What have we learnt

Author: Katie Schenk (independent consultant for JLICA) 2122 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Apt 614 Washington DC, 20008 USA Tel: +1 202 468 5537 Email: [email protected] Executive Summary: What have we learnt from evaluations of community OVC programmes? • Approaching twenty years after the first studies drew attention to the issues faced by children affected by HIV, evaluation data from OVC programmes remains limited and clustered, especially when considered in relation to the magnitude of donor spending. • Methodologies of existing evaluations reflect diverse aims and research questions. All existing studies fall short of the traditional requirements of randomised controlled trials, due to practical and ethical obstacles. However, important lessons for intervention development can still be learnt from the existing evidence base. • Evidence illustrates a range of practical approaches that can be employed in the community under appropriate circumstances to effect tangible change in the lives of children and families affected by HIV. • Findings support the importance of household visits, volunteerism, community mobilisation and community and child participation as guiding principles for intervention. • There remains a need for an ongoing research agenda to inform responsible spending. The use of quasi‐experimental and process evaluation methodologies, as well as costing studies and participatory qualitative research, will be key to maintaining appropriate levels of rigour while building the evidence base.