The NPA for OVC was developed with the participation of children as key stakeholders at the National Stakeholders' Conference in June 2003. The conference rolled out recommendations culminating in this NPA for OVC, which seeks to ensure that OVC are able to access education, food, health services, birth registration, and be protected from abuse and exploitation through coordinated efforts by government and civil society with the full participation of children. The vision of the NPA for OVC is to reach out to all orphans and other vulnerable children in Zimbabwe with basic services that will positively impact on their lives. By December 2005, the goal is to develop a national institutional capacity to identify all orphans and other vulnerable children and to have reached out with service provision to at least 25% of OVC. The vision and goal will be achieved through the following objectives: - Strengthen the existing coordination structures for OVC programmes and increase resource mobilisation by December 2005; - Increase child participation where appropriate in all issues that concern them from community to national level, considering their evolving capacities; - Increase the percentage of children with birth certificates by at least 25% by December 2005; - Increase new school enrolment of OVC by at least 25% by December 2005, while ensuring retention of OVC in primary and secondary schools; - Increase access to food, health services, and water and sanitation for all OVC by December 2005; - Increase education on nutrition, health, and hygiene for all OVC by December 2005; - Reduce the number of children who live outside of a family environment by at least 25% by December 2005 (this includes children living without adult guidance, children living on the streets, and children in institutions).
Centre de Ressources sur la Santé et L'Éducation