Cardno HES OVC Tools Inventory

8/7/2019 Cardno HES OVC Tools Inventory

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AIDS Support and

Technical Assistance

Tools and Guidelines to Support Design andManagement of Household Economic

Strengthening Programs for OVCs

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Introduction

This document is intended to provide OVC and MED officers involved in the design,

implementation and evaluation of household economic strengthening programs for

OVCs access to recent and relevant tools, training manuals, and guidelines for such

programs. Tools and guidelines are organized around the Economic Strengthening

Pathway, a framework for understanding how to economically strengthen

households (see Figure 1).

Figure 1. Economic Strengthening Pathway with Desired Outcomes

Jason Wolfe, Household Economic Strengthening in Tanzania: Framework for PEPFAR Programming.

USAID, 2009.

Rather than viewing economic strengthening as a single event - a household was

vulnerable and now it is not it is viewed as a pathway towards growth anddecreasing vulnerability. Such a pathway sees households progressing sequentially

through several key outcomes. The entry points in this pathway will depend on the

initial status of the target households, and the rate of progression will also depend

on the capacity, orientation, and motivations of each individual household.

In this document, tools, training manuals and guidelines are arranged below by

these key outcomes. Strengths and weaknesses of the tools and guidelines in the

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sense of their methodology and ease of use are also included. Separate sections

for M&E and cross-cutting (approaches that are applicable along the Economic

Strengthening Pathway) tools are included at the end.

Recover Assets and Stabilize Household Consumption

Household Economy Approach: A Guide for Programme Planners and

Policy Makers (Save the Children and FEG Consulting, 2008)

Description

The Household Economy Approach (HEA) is a livelihoods-based framework for

analyzing the way people obtain food, non-food goods and services, and how they

might respond to changes in their external environment - for example a negativeshock, such as a drought or crop failure, or a positive policy change, such as a cash

transfer scheme. It is a toolkit composed of 3 components A guide to HEA

(targeted at policy makers and program planners to under the methodology), A

Practitioners Guide to HEA (a practical how to guide for those participating in

field work and analysis of household economy assessments) and Trainers Guide

(targeted at those facilitating HEA trainings).

How it is used

HEA consists of a framework for analyzing household economy and market

information and field methods for collecting that information. The approachdistinguishes different livelihood zones within which households have similar

opportunities (usually determined by agro-ecological factors) and identifies linkages

between different livelihood zones. Variations of the basic model can be applied at a

local or national scale, for either rapid assessments or for more in-depth surveys.

Through direct discussions with different population groups including the very

poorest the approach allows us to understand their realities and priorities.

Strengths

Quantifies impacts on different types

of households (wealth groups) inobjective units (Kcals and /or in

money necessary to meet basic

needs).

Illustrates relationships between

household types

Weaknesses

Cannot capture heterogeneity of

impact within wealth groups

Weak on intra-household dynamics

and responses

High level of skill and training

required

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Demonstrates compounded effects of

different shocks which include

HIV/AIDS and macro-micro linkages

Can be adapted to urban households

Where do I get it?

Full publication not available online. It can be ordered through

Amazon.com. ISBN - 9781841871196

Build Self-Insurance Mechanisms and Protect Key Assets

Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLA) Programme Guide:

Field Operations Manual (VSL Associates, 2007.)*

Description

This guide explains how village savings and loans associations (VSLA) can be

facilitated by project implementers. It describes how VSLAs operate and how they

interact and are complimentary to larger, formal microfinance institutions.

How it is used

The guide provides a 4 step approach to facilitating the start-up of a VSLA by

implementing partners. By the end of the 1 year period, a VSLA should be a fully

independent organization that is able to manage its own savings, credit and

insurance activities.

