Evaluation of orphaned and vulnerable children donor funded projects a case of Bahari District

Abstract

The situation of Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC) in Kenya has continued to be of national and international concern. Although no comprehensive survey has been carried out, the government estimates that there are a total of 2.4 million OVCs in Kenya out of which 1.15 million are as a result of HIV/ AIDS. The 2007/2008 post-election violence contributed to the aggravation of the OVC situation in Kenya. The Government of Kenya through its Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Development developed a National Plan of Action (2007-2013) on OVC which helps to strengthen the capacity of families to protect and care for OVCs. Aside from government efforts at managing OVC concerns, Non-Governmental Organizations (at 78%) continue to top the list of agencies providing care and support to OVCs covering all physical and psychosocial needs. Other support has come from private entities, faith-based organizations, and multilateral organizations. Community initiatives targeting avc's are sometimes planned without an explicit understanding of the early and intermediate steps required for long-term changes to occur; therefore, many assumptions about the change process need to be examined for program planning or evaluation planning to be most effective. Theory of Change creates an honest picture of the steps required to reach a goal. The purpose of this study was to evaluate OVC donor funded projects in Bahari District, Kilifi County. The results from the study will be significant in understanding the magnitude of the problem and provide an opportunity for stakeholders to assess what they can influence, what impact they can have, and whether it is realistic to expect to reach their goal with the time and resources they have available.The study involved a descriptive survey design. The target populations for purposes of this study were the management of organizations offering avc services, key government officials and households with Ov'Cs in Bahari district, Kilifi County. The study used a sample of fifty five (55) members from the target population who will be drawn using stratified random sampling and purposive sampling techniques. Data was then be collected from the sample using questionnaires, interviews and document analysis techniques andanalyzed both quantitatively and qualitatively with the help of SPSS for presentation of frequency distributions and cross tabulations. The study specifically sought to: 1) identify the services offered by avc organizations in Bahari district; 2) to determine average number of meals taken in a day by avc beneficiaries in Bahari district; 3) to obtain the percentage of school attendance by avc beneficiaries in Bahari district; and 4) to assess access to health care services by avc beneficiaries in Bahari district.