SAWAKA Jali Watoto Program Supporting Most-Vulnerable Children, Tanzania

This 25-page case study report was produced as part of a MEASURE Evaluation initiative to find out about "what works" to improve the well-being of children affected by HIV and AIDS. The case study was conducted to provide a detailed account of the operations of the Pact/Jali Watoto project in supporting orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) through the SAWAKA (Saidia Wazee Karagwe) organisation in Karagwe district in Tanzania. The study suggests that the programme has been largely successful, but still faces some challenges, especially around volunteer expectations and limited local resources.

The Jali Watoto programme strategies focus on mobilising and supporting community-based responses and utilising advocacy and social mobilisation to create supportive environments and reduce stigma and discrimination. SAWAKA supports those identified as most vulnerable children (MVC) with school fees and school materials and empowers communities to establish and manage kids’ clubs for easy access to psychosocial support at the community level. Volunteers are nominated from the community where the MVC live. After nomination, all volunteers undergo training on counselling, care-taking skills, human rights, psychosocial support, and anti-stigma campaigning.

According to the case study, experience has afforded many lessons learned regarding implementation. Community volunteers and SAWAKA staff identify lessons learned through innovations, successes, and challenges encountered over time.

Some of the challenges have included the following:

• Volunteer and local leader requests for compensation: SAWAKA work is challenging for field staff due to expectations from volunteers desiring compensation for their time and transportation allowances or bicycles.
• Volunteers having to reach MVC in geographically dispersed households: Volunteers request bicycles, which would enable them to visit children who are far from the volunteers’ homes. They also need stationery for record keeping, as well as brochures and other information and education leaflets to give to MVC and their families.
• Insufficient volunteers and kids’ club training, guidance, and equipment: Volunteer trainings address several topics, including care-taking skills, anti-stigma campaigns, HIV/AIDS, counselling, and aspects involving kids’ clubs. However, most MVC committees are not selected to attend training, and trainings can occur several months after committee formation, leaving volunteers to implement their efforts without guidance or training.
• Outstanding volunteer needs for economic strengthening: Volunteers note that income generating activities for volunteers is an important missing programme component.
• Low level of social, medical, and transport services in rural areas: Volunteers in rural areas face challenges assisting MVC and their families arising from a low level of social, medical, and transport services.
• Addressing the many needs of OVC households: In their individual family assessments and ongoing work with families, volunteers reportedly often uncover great needs for material support (i.e., food, shelter, bedding, and school materials and uniforms). However, they are largely unable to meet these needs due to limited resource mobilisation potential in economically poor communities.
• Ensuring educational support to post-primary students: Most MVC qualifying to join secondary school become frustrated by their inability to supply school fees and materials and to meet other school requirements.

According to the report, much of SAWAKA’s success and innovation lies within its community engagement processes, contributing to community ownership. This has been achieved through the following factors:

• Empowering local leaders: Community leaders such as village and sub-village chairpersons are empowered to oversee and monitor MVC clubs and community volunteer activities in their communities. Because of their central involvement in the programme, community leaders reportedly feel pride in their community’s response to the needs of MVC and their families and play an important role in sustaining programme activities.
• Beneficiary selection by the community based on local definitions of vulnerability: SAWAKA and local leaders facilitate community identification of vulnerability, and, based on these definitions, community members identify specific MVC to receive programme services. Community selection of beneficiaries capitalises on local knowledge of vulnerability and promotes community ownership.
• Direct material support and service provision by the community: Community responsibility to meet material and service needs of MVC and families is encouraged and strengthened. With very minimal material inputs and support, MVC clubs undertake community sensitisation, kids’ clubs organisation, and home visiting with a sense of commitment. While there are limits to the extent to which economically poor communities can provide goods and services to those in need, the model demonstrates the power and commitment of communities to take action on behalf of their most vulnerable children.
• Youth involvement in kids' clubs: The inclusion of non-MVC youth in kids’ clubs facilitates youth participation and strengthens relevance. Including youth in these clubs demonstrates a commitment to incorporating the ideas and experiences of youth in programme implementation and fosters youth leadership skills. The senior MVCs kids’ clubs, known as Kikundi Cha Upendo, have created a way for kids to engage in income generating activities.

The case study concludes that: strict adherence to MVC identification processes is critical; all identified MVC should be included in services as soon as the identification process is complete; volunteers are an immense resource that can be optimally utilised if they are well trained and motivated; and there is need to design and put into action exit strategies for older MVC.