This project was a 12 month PEPFAR funded project covering 18 clinics/sites within Buffalo City.

The undermentioned are the key activities that formed the basis of the work plan of the PEPFAR funded project;

• Facilitation of 90 community health workers in OVC Safety Net methods and tools, perinatal HIV, nutrition and adolescent SRH using in-service facilitated learning: on a fortnightly basis using the Skills to Care methodology developed by Prof David Woods of the Perinatal Education Trust and SPF.
• The 90 community health workers service 2880 OVC’s, 15 680 households. They facilitate learning and establishment of 18 OVC Safety Net Forums (8 people per forum) – 144 community members and stakeholders (8 per ward/forum) to operate OVC Safety Nets.
• OVC survey printing of referral books (150), directory of services (150), manual of grant, registration and child care forms (150) for assisting OVC’s beneficiaries.
• Social worker coordinator x 1 to manage, facilitate learning and monitor CHW’s and OVC Safety Network.

Fourteen  (14) of these sites were sites previously supported by the Capacity for Active Citizens project previously alluded to, thus ensuring continuity of support within the 14 sites with a far greater success rate in terms of sustainability post project support.

The remaining 3 sites were new sites identified by the Eastern Cape Department of Health and were thus included in the project sites, making up 17 project supported sites.

The work plan was very specific and the intention of the project was to exceed the targets, in particular to improve access by OVC’s and vulnerable and abused women to services and support and to strengthen the systems used to support the beneficiaries in the establishment and functioning of the safety net structures, as a key strategy to ensure ongoing sustainability.

Safety nets was established at all 17 sites, the 18th site was not supported due to ongoing instability in the community.

The safety nets was comprised of key community representatives, inclusive of clinic committee members, school social workers, police and NGO’s.  In order to give the safety net committee legitimacy it was aligned to the clinic committee as a structure that reported to the clinic committee. Clinic committees are legally constituted making this alignment very useful and workable. Other representatives on the safety net committees were community leaders, churches, local CBO’s, ward committee members and other partner/support entities.

Key intervention areas supported by this project;

1 .Lack of immunizations.

2 .Lack of birth certificates.

3. Lack of ID documents.

4 .Lack of access to child support grants.

5. Vulnerable and abused women and children identification, referral and support.