Strengths

Positions VSLA as complimentary to

other microfinance initiatives aimed

at asset growth and income

generation activities

Guide is available in English, French,

Portuguese, and Spanish

Applicable to low literacy settings

where formal record-keeping is spotty

Weaknesses

Use of the guide and software

program requires in depth training

of Field Workers

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Management Information System

captures data from VSLA that helps

to determine outcomes and impact

Where do I get it?

Full guide can be downloaded for free - http://www.vsla.net/

Principals of Program Design and Technical Recommendations for

Effective Field Interventions Field Report No.2 (Academy for

Educational Development, Save the Children. 2008)*

Description

This guide supports development practitioners in economic strengthening (ES) in

the areas of health epidemics, conflict, natural disasters, and poverty. Because ESrequires professionals from multiple sectors, there are gaps in the accessibility and

understanding of all the disciplines. This guide illustrates the facets of ES so that

donors and practitioners can be informed for their own practice. One component is

a series of principles for program design and implementation, the other is a set of

technical recommendations on how to implement specific ES activities in asset

growth and protection.

How it is used

The guide provides a number of specific approaches that can be used to foster

asset growth and protection including:

Group-based lending methodologies that pool the resources of caregivers

(and sometimes young people) to accumulate savings or distribute relatively

large sums of money to their members

Individual savings accounts opened in the name of children, or sometimes for

caregivers, to build cash assets

Initiatives linking households with institutions that provide low-cost insurance

to unserved or underserved participants. Health, life, disability, and loan

insurance are increasingly common. Micro insurance can reduce the impactof shocks and help households caring for vulnerable children afford health

services, provided that providers are available

Providing legal services or assisting in the process of protecting the assets of

orphans and vulnerable children, including land and property inheritance,

when parents die. Such programs may include encouraging birth registration,

assisting in preparing wills, and helping families plan for the future before the

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legal parents die

Strengths

The guide identifies the following

strengths of these approaches:

Involving participants who are too

poor and risk-averse to participate in

standard microfinance programs. This

intervention can be especially

effective for families affected by

HIV/AIDS

Promoting accounts with children

and allowing them to participate in

deposits.

Providing incentives to save and

regular reports on the growth of

savings balances. However, the

incentives should not be such that

households divert needed resources

for day-to-day life to the savings

account at the expense of the childs

welfare.

Weaknesses


weaknesses or unsuccessful

implementation of such approaches:

Using facilitators who lack strong

skills in community mobilization,

training, and financial transactions.

Requiring significant fees or bank

charges that erode the savings

balance faster than it can

accumulate.

Maintaining, or handling, cashdeposits as part of a social service

project. To prevent mismanagement

or abuse, account holders should be

linked directly to formal deposit

mechanisms that ensure transaction

transparency.

Where do I get it?

Full guide can be downloaded for free -

http://www.aed.org/Publications/upload/FIELD.pdf

Smooth Household Consumption and Manage Household

Cashflow




Description

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The guide, along with other components, provides recommendations on how to

support businesses through microcredit.

How it is used

Provides methodology on how to collaborate with lending institutions to provide

group or individual loans to caregivers to start/grow a business. Generally known as

microcredit, this methodology is one element of the growing portfolio of financial

services provided by microfinance organizations.

Strengths



Segmenting the market into the

types of participants to be reached

and conducting market research toensure that products and services are

designed to meet the needs of that

market segment.

Using personal guarantors to

pressure repayment or group

guarantees within a self-selected

group for populations unable to offer

collateral to secure a loan. Care must

be taken to ensure that these group

guarantees are manageable (the rest

of the members can, and indeed will,

pay for defaulters) and enforced.

Providing loan products with

flexible terms and/or short

emergency loans. Loan products

should always match the business

cycles of entrepreneurs so that

repayment is timed to occur when a

business has generated the expectedprofit.

Weaknesses




Banks and MFIs will have difficulty

targeting caregivers or householdswith vulnerable children directly.

Many beneficiaries of other, free,

social services do not understand

that the loan must be repaid. Offering

individual loans to program

participants without full disclosure of

loan terms and conditions, including

the importance of repayment, can be

counter-productive.

