers to be trained with PEPFAR funds in 2011. The approach of the project is to integrate care for the caregivers and child protection in the roll out of training so that the skills development programmes complement one another in a systematic manner.
  

• Free State Province Schools-Based Support to Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC), 2009-2010: Together with the Free State Department of Education, this PEPFAR funded project uses the “Circles of Support” model to capacitate schools and communities to identify and use existing local resources to support OVC. HDA, in partnership with the Free State Department of Education in South Africa, is running the circles of support project to support vulnerable children in the Lejweleputswa District. The project emphasizes the importance of systems strengthening which will ensure that caring and support for children is inculcated into the school norms and thus promoting sustainability beyond the funded phase.
  
  This project will train and support educators across 90 schools in the Lejweleputswa District of the province as well as community members to ensure that schools and communities are responsive to the needs of vulnerable children. The project is targeting to reach over 12000 children with a comprehensive package of services.
  
  As the project is entering its 3rd year of implementation, there is a drive now to recognise the contribution and participation levels of children who are served through the project. The COS, project has recently conducted a pilot research project, to establish the level of child participation. The aim of this pilot was to investigate gaps and opportunities that exist to create and enhance spaces for child participation. Child participation is important, it brings numerous benefits to a project which may include new insights, improved understanding of their needs and more appropriate recommendations. It brings adults closer to the daily lives of children. Over the longer term, the COS project by involving children in decision-making will find their work enhanced. Children’s participation will also create an opportunity for children themselves to become active partners in implementing the recommendations contained in this study. Generally the pilot pointed to some important steps that the project can take in order to create spaces for child participation.
  
  
  1. We need to get buy in from all SBST members, educators and principals – run workshops on the concept of child participation, enhance understanding and empower them to practice child participatory methods
     
  2. Efforts must be made to raise awareness about child participation – A standardised definition of child participation in terms of COS should be made known and people’s perceptions that “Children should be seen not heard” need to be addressed
     
  3. Children’s involvement is vital - children identified that they would like to be engaged in meaningful child participation activities through sports, art, drama and poetry in the setting of social clubs and homework classes

Going forward we are excited to bring this new aspect into our work and are looking forward to hearing, sharing and learning from children.