[Press Kit]

22

The Village Committees report
to the Chief Area Committees who
report to the District Development
Committee (DDC) through its Social
Services subcommittee. Through
the DDC, the community-based
structures for orphan care are linked
to the formal government. This referral system enables the Government to
understand better the needs of the
community and gives communities
the ability to influence state policy.

Jean, 3, a Rwandan boy
who lost both parents to
AIDS, nestles against his
grandmother, who cares for
the boy and his two sisters.

Assessing the problem
The Area and Village Committees are
responsible for counting orphans. They
are trained by members of the Child
Welfare Forum, already established in
their districts and provinces, to identify
all orphans and other children needing
protection and to record them in their
registry. The registration process is
ongoing and all orphans are registered
irrespective of whether or not they need
assistance. Information recorded on
each child includes name, date of birth,
address and nearest school, names of
deceased parents, names of caregivers,
as well as any particular problems the
child is having. Committee members
are also trained to refer children to
appropriate agencies when their needs
cannot be met by the Committees.
If a request is beyond the capabilities
of the Area Committee, the case is
referred to the State through the Social
Services subcommittee of the DDC.
Both the Village and Area Committees
keep records for follow-up and
accounting purposes.
It became clear during the first
phase of the Programme that extended
families were playing a crucial role in
caring for orphans. Of 11,514 orphans
and children needing protection
counted in the Masvingo and Mwenezi
Districts, over 11,000 of them were
being cared for by relatives living in
the community.
The majority of caregivers were
women, widowed and over 50 years
old. Often, they were the children's