Where do I get it?


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Smooth Household Income and Promote Asset Growth

Youth Livelihoods Development Program Guide (EducationDevelopment Center, EQUIP3, 2008)*

Description

Provides a framework for donors and implementers to design youth livelihood

programs. Based on extensive research carried out in Uganda, Morocco, the

Philippines, Haiti and the West Bank, the framework sees successful livelihood

development programs as reflecting actual youth realities and responding to the

existing goals, plans and strategies of young people themselves and their

community supporters (especially at the household and extended family levels).

Youth livelihood programs, which focus more on informal economies, act ascomplement to workforce development programs and are a strategic necessity for

national development, especially when delivered in careful coordination with

traditional investments in health, education, democracy and governance, and

economic growth activities.

How it is used

This Guide responds to the interest on the part of USAID and development

practitioners worldwide for a common language to describe youth livelihood

programs, and a practical set of suggestions and reference materials to improve

youth livelihood development practices and to expand programming in the field.

Strengths

Places youth livelihood along a

continuum of other economic

strengthening programs

Provides suggestions for relevant

socio-economic indicators

Encourages implementers to first

consider the goals and objectives ofbeneficiaries

Weaknesses

Where do I get it?


https://secure.edc.org/publications/prodview.asp?1860

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Description


support income generating activities.

How it is used

Provides guidance on working with groups of caregivers (or, in some cases,

individuals) to design a project that produces income to be shared among group

members or generate personal income.

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Strengths



Developing the capacity to

adequately train groups in the

activity and in project management.

Best practice models draw on the

expertise of others with skills in the

proposed new activity.

Using market mechanisms for

financial services and operation of

the income-generation activity (IGA).

For example, linking groups or

individuals to institutions specializedin providing loans is often better than

trying to finance new projects as an

NGO or community-based activity.

Weaknesses




Providing free provision of start-up

capital or assets, which at times

reduces commitment to making

the venture profitable. Some

projects have successfully

subsidized a portion of start-up

costs or training, but few group or

individual businesses that are

completely financed by the project

remain successful.

Relying on project staff of a multi-

sectoral initiative to deliver both

technical expertise (e.g., health

education) and advice and

guidance on income-generating

activities. Many projects use

community workers to identify

and provide services for

vulnerable children, but if these

professionals lack the required

experience and exposure to guide

participants in IGA activities,

businesses often fail.

Where do I get it?



Savings and Internal Lending Communities (SILC): A Basis forIntegral Human Development (Catholic Relief Services, 2006)*

Description

Savings and Internal Lending Communities (SILC) is a holistic programming

approach that provides a strategy to increase low household income by providing

people, primarily women, with income generating opportunities through access to

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self-managed savings-led financial services. SILC has its roots in traditional Rotating

Savings and Credit schemes. Although they are efficient, transparent and an

economical form of financial intermediation, ROSCAs fail to provide the flexibility

people need for emergencies, consumption or business opportunities. The SILC

improves upon the methodology, taking communities one step further in creating

accessible, transparent and flexible Accumulating Savings and Credit Associations,or ASCAs that are user-owned and self-managed in the communities where

members reside.

How it is used

The SILC approach can be used by donors and implementing partners to design

programs that build and expand household income. SILC can be targeted at

households with a high prevalence of HIV/AIDS (but not target young children).

Heads of households and OVC caregivers are able to join SILC groups and use their

financial services to start or expand businesses, buy seed or rent plots of land for

cultivation, purchase livestock, or manage household expenses.

Strengths

The SILC program provides

flexible and accessible financial

services in the community.

Group members have ownership

and control over their SILC.

SILCs are sustainable. SILC groups

normally graduate from the

service provider after one year

and continue operating on their

own.

SILC empowers women, cultivates

self-reliance and problem solving

based on local solutions.

