SOROTI – The Integrated Child and Youth Development (ICYD) project, will partner with The Aids Support Organization (TASO) in Soroti.
The partnership is meant to support Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC) in 10 sub-counties of Soroti District Local Government (SDLG).
The partnership is to enhance the work of TASO in the region with HIV/AIDS infected children and their families to access better health care services.
TASO Regional Office, Soroti welcomed the partnership as supplementary efforts in ending HIV/AIDS epidemic and added effort to support the Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC) program in the region.
The transition took place during a meeting at the District Lukiiko Council Hall, where TASO handed over only the OVC related components of their activities to ICYD.
Gilbert Obore, the Technical Advisor Community Systems Strengthening TASO stated that, some of the target beneficiaries that the ICYD project will target include; Children living with HIV/AIDS; HIV Exposed Infants, Children of female sex workers and children of non-suppressed Viral Load care takers.
Obore emphasized that ICYD was coming in to boost efforts in regards to OVC programming as part of the U.S Presidents Emergency Plan- for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) guidance to transition OVC programming from Center for Disease Control (CDC) USAID; while TASO will remain offering comprehensive HIV/AIDS prevention, care and treatment services through health systems strengthening approach in the region.
Meanwhile, Hussein Rehema, the Monitoring and Evaluation Coordinator for – ICYD thanked the district leadership for ensuring that the community was happy with the services offered by TASO in accelerating epidemic control in Soroti region.
Hussein says, ICYD – OVC is a five-year PEPFAR/USIAD grant which delivers basic education to Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVCs) and youths by strengthening young people’s ability to critically engage with their environment to address the health and safety needs and make it more likely to reach their potential.
Currently ICYD operates through local partnership to deliver comprehensive OVC programming in 29 districts of Uganda and in year two, ICYD programming will expand to 44 districts.
The activities have three main objectives including; Ensuring that children and youths have improved learning outcomes, children and youths are protected (safety), health in homes, communities and, the youth practice positive behaviors and make informed decisions about their life and relationships.
Abraham Ekwaru, the Soroti district Communications Officer commended TASO saying, they have been doing good work with OVCs and they are the best in HIV programming.
“God should reward TASO team abundantly, because your work is based on tangible evidence, and we don’t take that lightly as the government,” he said.
Ekwaru says, with the coming of ICYD, they are welcoming them with two hands and are ready to give any support that they may require to enable them carry out their work in Soroti despite the challenge of fitting into what TASO has done in Uganda.
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