Mid-term review: the regional psychosocial support initiative for children affected by AIDS

The mid-term review was not undertaken to determine if REPSSI works or if REPSSI programs are effective. Rather, the team from the Child Youth and Family Development (CYFD) program at the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) in South Africa undertook the commission as a strategic opportunity to make suggestions to strengthen REPSSI's efforts to fulfil its mandate. REPSSI has experienced unprecedented growth during the last three years, reflecting both the urgency and necessity of providing for the psychosocial needs of children affected by AIDS, as well as the vision, passion, commitment and competence of the people involved in REPSSI. While the issues of effectiveness and impact are taken up in the course of this report, reference to this is done in the context of REPSSI's stage of REPSSI and the HSRC team approached the mid-term review as a co-learning endeavour, and an opportunity for REPSSI to take stock, in the course of its expansion, as a necessary phase of reorganization, relocation and refocusing. Some of what the HSRC team has recommended in this report had already been identified by REPSSI, or was jointly identified in the course of the review, as issues for consideration and revision. As a result, certain of the findings and/or recommendations are no longer salient as REPSSI has already embarked on changes in response to the mid-term review process.