Our Approach
Our Roots
Bantwana was born out of necessity. Orphans and vulnerable children were being left behind by the AIDS epidemic, invisible at the time to the international community. The Bantwana Initiative was among the first to comprehensively address the manifold needs of orphans and vulnerable children (OVC), innovating new approaches with communities that could be successfully scaled to national models.
Network members are continuing with such strategic, systems-based approaches to development, which are rooted in long-term investments in countries and programs since the inception of Bantwana in 2006. With consistent commitment over time, our teams have developed a deep understanding of nations’ needs as well as establishing long-term working relationships with key government and ministry counterparts who make change possible for the long-term, and at scale.
Key Elements of Our Comprehensive Approach
- Long-term partnerships for policy and systems strengthening: We work with government entities at national and sub-national to local and village levels, to ensure that comprehensive care is actionable, effective, and inclusive.
- Shared planning and capacity development: Bantwana members partner with government and civil society counterparts from national and sub-national to local and village levels to address their identified needs and objectives
- Human-centered design: We adapt layered interventions and integrated services to respond to the multiple and intersecting needs of vulnerable populations and children
- Leveraging and contributing to the evidence base of successful programming/approaches
- Innovation and piloting for scale and outreach: We foster creativity and risk-taking by starting small, being nimble, and documenting learning for expansion
- Harnessing technology: Expanding the reach of essential information and services to vulnerable populations requires imaginative use of new technologies
- Compassionate care: We incorporate an ethos of inclusion, responsiveness, mentorship, peer reinforcement, and critical psychosocial supports that enable vulnerable populations to succeed
