Culture Information Pastoralist Development

P.O. BOX 302 – 60700, MOYALE

Email: [email-masked]

OBBITU CHILDREN VILLAGE UPDATE REPORT JANUARY – MARCH, 2011

INTRODUCTION

Obbitu children village have been operational for the last 6 months July – December, 2010. This is the first quarter of 2011. Activities have been going on well. There was very severe drought being experienced in Sololo community. The village received Dr. Pino who is currently at Obbitu. He has tirelessly worked hard to address the problem of the drought. Now there is emergency project on water and extra food for OVC at home level.

1.       OBBITU CHILDREN’S VILLAGE

The children have grown in height and size. They are developing mentally and even intellectually. They are very lively, playful on the compound

PLANNED ACTIVITIES

2.      Provision of balance diet

3.      Provide clothing

4.      Provide curative ,preventive and promotive health services

5.      Enrollment in quality school

6.      Provide entertainment

2.  BALANCE DIET

There was adequate balance diet prepared for Obbitu children. Food is served in adequate amount and children are fed 4 times per day. Every meal was served contain carbohydrate, protein, and vitamins. For example a lunch meal was rice +beans + cabbages /kales + fruits

For breakfast children are served with tea+ anjera and 1 egg per day for every child (local bread prepared by Mother Care takers). Milk was also served 1pkt of 200 mls per day

The children who go to school cannot come back for lunch. They eat lunch at school. CIPAD pay for their lunch every month. They eat late lunch after they come from school.

Fruits like oranges, mangoes and avocado was bought for children when it was available in the market. Fruits were not locally available, either bought from Ethiopia via Moyale or Nairobi.

3.      CLOTHING

The children have homes clothes; girls have under wears, skirts, dresses – shirts and sweaters. They have more than 1 pair of shoes. Those attending school have school uniforms. Clothes were bought from shops in Sololo. Our visitors also brought for the children some clothes from Italy when they came to Obbitu children village.

The only challenge was that children grow out of the clothes very first. Therefore, there were frequent purchases of clothes from the shops.

4.      HEALTH CARE:

Generally the children have been growing healthy. There was no out break in Obbitu village. There were very few Cases of illness complained by children and the staffs.

Most complain among the children was stomach ache, fever, malaria. The stomach ache was mainly due to contaminated water from Raamata dam which has already dried up. There is a First Aid kit at Obbitu to treat minor ailments. While serious case was seen by Paul Guyo Nurse at Sololo Raamata dispensary.

There were no children admitted at Sololo hospital. CIPAD pay all the bills from Sololo hospital.

Common diagnoses were malaria, amoebiasis and bacterial dysentery and fungal infections

5.      EDUCATION

When Obbitu children’s village was opened 7 children were going to public school.  Namely Sololo primary school and Hawecha primary school. 5 children were at nursery level in Obbitu village.

After school opened in January, 2011, 13 children, 8 girls and 5 boys were enrolled in private schools because of good quality teaching and learning. Unlike public schools which are free primary education, private academies charge school fees, CIPAD accepted to pay schools fees because the enrollment in public schools is very high compared to number of classes available in relation with the number of teachers per class. While in private school the enrollment per class is limited for the teacher to effectively teach and supervise the children individually.

The children have already shown improvement in the monthly test they do, they score high marks per subject done. It was encouraging and children were rewarded for good marks they scored for motivation and competition. There is a performance register to enter the marks scored by children and compared at the end of the term.

Every child in school has 2 pairs of school uniforms and a pair of school shoes. Beside uniforms children are provided with adequate learning materials like exercise books pens, pencils and erasers. Text books are shared 1 book between 2 children. There are 5 children learning at Obbitu like a day care centre with a nursery teacher giving basic numbers and alphabets.

6.      ENTERTAINMENT

There is play ground for the children it was roofed by a net.  There are balls to play by children. Play games materials for the nursery children.

