Improving child development and services to children and persons with disabilities affected by displacement in Central Rakhine The overall objective of the project is to strengthen detection, referral and treatment of developmental delays and physical impairments among children, including children with Acute Malnutrition, living in displaced and local communities in Sittwe. 
This project is structured in two main components. The first is aligned with the Protection Sector priorities and HRP objectives and aims at preventing the development of impairment by provision of early detection and referral among children, including children under five with Acute Malnutrition, while raising awareness on disability inclusion among the community in the targeted area and the protection cluster partners in Sittwe. Moreover a MHPSS crosscutting component will be mainstreamed into physical rehabilitation activities to strengthen its benefits and positively reinforce the mental health of vulnerable individuals and communities. The project will also adopt a gender and conflict sensitive approach that will be mainstreamed across three sectors of intervention, fostering gender inclusion and social cohesion. 
The second component, is responding to the specific needs of children with disabilities and/ or under 5 with Severe Acute Malnutrition, to access essential health services such as Stimulative Physical Therapy and functional Physical Rehabilitation. Early detection and intervention can act as a protective factor to reduce the change of developmental delays and impairments. It is therefore crucial to promote better childhood development and to improve the rate of survival of those children born with severe and life-threatening birth defects and/or impairments by referring children and providing access to preventive services at an earlier age.
Finally, HI will adopt a COVID-19 sensitive approach while implementing each of the proposed activities, ensuring due diligence and duty of care of the Project staff and beneficiaries and mainstreaming COVID-19 prevention. The project will cover 14 IDP camps and 17 Muslim villages and 12 Rakhine villages in Sittwe township, making services available to IDPs and Host communities living in a conflict affected area.
The project design is based on the experience HI have developed during the last year working in partnership with Action Contre La Faim (ACF) and Myanmar Health Assistant Association (MHAA) in Rakhine State on innovative actions to treat malnutrition by strengthening treatment of acute malnutrition with disability inclusion and disability specific intervention. The project will be complementing the ongoing ACF and MHAA Outpatient Therapeutic Program (OTP) in the area. The 4 OTP are located in Thet Kay Pyin, Dar Paing, Baw Du Pa, Ohm Taw Gyi. Indeed, ACF integrated approach comprises of therapeutic feeding, routine medical treatment, mental health, care practices and psychosocial support. HI designs its activities to complement these ongoing activities by adding particular section for detection and management of patients with disabilities. Patients will be supported based on their needs either by direct support or referred to specialised services.Due to the limitation of services available for referrals in other townships of Rakhine State, this project proposes to implement activities in Sittwe, where ACF and MHAA OTP are currently functioning and geographically close to existing health services, in particular to Sittwe General Hospital, where tertiary level care is available. Looking through the lens of “Do No Harm”, access to appropriate services such as pediatric or physical medicine units is essential when strong impairments are detected. 
The project design is centred on the HI’s approach to innovativeness, being responsive to needs, ensuring long-term impact, and mainstreaming protection and social cohesion into interventions. Community Based Outreach workers and HI Physiotherapist will promote community participation and a context specific approach.