Gifts-In-Kind: A game changer for Programming

gik
Thursday, May 4, 2023

World Vision’s goal of helping the most vulnerable, especially children, requires strategic demand-driven interventions. Gifts-In-Kind (GIK) is a vital part of World Vision Zambia’s programming and has played a very critical role increase impact on child well-being.

GIK is a program that helps to create opportunities for a better future for vulnerable children with the help of donors and partners.

GIK

To share experiences about the operations of GIK in the partnership, World Vision Zambia hosted a conference from the 17th to the 21st of April at Taj Pamodzi Hotel in Lusaka under the theme, ‘Impacting vulnerable communities through the strategic utilization and integration of Gift-in-Kind’.

Speaking at the event, Fred Mazumba, World Vision Zambia GIK Manager, said GIK is a model fully birthed on Integration.

“In Zambia, GIK means more than just a gift to the communities but is used to create impact, support other projects and programs, and ensure that it is demand driven while helping to achieve the long-term goals of the projects,” said Mr. Mazumba.

GIK

The GIK conference provided a platform for National offices to share experiences on how best the wonderful resources which different donors are giving to World Vision can be used to transform the lives of children while achieving accountability.

And Southern Africa Region Senior Director of Operations, Abi Riak, said the conference delegates needed to understand how GIK contributes to child wellbeing.

"We are here to understand how GIK is a tool to amplify and facilitate transformational development,” said Ms. Riak.

Meanwhile, the World Vision US GIK Team Leader, Jon Koetje, talked about how important reporting is to sustaining GIK interventions.

“Our aim is finding ways of sustaining and growing the GIK. But we need to come together and figure out how to begin identifying, tracking, and communicating the impact of the resources on programming. The future looks very bright,” said Mr Koetje.

During this conference, delegates had the opportunity to visit the GIK warehouse in Meanwood, Ibex Hill, to appreciate the best practices that World Vision Zambia has put in place and warehousing management. The representatives also visited the One Chongwe Area Program in Chongwe East and Chongwe South to learn about AP’s management of GIK, visited some project sites to appreciate how GIK is being used to improve WASH infrastructure and also participated in a live distribution of juice bottles, umbrellas, and bags.

The Conference was attended by over 61 delegates from World Vision Zimbabwe, US, South Sudan, Somalia, Rwanda, Malawi, Eswatini, Burundi, Tanzania and Zambia.

GIK