Tools & Resources

Bantwana develops tools and other resources that assist programs that serve children infected and affected by HIV and AIDS. In addition, Bantwana researches issues affecting orphans and vulnerable children (OVC), and uses data to design and improve programs and approaches.

Psychosocial Counseling and Home Visit Guide for Volunteers - PSS Cards (2010)

Psychosocial support (PSS) is a set of interventions used to meet a person’s emotional, social, mental, and spiritual needs. PSS is very important for the healthy development of all children and critical for orphaned and vulnerable children (OVC). As part of a comprehensive care approach, PSS provides vulnerable children with the necessary tools for good health and positive development.

Bantwana trains stakeholders to understand the psychological and social factors that affect a child’s psychosocial well-being, the importance of fostering children’s resilience, and tools to express and overcome grief and adversity. Bantwana’s PSS interventions use a dynamic, participatory approach that helps community partners build competencies in identifying, addressing, and managing the emotional needs of vulnerable children.

The Western Uganda Bantwana Program (WUBP) has developed, produced, and implemented a series of informational cards that support PSS volunteers when conducting PSS activities by making information more easily accessible. The card pack builds on the capacity of volunteers and enables them to educate OVC and their caregivers about nutrition, hygiene, stress management, and child protection. To request a hard copy of this document, please email: bantwana@worlded.org.

Protecting Ourselves and Each Other:
A Child Rights & Protection Resource (2010)

This workbook was created for and by children to help them understand their rights and responsibilities, and to discuss ways to respond to violations or abuses of their rights. It contains a supplemental section on community mobilization for youth and adults. This tool can also be used by child rights clubs, teachers, caregivers, and other organizations working to strengthen community child protection services. Under the Western Uganda Bantwana Program (WUBP), district government and NGO stakeholders met and planned the contents of the booklet with Bantwana staff, selecting issues of greatest concern for children in Western Uganda. Children from WUBP child protection clubs then contributed stories, essays, poems, and artwork around these issues. To download a copy of this tool, please complete the Request Form.

Bantwana Schools Integrated Program (BSIP) Child Profiling Report (2009)

Bantwana, in collaboration with researchers from Harvard University, developed a child profiling tool to gather information on the impact of the Bantwana Schools Integrated Program (BSIP) at the level of the child. This report presents key findings from the data collected in BSIP-supported schools in 2008 using the child profiling tool; these findings have implications for current and future OVC programming. Areas examined include: demographics, nutrition, education, health, psychosocial support, risky behaviors, abuse and exploitation, and knowledge about HIV prevention. The results of the child profiling baseline collection were presented to each school, as well as at the national level to key stakeholders, including government officials, international implementing agencies, and donors.

Child Profiling Tool (2008)

The Bantwana child profiling tool helps practitioners working in the OVC sector capture and assess aspects of a child's well-being and vulnerability. It measures how a child's comprehensive needs are or are not being met, and how programs can or are directly impacting children. The tool is also designed to enable practitioners in countries where Bantwana operates to assess performance indicators that align with national OVC policies and goals. The tool can be tailored to meet the needs of an individual program and its goals.

The Child Profiling tool was created by Bantwana in partnership with a researcher from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. It has been successfully carried out by trained community members in support of the Bantwana Schools Integrated Program (BSIP) in Swaziland, and has likewise informed programming in Uganda's CBO initiative. To download a copy of this tool, please complete the Request Form.

Providing Comprehensive OVC Care in Resource Limited Settings (2007)

This tool helps organizations identify gaps in service delivery, highlight areas for possible expansion, and provide a framework for monitoring and evaluating the impact of OVC support. By emphasizing the importance of a comprehensive approach to OVC support, encouraging links and networks between other community-based organizations (CBOs) and groups dedicated to OVC care, Bantwana's tool strengthens and expands local partners' ability to provide high-quality comprehensive care.

The NGO OVC Tool works in two capacities: Internally, enabling organizations to evaluate and assess their current programs and/or their capacity to provide support, and externally for an outside evaluator to determine the readiness, or capability of an organization to deliver OVC care.

Bantwana has used the tool in partnership with the CBOs working with Bantwana. It is seen as a joint assessment tool and can be adapted to fit specific cultural contexts in communities where Bantwana works.

The NGO OVC tool has been field-tested in both Uganda and Swaziland, and has been revised and updated to reflect experiences in those countries. To download a copy of this tool, please complete the Request Form.

Psychosocial Support for Orphans and Vulnerable Children: An Introduction for Outreach Workers (2007)

This illustrated introduction to psychosocial support (PSS) includes definitions and an overview of key issues regarding PSS for OVC. Some of the topics included are: general information on child rights, identification of children in need of support, challenges facing OVC, resilience and coping mechanisms, and aspects of care and support for children and caregivers. To download a copy of this tool, please complete the Request Form.