HIV/AIDS the drive to high vulnerability among children; Using the child protection and psychosocial support integration into other services as an approach to respond to their plight

Background: The Uganda 2010 situation analysis reports that 96% of the children are vulnerable. The high vulnerability level is largely attributed to HIV/AIDS. These children have been subjected to sexual abuse and early marriages, forced out of school, engaged in hard labor, prostitution or high risk behaviors.

Methods: The National OVC Strategic plan provides the overall programming framework that guides the CSF sub-grantees implementation. CSF provided services in the Core Programme Areas of Socio-economic support; Food and Nutrition; Legal Support, Basic Care; Health; Education; with the integration of Psychosocial Support and Child Protection into all the mentioned CPAs.

Results: As a result, in the period of July 2010 and June 2011, CSF supported over 90,000 OVC which constitutes 12% contribution to the national target of serving 750,000. A total of 45,824 received comprehensive services, that is, at least 4 CPAs.

Conclusion: Integration of Child protection and psychosocial support into other CPAs rather than as parallel interventions is effective in comprehensively meeting the needs of the OVC even with the limited resources available.