Weaknesses

The amount available for loans is

small, especially at the beginning

(although some consider this an

advantage because it prevents

over-borrowing, especially in the

early stages of a groups life).

The short loan period limitsinvestment in long-term activities.

Loan funds are not always

available at appropriate times.

The groups that choose to

distribute all of their savings at

the shareout are obliged to start

over again, and have little capital

available for loans.

While the document provides a

number of intervention examples,

it does not provide a user-friendly,

step by step guide to begin

programming.

The lack of tailored counseling

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services to OVC who wish to

engage in vocational training

Methodology lacks an analysis of

local market opportunities in order

to provide a basis for giving betterdirection to OVC on scalable

business opportunities, ways for

skills development, and potential

job prospects after graduation

Where do I get it?

Full guide can be downloaded for free www.crsprogramquality.org

Expand Household Income and Consumption




Description


support activities that generate jobs.

How it is used

Provides guidance on developing opportunities for older adolescents of legal

working age or OVC caregivers to earn income through paid employment. This

strategy is often most successful in a public-private partnership where apprentice

opportunities are created in the private sector, or jobs are developed and targeted

at households supporting vulnerable children.

Strengths



Identifying sectors in growth

phase or with significant growth

potential that can provide long-

term jobs or training in high-

Weaknesses




Subsidizing short-term work that does

not build skills or longer-term gains

for the household. While this may

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potential sectors.

Evaluating skills gaps or

challenges faced by older youth

and caregivers before pursuing

employment opportunities (e.g.,illiteracy, need for childcare while

working, periods of sickness if

facing health crisis, etc.).

Finding out from private sector

counterparts the types of

knowledge, skills, and character

attributes they look for in

employees.

provide short-term income or fill in

gaps, it is not sustainable and the

household often returns to the same

situation once the job ends.

Providing jobs for caretakers ofchildren without a strategy to care for

the children while the worker is away

from home. Many social workers have

reported that accidents happen in the

home while adults are away and

children are left alone or cared for by

other young children.

Where do I get it?

Full guide can be downloaded for free -http://www.aed.org/Publications/upload/FIELD.pdf

End Market Research Toolkit: Upgrading Value Chain

Competitiveness with Informed Choice (USAID, 2008)*

Description

This toolkit informs implementers on the process and value ofEnd-market Researchefforts for Value Chain development, provides a portfolio of tools, and grounds

these tools through case studies of their practical application.

How it is used

The toolkit gives practitioners a solid but manageable intellectual base to

understand the different components of market research. It is divided between

secondary market research and primary market research. Decision making for

practitioners is facilitated around the 6 Cs Choice, Context, Channels, Customers,

Competitors, and Communication. Linear progression through the Two Phases and

Six Cs provides a clear roadmap for designing and implementing an effective andefficient End-market Research effort.

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Strengths

Provides actionable steps for

mission staff to take when

developing a value chain project

that includes OVCs

The approaches outlined can be

easily adapted to include OVCs

and caregivers

Weaknesses

The toolkit is not focused on OVCs

which may make is difficult for some

practitioners to draw parallels.

The terminology may be advanced

for those new to the value chain and

competitiveness fields

Where do I get it?


http://www.microlinks.org/ev_en.php?ID=39116_201&ID2=DO_TOPIC

Measuring Vulnerability and Project Results, Outcomes

and Impact

Poverty Assessment Tools (PAT) (IRIS Center at the University of

Maryland, 2005-2010)

Description

In 2000, the U.S. Congress passed the Microenterprise for Self-Reliance and

International Anti-Corruption Act which mandated that half of all USAID

microenterprise funds benefit the very poor. To verify that USAID meets this target,

USAID is required to develop and certify low-cost tools for assessing poverty status

of microenterprise beneficiaries for use by its implementing partners. While

primarily aimed at microenterprise beneficiaries, the Poverty Assessment Tool is a

quick, easy to implement survey that measures how poor households are OVC or

not. All results are reported to USAID through the Microenterprise Results Reporting

(MRR) system.

