TY - JOUR
T1 - Government-NGO collaboration and sustainability of orphans and vulnerable children projects in southern Africa
AU - Rosenberg, Alana
AU - Hartwig, Kari
AU - Merson, Michael
N1 - Funding Information:
Evaluators considered Sites 1, 2, and 4 to have achieved sustainability. Site 1, supported by STF for 2 OVC day-care centers with a psychosocial component, had obtained further funding at the time of the final evaluation. Since the funder was a foundation set up by the government of Botswana, government endorsement of this project was clearly essential to its continuing work. Similarly, Site 4 obtained funding to continue its psychosocial support project for OVC through funding from PEPFAR and the Global Fund for HIV, TB and malaria. Since the Namibian Ministry of Health and Social Services is the primary recipient and administrator of Global Fund monies, government collaboration can be seen as essential to the project's continuation. On a scale of 1 (unimportant) to 5 (important) the Director of this NGO gave a rating of 3 to the importance of collaboration with the government to the success of the STF-funded project.
PY - 2008/2
Y1 - 2008/2
N2 - Given current donor attention to orphans and children made vulnerable by HIV/AIDS, and the need for a new framework that recognizes the complementary roles of nations and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), this analysis reviews NGO-operated community-based orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) projects in Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa, and Swaziland. There has been a lack of attention within the field of evaluation to inter-organizational relationships, specifically those with government agencies, as a factor in sustainability. We analyzed evaluations of nine OVC projects funded by the Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation for the influence of government-NGO collaboration on project sustainability. For eight of the nine projects, evaluations provided evidence of the importance of the government partnership for sustainability. Government collaboration was important in projects designed to help families access government grants, initiate community-based solutions, and advocate for OVC rights through legislation. Government partnerships were also critical to the sustainability of two projects involved in placing children in foster care, but these showed signs of tension with government partners. In addition to the more common factors associated with sustainability, such as organizational characteristics, donors and NGOs should concentrate on developing strong partnerships with local and national government agencies for the sustainability of their projects.
AB - Given current donor attention to orphans and children made vulnerable by HIV/AIDS, and the need for a new framework that recognizes the complementary roles of nations and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), this analysis reviews NGO-operated community-based orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) projects in Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa, and Swaziland. There has been a lack of attention within the field of evaluation to inter-organizational relationships, specifically those with government agencies, as a factor in sustainability. We analyzed evaluations of nine OVC projects funded by the Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation for the influence of government-NGO collaboration on project sustainability. For eight of the nine projects, evaluations provided evidence of the importance of the government partnership for sustainability. Government collaboration was important in projects designed to help families access government grants, initiate community-based solutions, and advocate for OVC rights through legislation. Government partnerships were also critical to the sustainability of two projects involved in placing children in foster care, but these showed signs of tension with government partners. In addition to the more common factors associated with sustainability, such as organizational characteristics, donors and NGOs should concentrate on developing strong partnerships with local and national government agencies for the sustainability of their projects.
KW - AIDS
KW - Africa
KW - Government
KW - Non-governmental organizations
KW - Orphans and vulnerable children
KW - Sustainability
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=38349054911&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=38349054911&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.evalprogplan.2007.08.005
DO - 10.1016/j.evalprogplan.2007.08.005
M3 - Article
C2 - 17949811
AN - SCOPUS:38349054911
SN - 0149-7189
VL - 31
SP - 51
EP - 60
JO - Evaluation and Program Planning
JF - Evaluation and Program Planning
IS - 1
ER -