Horizons Projects | Technical Assistance to the Nelson Mandela Children's Fund (NMCF), Goelama Project

HORIZONS PROJECT
Technical Assistance to the Nelson Mandela Children's Fund (NMCF), Goelama Project

The Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund (NMCF) seeks comprehensive local solutions to address the negative effects of HIV and AIDS on children, adolescents, households, and communities. To this end, NMCF initiated the Goelama project, which uses a community mobilization strategy to catalyze action by local organizations and government bodies to prevent HIV infection and mitigate the socioeconomic impacts of the disease, particularly as they affect AIDS-affected children.

NMCF recognizes that in order to develop indigenous responses to the epidemic, it is important to conduct research to delineate the problem, identify opportunities for intervention, and measure the effectiveness of interventions prior to replication or scale-up.

In response, research was commissioned by NMCF and conducted by Development Research Africa, with technical assistance from the Horizons and FRONTIERS programs, to identify ways that government and communities can strengthen the socioeconomic capacity of households to care for and support AIDS-affected children. A smaller youth component of the study focused on the sexual and reproductive behaviors of young people in the Goelama intervention areas and factors that may influence these behaviors, such as schooling, orphanhood, knowledge, and involvement in community activities. Researchers interviewed 29,338 members of nearly 5,000 households in eight predominantly rural study sites situated in the provinces of Mpumalanga, Limpopo, and KwaZulu-Natal.

Some key findings:

Nearly one in five children in the study population are orphans.
Female-headed households are more likely to be poor and include orphans than male-headed households.
A substantial number of household heads are elderly and have had no schooling.
The majority of households earn monthly income that is at or below the poverty line.
Government grants make a significant contribution to household income.
Many households are unable to plan for adverse and destabilizing events because of a lack of assets.
Most respondents have positive perceptions of community connectedness and help neighbors when needed.

The study team identified community needs as well as potential responses for NGOs, community-based organizations, communities, and government structures.

Location

KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, and Northern Provinces, South Africa

Duration

March 2005–March 2007

Horizons and Population Council researchers

Naomi Rutenberg, Eka Esu-Williams, Jane Chege, Nqobile Mavimbela

Non-Council collaborators

Kerry Vermaak (Development Research Africa)

Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund

Donor

US Agency for International Development

Publications/Resources
Horizons and Population Council researchers' names appear in boldface type.

2004
"Challenges faced by households in caring for orphans and vulnerable children," Horizons Research Update. Washington, DC: Population Council. (PDF)

"Vulnerability and intervention opportunities: Research findings on youth and HIV/AIDS in South Africa," Horizons Research Update. Washington, DC: Population Council. (PDF)