Video shows are shown to children on Friday and Saturday evenings. For Sunday evening they sleep early so that they wake up early to go to school on Monday morning at 5.30 Am.

7.      WATER FOR OBBITU CHILDREN VILLAGE

There is a very serve drought being experienced in Sololo community currently. The drought was as result of failed short rains from October – December. The water in the tanks of Obbitu was finished, short rain failed so Obbitu with its donkeys fetched water from Sololo Raamata dam. By February the dam was dry there was no water for the whole Sololo community and the same for Obbitu village.

With arrival of Dr. Pino he started emergency water supply for the Obbitu children village and OVC at home based care.  The village has 4 tanks of 8,000 litres each for each house of the children. They play ground roof has 4 tanks, the fathers house has also 4 tanks the guest house has 8 tanks plus two for roof catchment tank, the generator house and security bay has 1 tank each. Through hire of private water boozer these tanks was filled. The same water was shared with the needy families in the community

Therefore there was enough water for the children to drink, bathe, wash their clothes and clean their houses.

8.      LIGHTING:

The village is served by solar electricity on each house. The house of the father, the houses of the children, the Guest house and the security house. The latrines also have solar light for ease of use at night by the children. During the night the solar is supplemented by a generator between 7.00pm – 9.00pm. The systems work very well and no mechanical breakdown was experienced. For the repairs and to fill maintenance of the generators, vehicle and Motorcycle CIPAD entered agreement with John Kalili of Sololo hospital, he will conducted services and repairs.

9.      STAFFS AT OBBITU VILLAGE

There are a number of staffs’ categories at Obbitu children village.  They do different work at the village. They include the following

1.      Mother care takers – 2

2.      House helpers – 2

3.      Security – 4

4.      OVC home based care giver – 1

5.      OVC program officer – 1

6.      Coordinator/ chairman – 1

7.      Mondeco representative – 1

8.      Nursery school teacher ___1

The staffs have been working in harmony and doing their respective duties very well. Since we are focusing more activities on OVC on HBC to collect up to date data and reporting timely, there is need to have 2 field workers to collect data and a computer literate to store information in the computer to provide update report to the donor

OBBITU MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE

The committee links the Obbitu village to the community and also become source of information to and from the community. They also participate in identification of OVC to be supported by CIPAD.

Meeting is usually on quarterly basis. The last meeting was done in December and the next will be schedule by the end of March, 2011.

OVC SUPPORTED AT HOME BASED CARE

This is the bigger part of the project. majority of the children live at their guardians home. Beside nutritional support the project did not do much on the OVC on HBC.  Currently there is a refocus toward more support to HBC children. The activities beside nutritional support focused   health and education.

To achieve this, household visits were conducted to be able to collect accurate data on every child on the project. The project areas were divided into 8 centers as follows Raamata, Sololo makutano, Golole, Anona, Madoadi, Wayegoda and Damballafachana.

During home visits information on every child is collected and entered in the child particulars forms. The photography of children was also taken and down loaded into the computer for onward email to the donor.

This quarter was very hard times for the community due to the prolonged drought. There is no water for the household. Livestock are dying in their hundreds because of lack of grasses and water. Some of the children and the guardians were away looking for water for night and day therefore data was not well captured.

The following is the summary of the home visits done by the HBC worker together with the nurse and other visitors to OVC HBC

No. of household visited this quarter __ Jan – 38, Feb. – 18, March – 23. Total – 79 house hold

No. of children seen and information collected___ Jan – 84, Feb – 50, March – 45. Total – 179

FOOD DISTRIBUTION

Every month food was distributed to household of supported OVC. The food included

1.      Maize

2.      Beans

3.      Cooking oil

4.      Sugar

5.      Tea leaves

6.      Salt

7.      Rice – ( month of February we received foods from GOK- DC Sololo)

To improve hygiene some times washing soap was issued.

Because of the prevailing drought the quantity of food was increased and distribution was done 2 times per month starting February and will continue up to April, 2011. this was aimed at reducing malnutrition among the OVC supported by CIPAD.

