A Spatial Framework for the Management & Support

to Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC) in KwaZulu-

Natal

Su Erskine (HEARD) & Dan Wilson (EduAction)

Funded by: Rockefeller Brothers

“The care and protection of children is a practice and ethic rooted deep in the wisdom and culture of all

societies” ~ James Grant

Presentation Outline Introduction to the project Explanation of the appropriateness & use

of GIS Mapping vulnerability - defining the extent of

OVC in KZN Support to OVC – support services

database Tools for stakeholders

Project background Quantifiable data about OVC

Where are they located? Who is providing the children with services?

• Community & non-government organisations• Public sector services

Where are the gaps? Creating a management tool

Visualising the spatial distribution of OVC Assessing the service-demand relationship Provide a rational basis for targeting

additional support

Why GIS? Capacity to hold and interrelate large sets of

spatial data

e.g. factors affecting vulnerability

factors affecting availability of services

Ability to geolocate persons that are in need of services and to develop indicators that help in decision making

Children need to be assisted in situ

Arrangements, relations and display

Settlement Patterns Road Infrastructure Access to Water

Security Schools Health Facilities

Composite layers of data

                                                             

Defining & geolocating OVC in KZN

The concept of ‘vulnerability’ has many dimensions

The distribution of OVC is correlated with patterns of poverty and socio-economic deprivation

A key factor affecting vulnerability is the availability & effectiveness of local support networks & the ability of OVC to tap into these

Indicators of Vulnerability? Stakeholder meeting held with organisations

working directly with OVC No universal definition or consensus on OVC:

Circumstances differ Spatial context affects vulnerability –

rural/urban/developed/less developed HIV/AIDS creates increasing poverty, stigmatisation

and discrimination and therefore increases vulnerability

Interrogated Census data as a means of identifying factors that may impact on vulnerability

Potential Indicators 1Census Variable Group Motivation

Age

Annual Household Income Highlights potential vulnerability if households were to foster additional children

Employment status of Head of Household

Provides information on the dependability and sustainability of the main source of income. The work status of the household head is important

Education level of Head of Household

The education level of head of household (more specifically women) is well documented as directly relating to and impacting on child health.

Household language We need to know what languages are spoken and understood – this affects messages and assistance that are offered

Living in the same place for longer than 5 years

Indicates stability within the household unit

Mother/father alive A direct indicator of potential orphanhood status

Census Variable Group Motivation

Mode of travel/transport Representative of the extent to which people can access services e.g. if the dominant mode is of travel is walking or taxi, this impacts issues such as health service delivery

Number of people sharing a room

Indicator of overcrowding, particularly in urban settings

Present school attendance Allows researchers to quantify out of school youth who are more likely to be vulnerable to HIV infection.

Toilet facilities An important health-based indicator

Type of dwelling Housing type is a good representation of social circumstance and is important in terms of physical security

Water Source Quality of water linked to health and the distance to source or means of collection would indicate household chores

Potential Indicators 2

Differing spatialscales

Levels at which data is available for

KwaZulu-Natal in the

2001 Census

Potential Vulnerability

Factors

Percentage of children (below age 15) who responded ‘No’ to the question

‘Is your mother alive?’ in the 2001

Census at

Municipality Level

Potential Vulnerability

Factors

Percentage households within each Municipality

that have ‘insecure’ tenure status –

(Rented Accommodation or Occupied rent-free)

Potential Vulnerability

Factors

Percentage households within

Ethekwini Municipality that

have Flush Toilets

– Placename level

Dependency Ratios

Source: 2001 Census

Indicators

The demand for OVC services should be directly related to factors that cause vulnerability (e.g. infant mortality rates, HIV/AIDS prevalence).

Indicators should be investigated for areas where vulnerability is well known - the correlation can be determined and extrapolated to other areas as a more accurate method of estimating demand

Identify & geolocate organisations working/ supporting OVC

Public sector organisations Data obtained from provincial departments Department of Education Department of Health Department of Social Development

State Health Service Provision

Source: EduAction

State Social service delivery

Source: EduAction

Define, identify & geolocate organisations working/ supporting

OVC Non-state service providers

Existing databases used as springboard Building from contacts made General knowledge, networking,

newspapers etc

Technique known as geocoding used to position OVC projects

Services provided to OVC cont.

Non-state or private services

Project typesNumber of OVC Projects by Type

0

40

80

120

160

Feeding

Schem

e

Grant Aid

Fund Raisin

g

School B

ursari

es

Medical S

uppo

rt

Childrens

Home

Street

Shelter

Home-b

ased Care

Foster

ing

Daycare

Centre

Couns

elling

Training

Educa

tion Other

Project Type

Nu

mb

er

OVC support agencies: distribution

Feeding Schemes

Vulnerability viz distance from Government services

Maps created in conjunction with GeoData

Institute

Within 10kms of a Welfare Facility Population aged 0 to 4

Within 10kms of a Magistrate’s Court

Access to Health Facilities

Define & weight vulnerability parcels

Vulnerability and distance from NGO services

Map created in conjunction with GeoData Institute

Tools for stakeholders

Appropriate modes of delivery – web, CD, paper etc

Information gate keeping – need for a non-aligned govn dept to champion

Multicriteria analysis

Tools for stakeholders: Multicriteria Analysis

Examples provided by GeoData Institute