Support To Replicable Innovative Village/Community-level Efforts (STRIVE)
STRIVE's implementation strategy was to support NGOs and CBOs that work with communities to carry out appropriate, effective, and sustainable community-based interventions for Orphans and Vulnerable Children in psychosocial support, food security, education assistance and economic strengthening.
Goal of the Practice
- Phase I: Support and develop appropriate, effective, and sustainable community-based approaches to supporting children affected by HIV and AIDS through participatory learning and action
- Phase I: Improve the organizational capacity of at least eight local organizations, so that they are able to deliver high quality care, support, and prevention activities for children and their families
- Phase I: Increase access to quality education for children, with a special focus on girls
- Phase II: Improve care and support to OVC throughout Zimbabwe
- Phase II: Determine proven models to care for and support OVC
Core Components
- Psychosocial support (PSS) interventions provided basic counseling, therapeutic recreational activities like music and drama, life skills and vocational skills education, Kids' Clubs, and both residential and community "camping."
- Food security initiatives enhanced the access of OVC and their families to adequate, reliable sources of nutrition through advanced community-based activities such as community fields and gardens, school supplementary feeding programs, seed vouchers and fairs, and the promotion of drought-tolerant, low-maintenance, nutritionally-valuable crops.
- Education assistance improved children's access to quality education and included block grants to schools in exchange for the enrollment of a set number of OVC, resource exchanges (in which STRIVE purchased material items for schools in exchange for the enrolment of OVC), direct assistance scholarships, after-school programs, and support and training for teachers.
- Economic strengthening through activities such as micro-enterprise services, internal saving and lending (IS&L), and community resource mobilization.
Noteworthy Results
- STRIVE reached a cumulative total of 214,216 children during Phase II, including both direct and indirect beneficiaries.
- The cumulative number of children that STRIVE had reached by the end of the project was 319,216.
- STRIVE exceeded its 2007 cumulative target of 210,000 beneficiaries by approximately 53%.
Lessons Learned
- Thoroughly assess options and approaches for education programs to find more cost-effective ways to support school enrollment or redirect resources to out-of-school adolescents and/or young children.
- Mainstream psychosocial support in all OVC activities and make greater use of existing community safety nets and ensure quality standards.
- Experiment with a Small Funds Initiative to respond to community needs and document lessons and explore ways to manage a larger fund.
- Increase community awareness of policy and legislation on child rights, welfare and protection.
Focus Areas
OVC
Implemented By
Catholic Relief Services (CRS)
Participating Organization
N/A
Region
Africa
Country
Zimbabwe
Environment
N/A
Setting
Other/Non-specified
Target Population
Children (ages 2-12)
Scope
> 50000
Implementation Years
12/2001 - 09/2007
