The Role of NGOs in Major Development Initiatives
For more information, contact Nasserie Carew
Helping Forgotten Generation “COPE” with Loss of a Parent to HIV/AIDS:
Africare’s COPE Project Working to Improve the Lives of 2,000,000 Orphans and Vulnerable Children by 2010
By Nicole Eley, Media Relations Manager, Africare
Program Summary: COPE stands for Community Based Orphan Care, Protection and Empowerment . The project aims to empower the lives of children and families crippled by the loss of a parent or caretaker as a result of the AIDS virus. Working in four countries (Mozambique, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda), Africare’s COPE project assists a forgotten generation by supplying them with the necessary tools for success. Basic needs like food, shelter, education, healthcare and income generation are addressed through support services and training programs that are reaching out to over two million orphans and vulnerable children and their caregivers between March 2005 and September 2010.
One Success: “I had no hope of ever stepping in a classroom again after HIV/AIDS killed my mother,” says Kutesa of Muzaire village, Ngoma Sub-County. Barely a teen, Kutesa is the oldest of four and assumed the position of head of his household after his mother passed away. He was identified by Africare through its Service Corp Volunteers and Orphan Care Committee. He now receives support through scholastic scholarships, insecticide-treated mosquito nets and seeds for farming. Kutesa also regained a piece of land sold after his mother’s death, and built a three-bedroom house for himself and his four younger siblings. “Now, we have hope,” said Kutesa.
One Challenge: COPE follows a regional model while working in four countries with distinct sets of rules and regulations. Balance is especially important to keep the program model intact while simultaneously responding to the local country conditions. For example, COPE has adopted block grants as the most efficient way to distribute educational resources to orphans and vulnerable children. However, some governments do not allow such grants. In those cases, the program has developed innovative solutions. For example, COPE has funded partial school fees for targeted students while staying true its program model by integrating the program’s popular COPE Club into every school where a fee has been partially waived for a student. This represents a challenge turned into an opportunity to impact more young lives through COPE.
