What's New

Bantwana to Improve Services and Support for Vulnerable Children in Northern Tanzania

July 2010 - Bantwana is pleased to announce that it will begin working in Tanzania to continue its efforts to support children orphaned and made vulnerable by HIV and AIDS. Over the next five years, the Most Vulnerable Children (MVC) Coordinated Care project, supported by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), will work with communities and local government authorities to build the skills, linkages, and referrals necessary to create an integrated network of essential services needed by vulnerable children and their families in northern Tanzania.

The MVC Coordinated Care project will improve the coordination of local government authorities, stimulate or establish village-level committees charged with the care of vulnerable children, and promote better collaboration among key ministries providing support for orphans and vulnerable children (OVC).

Through these efforts, Bantwana will strengthen key elements of the comprehensive care that vulnerable children need to become healthy adults. The program targets both vulnerable children and their caregivers and households with a strong focus on nutrition, adolescent-friendly services, livelihoods development for improved economic security, education, primary health care and HIV prevention, child protection, psychosocial and legal support.

Bantwana currently implements similar programs to improve the lives of OVC and their families in Swaziland, Uganda, and Zimbabwe. The MVC project in Tanzania will be implemented through Bantwana in collaboration with John Snow, Inc. (JSI).