Abstract
Children First (CF) is a five-year, $17 million cooperative agreement between USAID and World Education International, funded by USAID under PEPFAR II. CF was launched in March 2008 as USAIDs primary OVC intervention in Zimbabwe, with an end date of 31 December 2012. CF sought to mitigate the impact of HIV and AIDS in Zimbabwe by developing and improving on effective models of care and support for OVC and leveraging the experience of national and community-based organizations to increase access to quality holistic services for OVC. Over the five-year project period, CF included 22 partner organizations that provided education, health, child protection services and advocacy for OVC. This end of project evaluation examined: (1) how well CF had responded to mid term review recommendations as well as evaluation questions regarding innovative, sustainable and effective models of service delivery; (2) quantity, quality and timeliness of results; capacity development for partners and communities; and (3) institutionalization of models within relevant government structures. (Excerpt modified)