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How it is used

Poverty Assessment Tools (PATs) are country specific household surveys which

means that a select number of countries have one available. The surveys are

relatively short (approximately 20 minutes) that gather household data on

indicators that have been identified as the best practice of whether a given set ofhouseholds is very poor. Very poor is country specific and depends on the

legislative definition of extreme poverty in the country in questions. PATs are

implemented through partners implementing microenterprise programs.

Beforehand, mission staff and implementing partners are trained in the PAT

methodology and how to conduct the survey. While the PAT in its current form may

not be practical for OVC programming, its approach could be modified.

Strengths

Effective in measuring household

poverty status in relation to nationalfactors

Quick and easy to use for

implementing partners

Can be applied to various

households, including OVCs

Training is provided by the PAT

project. A dedicated online Help

Desk is offered for continual support

Weaknesses

It does not take into account the

effects of gender differences in thedesign and application

The PAT is not very effective in

adapting to intra-household

inequality

If a tool is not already developed for

your country, it can take months for it

to be developed, not including the

training involved.

Where do I get it?

Existing PATs are available for free here www.povertytools.org. PATs have been

developed for 29 countries, although many are not in sub-Saharan Africa. Missions

interested in having a PAT developed for their country should contact USAIDs Office

of Microenterprise Development.

Orphans and Vulnerable Children Wellbeing Tool: Users Guide

(Catholic Relief Services, 2009)*

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Description

The Orphans and Vulnerable Children Wellbeing Tool (OWT) is a fast, easy method

of securing data about the overall wellbeing of children in OVC programs.

Wellbeing is defined by 10 indicators or domains including food and nutrition,

health, education and economic opportunities. It was developed as a way toimprove both the quality and responsiveness of OVC programs by identifying and

responding to unmet needs and evolving circumstances which impact vulnerable

childrens lives. This is a users guide that was piloted during a comprehensive

evaluation of OVC programs funded by the Presidents Emergency Plan for AIDS

Relief (PEPFAR) in Haiti, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Zambia.

How it is used?

Implementing partners can use the tool to as an impact indicator for OVC programs.

The tool is 36 questions long and takes approximately 20 minutes to administer.

Scoring can be done immediately or via a computer program. By collecting this self-report data over time, CRS anticipates being able to see patterns in its OVC

programs that will allow for real-time assessment and response to current issues

within the program.

Strengths

Provides programmers with

information from the childrens

perspective. OVC programs

consistently report that they wish to

involve the children in the programsand elicit their feedback

Easy-to-use, rapid tool that allows

programs to elicit direct feedback

from the children in the programs on

how they view their wellbeing

Covers multiple domains, providing

information not just on a childs

overall wellbeing, but also breaking

that information into segments. Inthis way, OVC programs can analyze

the data to determine which

interventions require additional

attention within the programs

Weaknesses

Requires an investment of time and

effort on translation

Not developed using an ethnographic

approach. It is completely possible

that communities in certain areas will

have a different understanding or

definition of what constitutes

wellbeing for the children in their

contexts

Because it is administered orally to

children, oral administration may

exert some pressure on respondents

to offer what they perceive as

desirable responses

May bring on negative feelings from

children, in which a plan for

psychosocial support will be needed

Where do I get it?

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Full guide can be downloaded for free www.crs.org

Child Status Index (MEASURE Evaluation Project, 2009)*

Description

The Child Status Index (CSI) is a new tool developed by a team of experts from the

USAID-funded Measure Evaluation project. It measures the psychological, physical,

and situational wellbeing of the OVC population. The index covers food and

nutrition; shelter and care; protecting health and psychosocial conditions; and

education and skills. Its application determines the impact of aid efforts and

provides policymakers with substantive assessments.

