By Ndefru Melanie in Bamenda
Key Interventions to Develop Systems and Services for Orphans and Vulnerable (KIDSS), ends with a dissemination meeting to do throw back on their activities and projects implemented in Bamenda, Northwest region of Cameroon. Health districts covered; Bamenda, Fundong, Bafut, Kumbo (East and West), Ndop.
The KIDSS Project has impacted the lives of many as it offered support to orphans and vulnerable children and their households. The number of persons served in the course of the project in the North West region are about 6,502 persons.
Inspite the socio political situation in the region, the workers could still meet up with their targets, as the project records positive turn out for the lives of persons living with HIV, widows, orphans and their families.
“I am a parent. I suffered from the issue of anger, probably because I did not accept my HIV status… I was known as a mouthy person in my neighborhood. I spent time shouting at my child at all times. I will rarely assist and will expect my children to do anything I ask of them without delay”.
“The KIDSS project has helped me alot. I have gone through some counseling, support given to me and my family. KIDSS made a better version of myself. I will be the one who to counsel neighbours, be ready to assist in my own home and I think within me I have achieved some level of Peace”, a widow, beneficiary of KIDSS project.
About the regional erformance of the KIDSS Project in the North West region, Mrs Fokam Pamella- The Zonal Lead for KIDSS West and North West, presented the regional performance of KIDSS.
She highlighted the major achievements in the project.”The zone was 94% achieved with OVC Serve targets, while providing a wide range of health, safe, stable and schooled domain services as well as COVD 19 materials to its project participants”, Zonal Lead, Mrs Fokam Pamella.
The Catholic Relief Services (CRS) implements the KIDSS project in Cameroon with funding from the United States Presidents Emergency Fund for AIDS Response through the USAID and works in partnership with 26 Civil Society Organizations who recieved sub-award funding to implement the KIDSS program.
The Catholic Relief Services being the official international Humanitarian Agency of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. The agency aims at alleviating suffering, providing assistance to people in news in more than 100 countries regardless of race, region nationality.
The KIDSS project started in 2014 and it is implemented in selected health districts under the guidance of the Cameroon government Coordinating structures. Dr. Emeka Anoje, Chief of Party for the KIDSS project gave a brief of how the project started and what changed.
“Initially the project focused on strengthening Government Social Welfare System at the central administration and across 3 regions in the country; Northwest, Center and Littoral regions respectively. In 2019 the project was redesigned with new objectives of improving the capacity of communities, vulnerable households and local providers to deliver HIV services, in order to achieve 95-95-95 targets of HIV epidermics control, reduce morbidity, mortality and improve the overall well-being of children living with HIV”, Chief of Party, KIDSS.
The KIDSS project has expanded and is currently being implemented in 68 high HIV burden health districts across all 10 regions of the country. It serves about 62000 program participants which includes 40,000 of 10,780 children and adolescents living with HIV.
It’s in this light that the Catholic Relief Services signed MoUs and partnership framework with Clinical partners in the country including Cameroon Baptist Convention in Cameroon, who is partner in the Northwest region, to improve treatment experience for children and adolescents living with HIV who’ve enrolled in the KIDSS program.
“This is to address the socio economic, cultural and other barriers accessing HIV care and treatment, while implementing HIV stigma reduction strategies. Using a case management approach, the KIDSS Frontline case workers help children and their famillies build their resilience and capacity to cope with the challenges they gave and help them to meet their needs for health, education, protection and socio-economic services”.
In KIDSS, CRS works closely with the National Episcopal Conference of Cameroon(NECC) and 27 other local church and civil society organizations to ensure high quality of service delivery to project participants. The KIDSS project has celebrated it’s achievements and recognized the efforts and contributions of its partners and other stakeholders.
Partners; Regional Technical Group for the fight against HIV- RTG, Cameroon Baptist Convention, MINAS, Health Facility, Ministry of Empowerment and Vocational Training, Plan Cameroon, Ministry of Social Affairs, Regional Delegation Public Health NW, DMOs and Staff of different health facilities, PEPFAR Clinical Partners.
Implementing partners; Cameroon Medical Women Association, Intergrated Development Foundation, and the Church Coordination Office.