By Steven Enatu
SOROTI
Integrated Child and Youth Development -ICYD is partnering with Soroti District Local Government to support Orphans and other Vulnerable Children (OVC) by offering services in the 10 sub counties of Soroti District.
The support that shall be through health facilities where children get treatment from is purposed to enhance the work of TASO in the region for infected children to obtain better treatment outcomes and their household members.
On Wednesday, TASO Soroti region Project welcomed ICYD to supplement the efforts in ending the AIDS epidemic and add effort to support Orphan and Vulnerable Children -OVC programs in the region.
The welcome was conducted as part of the OVC transition in the presence of district officials in which TASO was handingover only the OVC related activities to ICYD in the meeting held at the district Lukiko council hall.
Gilbert Obore, the Technical Advisor Community Systems Strengthening TASO stressed that some of the target beneficiaries of the ICYD project includes; Children living with HIV/AIDS; HIV Exposed Infants, Children of female sex workers and children of non-suppressed Viral Load care takers.
Obore emphasized that ICYD was coming in to boost the effort in regards to OVC programing as part of the PEPFAR guidance to transition OVC programming from CDC USAID meanwhile TASO shall remain offering comprehensive HIV prevention, Care and treatment services through Health systems strengthening approach in the region.
Meanwhile, Hussein Rehema, the Monitoring and Evaluation Coordinator for -ICYD commended the Services offered by TASO in accelerating epidemic control in Soroti region.
Hussein says ICYD – OVC is a five-year PEPFAR/USIAD grant which delivers basic education and OVC to the children and youth by strengthening young people’s ability to critically engage with their environment to address the health and safety needs and make it more likely to reach their potential.
Currently ICYD operates through local partnerships to deliver comprehensive OVC programming in 29 districts of Uganda and in year two ICYD programming will expand to 44 districts.
The activities have three main objectives including; Ensuring that Children and Youth have improved Learning outcomes, Children and youth are protected (Safety), Health in homes and Communities and Learning Environment, the youth practice positive behaviors and make informed decisions about their life and relationships.
Abraham Ekwaru, the Soroti district communication officer commended TASO saying they have been doing a good work of OVC and best in HIV programming.
“God should reward TASO abundantly, because your work is based on tangible evidence, and we don’t take that lightly as government,” he said.
