HIV/AIDS Working Group/The Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF)
Save the Children has been co-convening the CG’s HIV/AIDS working group since 2004. Key activities have included raising the awareness of the impact of HIV/AIDS on young children through the development of publications including a Coordinators' Notebook, briefs and advocacy materials as well as active participation in the bi-annual International AIDS Conferences and pre-conference symposiums on children and HIV/AIDS (2006, 2008, 2010).
Given the CG’s involvement (as well as Save the Children) in work/meetings of the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) convened by CARE USA in 2008 and as a result of CARE joining the CG as a partner in 2009, the CG requested that both Save the Children and CARE co-convene the CG’s HIV/AIDS working group, also now known as the IATF.
The HIV/AIDS Working Group/The Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF), co-convened by Save the Children and CARE, USA, works under the umbrella of the Consultative Group and includes organizations over100 members representing 40 agencies.working in the area of early childhood and HIV/AIDS.
Purpose of the HIV/AIDS Working Group/IATF:
The current work of the HIV/AIDS Working Group/IATF is to define the key interventions needed for children to reach their optimal development from birth to age eight. The key objective of this project is to develop and validate tools and frameworks that can be used as a guide for program managers, service providers, and parents to meet the needs of young children - known as the “Essential Package”.
The Essential Package will consist of three components: (1) a rationale for mainstreaming early childhood development (ECD) and an ages-and-stages approach into HIV/AIDS programming; (2) frameworks that highlight the age-specific needs of young children and caregivers within an HIV context, as well as essential actions for program managers and volunteers to address these needs; and (3) tools for program managers and service providers/volunteers to help them design, implement, and monitor programs. This project addresses a critical unmet need by emphasizing the special developmental requirements of young children infected or affected by HIV.
Accomplished/Ongoing Activities:
- Completion of an in-depth literature review on the impact of HIV on ECD, which provides the foundation for the first component of the package—the rationale for mainstreaming ECD into HIV/AIDS programming. In addition, this review has informed the content of the frameworks (summary document current being drafted)
- 2 stakeholder meetings and technical consultation with field based program staff
- Development of parenting manual, frameworks, and guidance notes that highlight the specific needs of children and their caregivers and provide concrete recommendations for age-appropriate actions in the areas of health, nutrition, protection, child developmentand economic strengthening with the aim of improving child development outcomes
- Presentations at the 2009 4th annual African International Conference on Early Childhood Development (ADEA),Senegal, the 2010 Symposium on Children and International AIDS Conference (IAC), Mexico and the 2010 UNESCO World Conference on ECD in Moscow.
Current Activities:
- Development of a monitoring and evaluation framework
- Validation of the Essential Package in Mozambique (building on Save the Children’s PEPFAR funded Scale Up Hope program) and Zambia (through CARE's STEPS program). The Firelight Foundation is also validating the Essential Package in Malawi in partnership with local NGOs.
- Development of tools that will guide quality of service delivery, including draft training manuals, assessment checklists of essential actions, and monitoring tools for data collection at the community level. These tools will be finalized by team members and consultants during October and November 2010
- Stakeholders Meeting Ocotber 4-6, 2011, Johannesburg to review/discuss lessons learned, dissemination, next steps
- Creation of a knowledgement management platform to be housed on the CG's website
- VIEW the latest NEWSLETTER of the Essential Package
Other Partnerships and Linkages:
1. The Coalition for Children Affected by AIDS
2. The Better Care Network
3. AIDSTAR-One AIDS Support and Technical Assistance Resources
