Opportunities for Vulnerable Children Program

USAID, through Helen Keller International HKI – Indonesia, is providing U.S. $2 million support for the Opportunities for Vulnerable Children (OVC) Program, Phase 2.  USAID has supported the first phase of the OVC program since 2003, with a U.S. $1 million grant. The second phase will be implemented from March 2006 – March 2008.  The OVC Program promotes and supports Inclusive Education in Indonesia through developing replicable models to strengthen efforts towards Inclusive Education in Jakarta. Inclusive Education means that children with special needs such as visual impairments, hearing impairments, physical disabilities, and/or mental challenges can be integrated into the regular school system in order to receive a quality education to prepare them for the future. Education for disenfranchised children is important for achieving social development, future productivity, and independence. Although education in Indonesia is compulsory, without exemption, for children aged 7 – 15 years, disenfranchised and special needs students are often unofficially exempt.

Program components include the following:

• Identification – Assessment – Enrollment (IAE) activities to locate, assess, and enroll children with special needs into schools.
• Resource Teaching Network to support teachers and children with special needs in schools.
• Advocacy and Policy Development to strengthen sustainable approaches to Inclusive Education implementation and governance.

President Yudhoyono demonstrated his commitment to Inclusive Education while delivering a policy speech at the OVC Early Intervention Center on National Education Day last May 2nd. The USAID-funded Early Intervention Center developed by HKI and partners is the first of its kind in Indonesia and serves as the beginning of an educational continuum that provides access to education in the mainstream environment from the preschool years through to high school for children with visual impairments. 

USAID/Indonesia and HKI-Indonesia work together with a dynamic community of partners to implement the OVC program.  Some key partners include: the Ministry of National Education, the Provincial Departments of Education in Jakarta, the University of Indonesia, the Public University of Jakarta, Yayasan Mitra Netra, the National Commission for the Protection of Children, UNESCO, the Hilton Perkins International Program – Perkins School for the Blind, Braillo Norway, Yayasan Rumah Zakat, the Jakarta Eye Center, and others. 

The Opportunities of Vulnerable Children (OVC) Program will join the other USAID-funded education programs responding to President Bush’s announcement of the U.S. government’s committed support for Basic Education in Indonesia. 

All Education activities