Improving Safety and Access to Services for IDPs in Somali Region 832,652 internally displaced persons (IDPs) identified under the Displacement Tracking Matrix are recorded in Somali region as of March 2018 (IOM DTM Round 9). Just under 500,000 have been displaced by conflict and the rest have been displaced by drought. Of the more than 800,000 IDPs identified in Somali region, some 18% are displaced within Afder and Liben Zones. This intervention will target a total of 16 IDP sites in in Filtu and Deka Suftu Woredas in Liben zone and Bare and Dolobay woredas in Afder zone.

DRC has designed this intervention to enhance the safety, protection and access to appropriate essential services for the most vulnerable IDPs residing in IDP settlements in Liben and Afder zone. Under this intervention, DRC aims to ensure that:

Outcome 1: Enhanced local community capacity to identify and respond to protection issues. 
Outcome 2: The most vulnerable IDPs, including women, children, persons with special needs and the elderly, have enhanced access to basic services.

DRC will achieve Outcome 1 by providing technical and training support to IDP communities, to identify and respond to protection risks (Output 1.1). DRC will conduct regular visits to each IDP settlement to map new and developing needs and any gaps in the provision of services to IDPs and work with local duty-bearers to establish the referral pathways for protection cases. DRC will utilize the mapping exercise as a basis for engaging with relevant stakeholders and sectors for extension of services. DRC will facilitate the establishment of community based protection structures where they are not present, and provide capacity building sessions on the identification and response to protection risks. DRC will additionally support the community based protection structures to promote awareness on protection risks, special needs and services available based on key messages produced.

DRC will achieve Outcome 2 by facilitating that protection cases in drought and conflict-affected IDP sites are identified, referred and responded to (Output 2.1) and providing governmental officials, humanitarian workers and other service providers with knowledge and skills to identify, prevent and respond to protection risks across the sectors and services provided to target IDP sites (output 2.2). This will be achieved by the linking up of community-based protection structures to service providers for each IDP site. DRC will accompany these structures to make referrals and/or facilitate the provision of protection services to vulnerable individuals or people at risk. DRC will support local duty-bearers to provide assistance to individuals at risk by providing individual protection assistance for up to 100 cases as required. DRC will address the lack of basic services for the most vulnerable population in close collaboration with the Protection, WASH and Shelter/NFI clusters based on specific vulnerability criteria in consultation with the IDP community. DRC will additionally train government officials, humanitarian workers and service providers on protection concerns, gender, age and disability specific services, Psychological first aid and protection mainstreaming in order to improve the protective environment for the IDPs and the Host communities in the selected areas.