Service Information

Responding to the HIV/AIDS crisis as it has affected children, South Africa’s National Association of Child Care Workers (NACCW) has developed a community-based care and protection intervention option for children, named ‘Isibindi’ – ‘courage’ in IsiZulu. Articulating national policy in a ‘turnkey’ model, Isibindi projects are implemented by local organisations and communities, with the support of the social development authorities and donors, in the social service equivalent of a franchise. Linking community-based organisations with a national support network and information feed, Isibindi enables poorly resourced communities to adopt an evidence-based approach to the provision of integrated welfare services, and rapidly develop effective and informed local care and protection services for children.

Almost 300 Isibindi projects have been replicated across South African provinces, serving over 100 000 children who would otherwise have fallen outside of the care and protection matrix. Including quality assurance mechanisms, and a community development approach, the Isibindi model has received public acclaim, and is currently being scaled up through a South African government initiative. Additional components of the model include a Young Women’s Empowerment Program, a Young Men’s Empowerment Program, a non-centre based ECD model and a Disability model – all of which enable progressive realisation of a wide range of children’s rights and protection needs, through effective deployment of community-based child and youth care workers.