OVC Support Toolkit  >  Quality Improvement 

The QI Initiative

By 2007, several countries had used quality improvement (QI) methods to define service standards using methods based on or adapted from Quality Programs for Orphans and Vulnerable Children: A Facilitator's Guide to Establishing Service Standards . They agreed on desired outcomes and the essential actions necessary to move children toward those outcomes.

In September 2007, participants of 14 countries attended an African Regional Workshop on Using a Standards-based Framework for OVC Programs in Tanzania. Participants explored QI methods and examples and developed plans for quality initiatives in their home countries. Since then additional countries have begun developing and applying standards to improve the quality of their OVC services. Read more about what countries are doing in the Latest from the field.

The Quality Improvement Initiative for OVC Programs , funded by the United States Agency for International Development through the Health Care Improvement (HCI) Project, brings together U.S. government, other national government and civil society partners with both OVC programme and quality improvement expertise. Together these partners discuss, share and reflect on quality improvement processes for OVC services, especially at the point of service delivery and during contact with the children. Key to the QI Initiative is sharing of experiences. In addition to this website, monthly Quality in Focus Calls are conference calls that permit implementers to share and learn more about QI processes for OVC services. To learn more about how you can participate and about recent and upcoming events, see How to get involved.

Organisations participating in the QI Initiative are now seeking to create an African-based Quality Improvement Partnership for OVC Care that can expand the web of technical support, build on evidence and focus policy efforts to ensure quality care for most children.

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