The table below summaries foods which was bought and distributed by CIPAD.

Food items

Qty January

Qty February

Qty. March

Total  kg

Total Cost

Maize

1,870 kg

3,210 kg

3,210 kg

8,290 kg

232,120

Beans

770 kg

1,284 kg

1,284 kg

3,338 kg

179,740

Cooking oil

0

214 litres

214 litres

428 litres

75,600

Sugar

150 kg

200 kg

200kg

550  kg

51,000

Tea leaves

110 (100g pkts )

210 ( 100g pkts)

210 (100g pkts)

530 (100g pkts)

10,600

Table salt

0

120 (500g pkt)

120 (500g pkts)

240 (500g pkt

3,600

Food received from GOK – district commissioner Sololo

8.      Maize ________ 25 bags of 90kg each

9.      Beans_________25 bags of 50kg each

10.  Rice ___________8 bags of 50 kg each

11.  Cooking oil ___ 126 litres

The food has saved many families from hunger and starvation. No child on support program has been admitted to hospital for any form of malnutrition. The food also improved the nutritional status of people living with HIV and AIDS

HEALTH CARE SERVICE

Health assessment was usually done on quarterly basis.  Due to previous experience where only 65 children attended health assessment it was changed to do health assessment at center level or visit the child at guardians home not at CIPAD office.

De- worming and vitamin A supplementation was done in previous October – December quarter therefore in this activity will be repeated in April – June quarter.

In this period more focus was given to HBC in terms of support, CIPAD printed 350 child health record books and distributed to every child. All information on the child shall be entered in this book.

CIPAD entered an agreement with pastoralist foundation for life PFL in February to take the responsibility to carry out health assessment, treat sick children and refer very ill children to Sololo hospital. This entails even guardian to bring the sick child to Paul guyo for observation, treatment or referral from the out side Sololo town. This agreement will run up to April, 2011. The content of the agreement is that CIPAD shall pay shillings fifty thousand (KSHs – 50,000) to PFL on the monthly basis. The accountability of this money will be with Mr. Gufu Duba Jaldesa.

In the month of February and the 1st week of March the children benefited were as follows

The target children on the program are 314 children

12.  No. of children found malnourished _______5

13.  No. of children very sick and admitted_____3   They are cured and discharged.

Sick children will attend the nearest dispensary and the nurse will write their complains in health record book. The nurse will send an invoice to CIPAD to pay the bill for these children.

The children attendance rate is 75%. This a great improvement in relation with the previous quarter report. In future the activity will target reaching 100% attendance.

No.

Name of the centre

No. of HH visited

No. Of OVC targeted

Actual no. of OVC seen

No. of OVC treated with Minor ailments

1

Wayegoda

5

16

15

2

2

Sololo makutano

18

50

33

11

3

Madoadi

8

30

27

17

4

Damballafachana

2

8

5

1

5

Sololo Raamata

50

131

96

20

6

Obbitu village

0

18

18

0

7

Anona

6

21

16

1

8

Golole

12

40

25

6

TOTAL

101

314

235

58

HEALTH ASSESSMENT

NO.

CENTRE

OVC TARGETED

ACTUAL NO. ASSESSED

% COVERAGE

1

Wayegoda

16

15

94

2

Sololo makutano

50

33

66

3

Madoadi

30

27

90

4

Damballafachana

8

5

63

5

Sololo Raamata

131

96

73.2

6

Obbitu village

18

18

100

7

Anona

21

16

76.1

8

Golole

40

25

63

TOTAL

314

235

75

REASONS FOR OVC NOT SEEN FOR HEALTH ASSESSMENT

1.      Transfer of OVC to other schools

2.      OVC used for fetching water, searching for grass for weak animals

3.      Some OVC are in secondary schools

4.      In adequate mobilization and follow –up due to lack of field worker of the guardians

5.      Some guardians had negative attitudes towards health assessment ( fear of screening OVC  for HIV,  if children have no health complain they see as waste of time,

