Analysis of the Uganda national policy on orphans and vulnerable children (NOP).

Abstract

Abstract This study set out to analyze the effectiveness of the National policy on Orphans and Vulnerable Children (NOP) in directing interventions to the beneficiaries. This is one of the policy interventions adopted by the Uganda government to strengthen the legal, policy and institutional framework for child protection, and to ensure that orphans, other vulnerable children (OVC) and their families’ do access basic essential services. The priority intervention areas of this policy focus on care and support, child protection, education, health, food security and nutrition, psychosocial support, socioeconomic security and mitigating the impact of conflict. The study revealed that the policy had been effective in enabling many orphans and vulnerable children and families’ access goods and services. Issues concerning them had become more cross-cutting across many sectors of the economy like education, health and production. Also, investment in this category of people continues to grow annually. There is a more coordinated effort by various government ministries to address matters affecting OVC in unison. It was however noted that implementation of the policy faces a lot of challenges which include; a lack of resources, both human and financial, poor coordination and enforcement, poor service delivery, poor data collection among others. The recommendations included among others the need for all ministries to mainstream child related concerns in planning and budgeting. Government needed to enforce and update all child related polices and laws, and countrywide efforts to increase women’s access to services such as Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission (PMTCT), Voluntary Counselling and Testing (VCT) and ARVs needed to be made. Also, Institutions mandated to deal with child issues need to be facilitated more to enable them carry out their roles effectively.