A formative evaluation of the James House programme for orphans and vulnerable children

Abstract

The increasing burden of care and support of orphaned children or those made vulnerable by HIV/AIDS remains a critical and challenging issue particularly in the South African context. A number of community based interventions have been put in place to provide both material and psychosocial support. This dissertation is a theory-driven process evaluation of a programme offering care and support to orphans and vulnerable children (OVCs). The programme is run by James House, a non-governmental organization whose main objective is to meet the basic needs of children in their service area; to protect them from abuse and exploitation, and to ensure there is no family breakdown that would lead to institutionalisation of the children. James House implements a nationally accredited model of care for OVCs called Isibindi. The James House approach involves direct support to OVCs and indirect support through referrals to complementary services. This dissertation presents the results of a formative evaluation of the James House Isibindi programme which provides some insight into the implementation and improvement of the programme.