Strengthening the Federal Level Response to Highly Vulnerable Ethiopian Children

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Date of Operation: 2011 – 2016

Primary Implementing Partner: UNICEF

Other Implementing Partner(s): IntraHealth International

Regions of Operation: National

Goal:

To mitigate the impact of HIV/AIDS on children through improved Ethiopian systems and structures.

Objectives:

  • Build the capacity of national government and key partners to appropriately respond to the social welfare needs of children
  • Increase professional capacity, with specific focus on social work, within key national-level structures mandated with children
  • Strengthen and increase data demand and use regarding status of vulnerable children and provision of services and support by supporting research and situation analysis, facilitating information exchange, providing monitoring and evaluation technical assistance and training, and documenting key lessons learned to enhance project implementation.

Description:

Continued HIV infection rates, food insecurity, internal migration to urban areas and the global financial crisis all continue to exacerbate the vulnerability of children in Ethiopia. Families and caretakers remain in a precarious situation and in certain situations caring for a vulnerable child becomes impossible. Traditional care mechanisms such as kinship care have been pushed to the brink as caregivers take in more children with little or no financial, social or emotional support. The combination of these factors creates a scenario whereby vulnerable families are unable to care for children.

This project utilizes a broad range of approaches for successfully achieving a strong child-focused social welfare system. This includes active participation in developing policies, regulations and standards related to social welfare, child protection, and alternative care. Experts in the field of database creation and management information systems provide support and expertise in setting up a national and coordinated system. Taking advantage of a vast network of academic institutions interested in supporting a national-level curriculum development, accreditation and roll-out process.

The project also supports the organization, implementation and follow-up of trainings to Government of Ethiopia at national level as well as to partner organizations to help increase the capacity, knowledge and skills of personnel involved and having active roles in core components of a child-focused social welfare system.

Expected Results:

  • Develop a child-focused social welfare policy framework
  • Strengthen Institutional and technical capacities of Government counterparts to sustain a child-focused social welfare system
  • Design and implement a national management information system with better tracking of children within the continuum of care system and service delivery to vulnerable children
  • Deinstitutionalization of children through increasing family-based care for children in Ethiopia

See also: "Yekokeb Berhan" Program for Highly Vulnerable Children