• Who makes OVC public policy?

• How should OVC public policies be made?

  • Step 1: Situational Analysis
  • Step 2: Identifying possible options
  • Step 3: Setting Your OVC Policy Framework
  • Step 4: Narrowing Down your Policy Options
  • Step 5: Final Check
  • Step 6: Planning Implementation

Step 3: Setting Your OVC Policy Framework

The Framework for the government’s policy on OVC should be established in a participatory way, since achieving the goals and objectives of these policies will depend upon a wide range of public and private actors. Very few countries have OVC policies in place and those that do tend to focus solely on Children affected by HIV/AIDS, leaving out all the other categories of OVC. Therefore, we have very few examples of actual, comprehensive OVC policies to share with you.

The overall goal of the policy. The goal you set for OVC policy should be simple and point the direction for all of your OVC interventions. An example might be “A sustainable and integrated system of care for Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC) that ensures that they have the same opportunities as non-OVC in our country to become healthy, well-adjusted productive adults.”

• Policy objectives – Where do we want to go? What will success look like? The policy objectives will clarify what end result you are seeking, and should of course be consistent with the objectives of other policies. The objectives will describe how the lives of OVC will be affected by government policies and programs, and establish quantifiable targets for each of these. Note that including all children, not just OVC, in the above objective is a way to put your emphasis on prevention. The objectives of an OVC policy might look something like this:

Increase the percentage of OVC who:

• live in a nurturing family environment (reduce the number of children living in institutions from 50,000 to 2,000 and the number of children living in the street from 10,000 to 500)

• have access to primary and secondary education (eliminate enrollment gap between orphans and non-orphans, ensure that at least 90% of primary schools and 70% of secondary schools are accessible to the physically handicapped)

• have equal access to basic health and sanitation services (increase from 30% to % share of children in at-risk households receiving regular well-baby visits; achieve an 80% vaccination rate among working children and orphans)

• are not discriminated against by institutions or society (reduce rates of female genital mutilation among girls from 70% to 40%, ensure that 100% HIV-affected children are treated and suffer no stigma from teachers and health care providers).

• Principles and values guiding the policy. These may be described as selection criteria that will help you choose among interventions or strategies for arriving at your objectives. The principles and values can also serve as a checklist of aspects that need to be considered in your national policy. Some examples of principles and values that might apply to a national OVC strategy are:

• focus on prevention

• preference for family and community-based responses

• cost-effectiveness and sustainability

• collaboration, involving public and private players from multiple sectors

• protection of child’s rights recognized by the Convention on the Rights of Children

For a more detailed list of relevant Principles and Values, refer to page 12 of USAID’s Policies for Orphans and Vulnerable Children: A Framework for Moving Ahead.