This report describes interventions for orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) at four sites in South Africa. The project sites are the Rustenburg and Orkney areas in the North West province, and the Kopanong and Matjhabeng municipalities in the Free State. The report highlights the knowledge, attitudes, practices, prevention, care and support issues concerning HIV/AIDS among the people located in these 4 areas. In 2002, the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) was commissioned by the WK Kellogg Foundation to develop and implement a five-year intervention project focusing on orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) in southern Africa. In collaboration with several partner organisations, the project currently focuses on how children, families and communities in Botswana, South Africa and Zimbabwe are coping with the impact of HIV/AIDS. The aim of the project is to develop models of best practice so as to enhance and improve support structures for OVC in the southern African region as a whole.

In 2002, the Human Sciences Research Council was commissioned by the WK Kellogg Foundation to develop and implement a five-year intervention project focusing on orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) in southern Africa. In collaboration with several partner organizations, the project currently focuses on how children, families and communities in Botswana, South Africa and Zimbabwe are coping with the impact of HIV/AIDS. The aim of the project is to develop models of best practise so as to enhance and improve support structures for OVC in the southern African region as a whole. This report forms part of a series that examines the work undertaken as part of the Kellogg OVC Intervention Project from 2002 to 2005.

This report describes the substance of the various interventions implemented by the HSRC and its donor partners in Botswana, South Africa and Zimbabwe, as part of the research-driven, multi-country and multi-site intervention project on orphans and vulnerable children (OVC), funded by the WK Kellogg Foundation. The report provides information on what is happening on the ground and also the basic data required to develop 'models of best practice'. It is organised according to the project's four focus areas: home-based, child-centred development programmes; family and household support programmes; strengthening of community-support systems and HIV/AIDS awareness, advocacy and policy programmes, reported by country. The main purpose of the OVC project is to develop 'models of best practice' that will facilitate the development of community-driven strategies for responding to the increasing burden of OVC in Africa.

This report forms part of a project funded by the W. K. Kellogg Foundation to implement a strategy for the care of orphans and vulnerable children in Botswana, South Africa, and Zimbabwe with a review of the available scientific information on interventions aimed at children, families, households, and communities.

There is widespread recognition of the urgency of addressing the problem of orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) within the context of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, especially in sub-Saharan Africa (Hunter & Williamson 2000; Smart 2000; UNAIDS, UNICEF & USAID 2002). Many countries in the region, including South Africa, in collaboration with development agencies and non-governmental organisations (NGOs), have outlined policy guidelines and identified models of intervention (Family Health International 2001; Kalemba 1998; Loening-Vosey & Wilson 2001; Schneider & Russell 2000; UNAIDS 2002; UNICEF 1999; USAID & the Synergy Project 2001; Wilson, Giese, Meintjies, Croke & Chamberlain 2002). As a result, a considerable number of programmes targeting OVC have been implemented in the past few years. However, there are very few which have been independently evaluated in order to establish sustainable best practice models, which can confidently be recommended for replication and scaling up to meet the rapidly growing need with regard to OVC.

In collaboration with several partner organizations, the project currently focuses on how children, families and communities in Botswana, South Africa and Zimbabwe are coping with the impact of HIV/AIDS. The aim of the project is to develop models of best practise so as to enhance and improve support structures for OVC in the southern African region as a whole.