Our Results

Empowering and Caring for Orphans and Vulnerable Children under the COPE Project

COPE

Stand Out Results:

Over the life of the COPE project:

  • More than 209,000 OVCs have been served with education, health care, nutritional support, and protection services including obtaining birth and poverty certificates. This is 52 percent more than the 137,500 targeted by the project.
  • Over 50,000 caregivers have received services or been trained in caring for and providing psychosocial support to OVCs.
  • Collaborations – including block grants – with 54 primary and secondary schools have kept over 7,000 OVCs in school and provided over 75,000 of them with scholastic support such as uniforms, notebooks and more.
  • Income generating activities were initiated and have supported more than 12,000 orphans.


Project Title: COPE – Community Based Orphan Care Protection and Empowerment

Funders: USAID/PEPFAR

Budget: 15.47 million

Countries/Time Frame: Mozambique, Rwanda, Uganda, Tanzania/2005-2010

The Problem: One of the most acute challenges in the HIV/AIDS pandemic has been the number of children and youth orphaned by AIDS-related illnesses or made more vulnerable to challenging socio-economic conditions created by the pandemic. When parents die of AIDS-related illnesses, the children experience a variety of difficulties including loss of livelihood, lack of guidance, decreased access to education, and stigmatization.

Globally, there are over 15 million children orphaned due to AIDS and over 80 percent of those children are in sub-Saharan Africa.

Long-Term Goal of Project:  To reduce the socio-economic impact of HIV/AIDS on orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) targeted by the project.

Project Objectives:

  • Increase district and community capacity to coordinate care and support services for OVCs and caregivers.
  • Provide life skills training, peer education, and psychosocial care and support to OVCs and caregivers.
  • Increase access to education for OVCs.
  • Increase access to health care and nutritional support for OVCs and caregivers.
  • Increase access to income generating opportunities.

Direct Beneficiaries: 209,000 OVCs and their caregivers in Mozambique, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda.