Examples of national plans of action that have age-appropriate components
their parents’ death, what responsibilities they
“Discriminatory utilisation of healthcare by
are left with (i.e., younger siblings). Importantly,
female young children because of preferences
orphans and other affected children are more
for sons, and poor attention by parents to such
likely to be malnourished or to fall ill. They are
infants and high dependence on home remedy
also less likely to get the medical and healthcare
when the female children are sick.”
they need. Poverty, neglect and discrimination by adults in whose care they have been left are
c. Is there an ECD policy in place?
also contributing factors.”
March 2006: Finalisation, production and
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
dissemination of the National Policy on Child
Identified in zonal meetings: orphans, especially those whose parents died after a protracted illness: abandoned children; children in child-headed homes; children on/off the street; children infected with HIV; child beggars, destitute children and scavengers; exploited almajiris; internally displaced/ separated children; children living with terminally or chronically ill parent(s); children living with old/ frail grandparent(s); children, especially girls, who get married before maturity; child domestic workers; children in exploitative labour; child sex workers; children with special challenges; trafficked children; children in conflict with the law; children of migrant workers, e.g., fishermen, nomads.
Development countrywide; working on a policy on family development. At present, there is no educational policy that specifically addresses the needs of OVCs. The National Policy on Education (NPE) provides for the establishment of pre-primary schools to cater for children aged 3–5 years, and according to the policy, “government shall encourage private efforts in the provision of pre-primary education”. In the public sector, no provision is made for the establishment of pre-primary schools. By implication, OVCs of between 0–5 years are automatically out of the pre-primary schools scheme since private ownership of pre-primary schools connotes inaccessibility to OVCs because of the high fees charged.
. . . . .
d. Status of the NPA National action plan for OVCs exists or is
planned? Five-year costed national action
plan for OVCs exists or is underway. National action plan adopted by government?
Not yet finalised. National action plan with estimated costs
b. Situation analysis: Does it incorporate age groups? Not mentioned initially; no numbers presented; but described under ‘Education’. For healthcare:
and sources specified? Yes. Monitoring and evaluation plan? Included. Resources defined and roles of ministries
defined? Underway.
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