Burundi's vulnerable children vote for home helps
24 November 2008
Thirteen-year-old Nkuru lives in Ngozi
village in the north of Burundi.
Some time ago, Nkuru started to have serious pains in her leg. Though she asked her mother to take her to hospital, her mother refused, believing the pain must be caused by witchcraft. In fact it was caused by an abscess.
As the pain increased, Nkuru felt more and more helpless. It was only when her grandfather found her crying and decided to speak to a local "home visitor" employed by a DFID-funded programme that things took a turn for the better.
Arriving at the family home, the visitor pointed out to Nkuru’s mother that, if she didn't allow the girl to seek proper treatment, she could be breaking the law. After some reluctance, Nkuru's mother finally relented, and the girl was taken to hospital. Though still recuperating, Nkuru is now back in school. Without the intervention of the home visitor, things would likely have been much worse.
Voting for visitors
The home visitor who came to Nkura's assistance was one of a dedicated team of community members who volunteer their time to help orphans and vulnerable children.
Working as part of the Nzokira programme, the visitors differ from many other volunteers in being selected by the very children they are commissioned to help.
Selection for home visitor status begins with candidates assembling in a public place. Local children then line up behind the individual they feel most comfortable with, and it is this person who becomes the child's personal visitor.
Once the election is over, the successful candidates are trained by Nzokira local partner staff. Training helps them to assess the needs of the children in their catchment area and learn about ways in which they can help families to become better able to care for their children.
Training that works
To further develop the home visitors' skills, Nzokira has recruited partners who specialise in psychosocial assistance and legal protection. Special training in home-based care and HIV prevention is also provided. As an extra boon for the children they care for, each visitor is equipped with a kit containing umbrellas, a register, pens and t-shirts.
Visitors are also encouraged to participate in the savings and loan initiatives run by Nzokira staff. Participants are eventually able to take out loans that help them start small businesses or cover some of the basic needs in their own homes.
For many home visitors, though, the greatest perk of the job is watching the children in their care grow and learn.
Facts and stats
- The Nzokira programme began in July 2006 and works in eight of Burundi’s 17 provinces.
- DFID is providing £5,150,000 of funding to Nzokira over three years.
- The programme aims to improve the effectiveness and sustainability of the national response to the problem of parentless children.
- Nzokira's home visitors' key tasks include helping to place orphans in new homes, enabling children to get medical support (including HIV-positive children), increasing awareness of HIV-prevention (and encourage voluntary HIV testing and counselling) and ensuring at-need children have access to educational materials.
- Nzokira is run by a consortium formed by Catholic Relief Services with CARE International and over ten local partner organizations.
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