Khulisa Management Services

Deep in the hinterland of KwaZulu Natal, the province with the highest HIV prevalence and the greatest number of children who have lost both their parents, the KwaZulu Natal Department of Education is proactively addressing the needs of Orphans and Vulnerable Children in the Reception year (Grade R).

A child is sick but is brought to school by a sibling. The Early Childhood Development (ECD) Practitioners would like to help this child but do not know how. The child is not developing and learning in the way other children do.

A child has lost his parents. He is staying with the extended family and the family are receiving a social grant. The child comes to school dirty and without school materials. The ECD Practitioner visits the family to find the caregiver dressed in expensive clothes but the child has nothing to eat.

These are some of the experiences of ECD Practitioners in KZN. The KZN ECD Practitioners and District Officials did not know how to identify Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC) and where to refer them for support. They called in Khulisa Management Services who are experts in Monitoring and Evaluation and OVC support. Khulisa designed an interactive training programme for ECD Practitioners and District Officials.

The training helped KZN District Officials and ECD Practitioners understand that children in the Reception Year are at a crucial developmental stage. Identifying and addressing developmental delays and barriers to learning before the child enters formal education will benefit the child considerably. Supporting a child at this early age is also an opportunity to mould the child's emotional and social behaviour so that they may develop sound social relationships with others.

The training focussed on child development theories and how these can be applied to monitor child development in orphans and vulnerable children. Common challenges identified by practitioners included the emotional distress experienced by children, the lack of support available and the stigma associated with talking about HIV and AIDS in children's communities. The training affirmed that ECD Practitioners and schools are providing some material and emotional support to children with the limited resources available. The KZN Department of Education has given OVC support, in an annual subsidy, to a small number of schools to provide assistance with OVC school uniforms, stationery and food. However, this support is not extended to Grade R learners.

Sixty ECD Practitioners from across KZN were trained in November 2008 in facilitation skills and how to cascade such critical information across the province. The training included teaching participants how to conduct a Needs Assessment, Stakeholder Analysis and how to encourage OVCs to become more resilient. Developing resilience in vulnerable children helps to address the lack of psychologists and social workers in remote areas.

Working with the KZN DoE, Khulisa Management Services developed a checklist that will be used by ECD Practitioners. Each OVC has a checklist that:

• Ticks off the support required from a list of available services;
  
• Ticks off the type of home environment and caregiver;
  
• Ticks the child's social behaviour and, physical and cognitive development;
  
• Ticks the child's progress towards achieving National Curriculum Statement learning outcomes; and
  
• Ticks off the referrals given.

The information reported in the checklist will be used to report on outcome indicators developed by Khulisa in collaboration with District Coordinators.

Recommendations from the training programme include expanding the OVC Subsidy to all No Fee Schools and ensure that Grade R learners are included to receive support.

At the end of the training programme, practitioners were excited and said "With this information, we know how to help the children in our classroom; we will be able to change the life of these children!"

For further information about this project, contact Rebecca Pursell at Khulisa Management Services, Tel: (0)11 447-6464