Orphan project gets US grant

THE United States government has awarded the Church Alliance For Orphans (Cafo) one of the first New Partner Initiative (NPI) grants worth N$7 million to continue the fight against HIV-AIDS.

Dr Henry Platt, Director of Cafo, travelled to Washington D.C. for World AIDS Day, and met US President George W Bush at the ceremony where the new NPI grants were announced.Platt made the announcement in Windhoek on Friday.”The grant to Cafo under the New Partnership Initiative will further strengthen the capacity of churches and faith-based organisations throughout Namibia to expand community-based services to orphans and other vulnerable children,” said Gary Newton, the Director of USAID Namibia “The fact that Cafo is one of only 23 organisations selected worldwide to participate in this new initiative, is a measure of Cafo’s competence, commitment and capacity to further expand the good work you are doing on behalf of Namibia’s children.”With the N$7 million Cafo hopes to expand services to orphans and other vulnerable children in Namibia.The church alliance follows a holistic, faith-based approach to caring for children that includes counselling along with education, food programmes and other material support.It seeks to strengthen capacity to help children within communities and traditional Namibian extended family culture.Cafo’s member churches will work with its various committees to implement its nutrition and education programmes.Approximately 8 200 orphans and vulnerable children have benefited directly from Cafo’s programmes during 2005-2006.The support included food, clothing, blankets, equipment for soup kitchens, and improvements to facilities where these children live and participate in programmes.Cafo also supplied technical assistance in counselling, financial management, fundraising, grant writing and other capacity-building activities at the local, regional, and national levels.The organisation also funded over 100 projects for children during this period and distributed educational information to both its stakeholders and the general public.Cafo is Namibia’s first interfaith networking organisation dedicated to meeting the needs of vulnerable children in their respective communities.Currently, there are an estimated 162 000 orphans and vulnerable children in Namibia.This year, the US government provided N$33 million to support over 58 000 children and help implement Namibia’s National Plan of Action for orphans.Under PEPFAR, the US government – through its Namibian partners – has provided N$870 million in support to Namibia’s national HIV-AIDS programme between 2004 and 2006.for World AIDS Day, and met US President George W Bush at the ceremony where the new NPI grants were announced.Platt made the announcement in Windhoek on Friday.”The grant to Cafo under the New Partnership Initiative will further strengthen the capacity of churches and faith-based organisations throughout Namibia to expand community-based services to orphans and other vulnerable children,” said Gary Newton, the Director of USAID Namibia “The fact that Cafo is one of only 23 organisations selected worldwide to participate in this new initiative, is a measure of Cafo’s competence, commitment and capacity to further expand the good work you are doing on behalf of Namibia’s children.”With the N$7 million Cafo hopes to expand services to orphans and other vulnerable children in Namibia.The church alliance follows a holistic, faith-based approach to caring for children that includes counselling along with education, food programmes and other material support.It seeks to strengthen capacity to help children within communities and traditional Namibian extended family culture.Cafo’s member churches will work with its various committees to implement its nutrition and education programmes. Approximately 8 200 orphans and vulnerable children have benefited directly from Cafo’s programmes during 2005-2006.The support included food, clothing, blankets, equipment for soup kitchens, and improvements to facilities where these children live and participate in programmes.Cafo also supplied technical assistance in counselling, financial management, fundraising, grant writing and other capacity-building activities at the local, regional, and national levels.The organisation also funded over 100 projects for children during this period and distributed educational information to both its stakeholders and the general public.Cafo is Namibia’s first interfaith networking organisation dedicated to meeting the needs of vulnerable children in their respective communities.Currently, there are an estimated 162 000 orphans and vulnerable children in Namibia.This year, the US government provided N$33 million to support over 58 000 children and help implement Namibia’s National Plan of Action for orphans.Under PEPFAR, the US government – through its Namibian partners – has provided N$870 million in support to Namibia’s national HIV-AIDS programme between 2004 and 2006.