How it is used

Community workers collect information about orphans and vulnerable children bydirectly observing the children and their living quarters, and by interviewing

childrens guardians, neighbors, teachers, and children themselves. Community

workers then use that information to estimate childrens health in 10 outcome areas

relevant across cultures and stages of development: food security, shelter, care,

abuse, physical wellness, access to health care services, emotional health,

behavior, educational performance, and access to education. Scores range from 0

(no risk) to 3 (situation is very bad and may be urgent). Workers pool scores

together to provide assessments of childrens well being in six domains that can be

analyzed and tracked over time. The assessment also allows children in particular

need to be triaged for rapid interventions.

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Strengths

Overcomes flaw of other

M&E systems that merely focus on

HIV/AIDS-related issues

Overcomes flaw of M&E

systems that focus only on

services and not impact of aid

efforts

Provides a summary or

snapshot of the well-being

status for individual children and

the services they receive.

The tool is simple, reliable,

and user-friendly

Weaknesses

Community workers rely substantially

on their own powers of observation

and judgment, making it a very

subjective assessment

Where do I get it?

Full guide can be downloaded for free from the MEASURE Evaluation site -

http://www.cpc.unc.edu/measure/tools/child-health/child-status-index

Cross-Cutting Tools and Approaches

Promoting Early Childhood Development for OVC in Resource

Constrained Settings: The 5x5 Model (CARE International, 2006)

Description

CARE International designed the 5x5 model to illustrate and integrate the critical

needs of childhood development for OVC into a simplified holistic and replicable

program, capable of delivering early childhood development interventions. It

introduces methods particularly for resource constrained areas through community

based childcare centers, catering for the 2-8 year old age group. The model

describes strategies in five different levels of intervention and the expected areas ofimpact nutrition, child development, child rights protection, economic

strengthening, and health.

USAID and implementers can take the model and apply it to OVC interventions,

especially in young age groups, in their countries. The model views impact

happening at various levels of interventions individual child, caregiver/family,

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childcare settings, community, and national level.

Strengths

Highly comprehensive model that is

responsive to the needs of OVC

Quite sustainable due to the strong

emphasis of community ownership

The 5x5 model can be easily adapted

and contextualized

Weaknesses

Does not provide a step by step

approach on how to develop

programs around the model. Provides

examples of promising practices

though.

Where do I get it?

Full guide can be downloaded for free www.crin.org

Integrated Care for Orphans and Other Vulnerable Children, a

Toolkit for Community Service Providers (Uganda Ministry of

Gender, Labour, and Social Development, 2005)*

Description

This document presents a toolkit developed by the OVC Secretariat of the Ministry

of Gender Labor and Social Development of Uganda with support from the AIDS

Integrated Model District Program implemented by JSI. It is an innovative way tosupport OVCs through community based organizations with practical tools that have

worked in Uganda and around the world. It provides guides, needs assessment

checklists, monitoring and evaluation indicators, models, behavior change

messages, and many suggestions for resources. The toolkit was intended for OVC

service providers at the community level such as CBOs, FBOs, NGOs, and other

organizations providing assistance to these types of organizations. The toolkit can

improve existing OVC services, plan new activities, and monitor and evaluate

services.

How it is used

OVC service providers can use the Toolkit to improve existing OVC services, plan

new activities, work more effectively with communities, volunteers and OVC,

monitor and evaluate their OVC services.

Strengths

Community service providers

Weaknesses

Toolkit is aimed primarily at

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strengthen community capacity to

support and advocate for vulnerable

children and their households

Help is given to vulnerable children

and households to make their owndecisions and help themselves

Communities are supported to take

the lead in their own strategies for

OVC care

community based organizations so it

may not be entirely relevant at the

donor level

Many of the suggestions and tools

were created in the context ofUganda. Still, many tools could be

adapted to specific country realities

Where do I get it?

Full guide can be downloaded for free

http://www.worlded.org/docs/Publications/training/integrated_care_for_ovc_toolkit.p

df

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Cardno HES OVC Tools Inventory

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