Our Valuable Children:

Quality and Sustainability of Care for Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC)

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Program

8:30am Registration

9:00am Welcome and Introductory Address by Dr. Ken Yamashita

9:30am Welcome by Arturo Alberti, President AVSI Foundation

Vittorio Daniore, Science Attaché, Italian Embassy to the US

9:45am Session 1: “Moving towards Sustainability in OVC programs: a focus on community and family capacity to care for the most vulnerable”

Main Speaker: Lucia Castelli, AVSI Program Director

Commentator: Thierry VanBastelear, Save the Children

The sustainability of development interventions is a key benchmark of success for any program investment, yet defining and demonstrating sustainability is hardly straightforward. In AVSI’s experience, sustainability can be promoted through clear identification and continual empowerment of families, communities and institutions embedded in the local context.

11:00am Coffee Break

Main Speakers: Carlo Lauro and Giancarlo Rovati, Fondazione per la Sussidiarietà

Commentator: Florence Nyangara, Evaluation Expert, Constella Futures

Monitoring and evaluation (M&E) mechanisms play an essential role in collecting information related not only to program implementation but also to the impact of the program on the lives of beneficiaries and to the evolving capacity of implementing partners. M&E exercises themselves can and should be utilized as tools for capacity building, and thereby contribute to the achievement of sustainable results. Yet, in a setting of urgency, the implementation of evaluation methodologies can not be taken for granted. Limited resources and the complexity of the contexts and subject are only a few of the challenges.

12:45pm ComplimentaryLunch

Main Speakers: Lorette Birara, AVSI (Rwanda); Cyprian Kaliunga, Don Bosco Association (Kenya), Rose Busingye, Meeting Point International (Uganda)

Commentator: Kirk Felsman, Office of HIV/AIDS, USAID

Change and growth is only possible in a relationship of trust and friendship. Even the most coherent and proven methodology to foster change will fail without a human committment of individuals to the work and to the people they encounter. Capacity building in the end is about people and sustainability lies on the shoulders of those who have willingly assumed the responsibility. In this session, three important individuals who work with AVSI and local partner organizations in Rwanda, Kenya and Uganda will share their experiences.

3:00pm Closing Remarks by Charlotte Ponticelli, US Department of Labor