6.      Older OVC feel they do not need health assessment

7.      People prefer food hand out than health assessment

EDUCATION

Previously very little activities have been done on education support for OVC on HBC.  In this quarter CIPAD has focused to provide learning materials to children in primary schools on quarterly basis and provide school uniforms once per year. Learning materials issued to children included

8.      Exercise books ____ 4 cartons

9.      Pens_____________ 4 boxes of 50 pens each

10.  Pencils___________ 27 dozens

Children issued with school uniforms were

Boys_________82

Girls_________98

The cost of the uniforms @ 590 is shillings __________106,200 /=

SECONDARY SCHOOL FEES FOR OVC

CIPAD wrote a proposal to AMREF to support secondary school fees for OVC. They approved 5000/= per child for 14 children. The funds will be sent to CIPAD in May and September, 2011

CHILDREN DROP OUT FROM PROJECT

The initial registered children were 350 children. This figure has now dropped for reasons stipulated below

1.      Children 18 years and above though they indirectly benefited.

2.      Some children were taken by their distance relatives  in Ethiopia and could not be reached

3.      One family moved to marsabit while another relocated to ELBORA about 80km away

4.      One family had their brother employed hence improved income  (bonaya haro)

5.      2 children died due to AIDS. Mother mentally challenged, took the children to marsabit where they died.

EMERGENCY PROJECT

The last rainfall received in Sololo was in June 2010. The expected short rain season in October – December failed. This was prolonged dry period. By January 2011 water pans have started to dry up and grass for livestock finished. The drought set in February animals have started to die in their hundreds. There was no water for human beings and their animals. The drought coincided with the visit of Dr. Pino and His wife Margot Bollini. They raised an alarm to friends and donors who responded through fund donation for the emergency water project, food and health.

The targets of this emergency project were families of OVC supported by CIPAD and very needy families who are weak, elderly and physically challenged persons.

The support for this group of people included provision of 1 water storage container of 100 litre capacity and one 20 litre jerkin for fetching water.

Beside the containers they come to collect 20 litre of water from Obbitu village daily up to the end of the emergency period.

The water was bought from Walda borehole by a hired water boozer.

The emergency water targeted villages where the drought hardly hit and distance to any source of water was very far, the village included

6.      Raamole neighbor to Obbitu village

7.      Damballafachana

8.      Madoadi

9.      Wayegoda

10.  Hambalo

11.  Anona

12.  Sololo Raamata

The number of household benefited from emergency water project is tabulated below

13.  Household which received 100 litre containers _________900

14.  Household which received  20 litre containers __________950

15.  Household received  20 litres of water from Obbitu children_____150

STAFFS SUPPORT DURING EMERGENCY PERIOD

3 men were hired as casual workers to help fetch water for the beneficiaries and 1 lady to help in food distribution.

CHALLENGES

1.      Some mothers of OVC registered on the project have new borne babies who are not registered

2.      Needy  OVC have increased in the community  and some have dropped out of school

3.      Some OVC children who are on the project are older than 15 years that they fill they do not require health assessment unless they are sick

4.      1 field worker was overwhelmed with collection of data from all children.

5.      Lack of support for children who complete primary school to proceed to secondary school or wish to join polytechnic school.

WAY FORWARD

1.  Increase the number of OVC to original 350

2. Add 1 OVC field worker to collect data on OVC children accurately and timely

3. Secondary school support and exit strategy for children who complete secondary school or technical school

4. Construction of 2 more houses in Obbitu children’s village to accommodate new 20 OVC

CONCLUSION

The project has greatly built the capacity of CIPAD to run and mange the project. Despite the prevailing drought, planned activities were achieved. The refocusing of more support for OVC at home based care was a great achievement for the project and is being felt by the community.

GUFU GUYO

CIPAD COORDINATOR