Southern Highlands Participatory Organisation

SHIPO identifies together with OVC committee the number of foster families, orphans and vulnerable children in the village.

A counselor from SHIPO trains three volunteers from the village in how to conduct care taker meetings. During these meetings care takers share problems they are facing in their household. The parents get beside problem sharing also information on: child rights, different problematic behaviors and learning problems, serious challenges children are facing like: grief, trauma, child abuse, HIV/AIDS, recognizing resilience in children and how to listen to children. After a few meetings care taker groups will be formed.

The volunteers are also trained in how to conduct child and youth groups. The children will be divided in three groups: age 5-8 / 9-11 / 12-17. The emphasis for the 5-8 group will be on playing, sporting and sharing life experiences together. The volunteers are trained in how to recognize children with problems and how to handle. The accent on the 9-11 group will be on sport, games, talking groups and sharing life experiences together. The last group 12-17 will be beside sport also on information sharing, subjects like: future plans, AIDS/HIV, safe sex, education etc. SHIPO made fact sheets for this purpose.

The OVC committee is trained in forming Income Generating Activitie (IGA). In these two villages the IGA is on tree nursery, avocado trees and farming vegetables. The income will be for the families with orphans and vulnerable children to support them on sending children to school and buy food and school materials.

SHIPO produses the play toys for the 5-8 and 9-11 group with the help of local contractors. In Manga SHIPO is using the help of the sewing group. This is a group of ten orphan girls who cannot afford going to secondary school. The OVC committee decided to start a small class for ten girls during two years. SHIPO is paying this group for making play toys. The small income they get out of this is used to pay the teacher and to put some money aside for the future of the girls (buying a sewing machine at the end of the two years).