Capacity Building of Community Care and Support for Orphans and Vulnerable Children: a Study of Grassroots Self-help Initiatives in Pumwani Slum Area, Nairobi

Abstract

Capacity building of community grassroots OVC initiatives is crucial for effective and sustainable service delivery. This study examines how and the extent the capacities for care and support of community-level Self-Help OVC initiatives in Pumwani are being strengthened. The study explores the nature and scope of the OVC care and support; types of capacity building organizations and strategies; outcome of capacity support on service delivery; and lastly, community grassroots perception of change in OVC care and support. This study adopts a case study strategy with a qualitative research approach. Maximum variation, snowballing and purposive sampling techniques are used to select the units of analysis and the respondents. The study utilizes primary and secondary data; and thematic analysis technique of data analysis. The study draws six conclusions based on findings. First, the Self-Help OVC initiatives are heterogeneous institutions in constant transformation to complex organizations and with potential for OVC care and support. Second, youths and children have emerged as new actors in OVC care and support. This is accompanied by emergence of new services such as talent development, sanitation, and legal assistance. Third, the main capacity building organizations are Non-Profit Organizations (NPO) and government agencies. Participation by the for-profit sector in capacity support for community OVC initiatives remains limited. Fourth, training in key programmatic areas is the most sustainable capacity building strategy. Other strategies such as resource support (financial and material), on-site support visits, exchange visits, partnerships, and networking are less prominent and their support unsustainable. Moreover, the implementation of capacity support is largely fragmented and tends to focus more on improving care and support programs rather than strengthening the OVC organization. Fifth, capacity support resulted to improved service delivery by the OVC initiatives. However, overall the initiatives remain generally weak to provide comprehensive and sustainable care and support. Finally, despite community grassroots perception of improved OVC care and support, the services provided are perceived as inadequate. In addition, OVC with disability are still disadvantaged in accessing care and support services. The study suggests five key recommendations for policy and further research. First, there is need for policymakers and practitioners in OVC care and support to design an integrated capacity support implementation framework that also incorporates initial capacity assessment of the OVC initiatives. Second, the study recommends the need for the stakeholders and practitioners to review capacity support approaches to equally focus on strengthening the OVC organization. Third, the study recommends the need for policymakers to review the National OVC Policy and the National Plan of Action to enhance participation by the for-profit sector in capacity support of community-level OVC initiatives. Additionally, the study suggests two recommendations for further research. First, there is need to investigate the new institutions in OVC care and support in Pumwani Slum Area such as the Children’s Parliament and the grassroots Child Rights Clubs to establish their roles and effectiveness. Second, conscious to contextual dynamics, this study recommends need for replication of the study in other settings across the country to establish variations in capacity building organizations, strategies employed, and the outcome of capacity support on service delivery.