Enhancing access to Integrated Child Protection and Education Interventions for flood affected populations in Beletweyne district, Hiraan Region. In response to the ongoing and anticipated displacements in Hiran region due to flooding, HIWA is proposing a multi-sectoral response with mobile teams providing combined Protection, and education support services to both IDPs and host communities.

In the protection sector, HIWA will provide emergency protection services to vulnerable, newly displaced boys and girls in Beletweyne, in both IDP and host communities.

To ensure the most vulnerable are reached, HIWA will target 6,100 newly displaced women, men, girls and boys. This project will fill gaps in service provision where government and humanitarian support is currently insufficient. Provision of services in general and protection services in particular have been significantly challenged by the limited access. As a result, HIWA’s multi-sectorial integrated approach aims to support the current situation in Beletweyne while preparing for the possible influx of people following continued prolonged rain. 

HIWA will implement activities in Beletweyne methodologies and approaches will be validated and lead by HIWA Protection Coordinator and HIWA field monitoring team to ensure harmony in the conduction of assessments and evaluation of needs. The project is a scale up of existing support being funded by UNICEF based on the successful implementation of child protection services in Beletweyne since 2012.

Under education, the project will aim to support 640 children who are at increased risk of dropping out of schools by enhancing access to education emergency temporary learning spaces (TLS), provision of teaching and learning materials (TLMs), provision of emergency teachers incentives while ensuring the wellbeing of children in schools through AWC/Cholera screening and enhancing hygiene and sanitation in schools through provision of hand washing materials. Through the cluster approach HIWA will also work to build the referral networks by establishing and training teachers and child protection community committees to support efficient referrals of children out of schools.

Close cooperation with HREC, local authorities, Line Ministry and all relevant stakeholders will be also established and maintained along the project implementation. The learning spaces and child friendly spaces to be renovated will be identified jointly with HREC to allow easy access for out of school children. The rehabilitation works will be carried out through a qualified contractor in compliance with INEE Minimum Standards and WHO/UNICEF Guidelines on Minimum Standards for WASH. 

The community education committee members of each target school will also be identified through schools that are supported by HREC to trained and mobilized to ensure proper and sustainable cleaning and maintenance of the rehabilitated facilities. 

The teachers receiving incentives will be recruited among the HREC supported schools in a participatory and transparent process based on shared selection criteria. Gender equality will be fostered during the process. Teachers’ Terms of Reference, Code of Conduct and Incentives will be established in coordination with all relevant stakeholders. 

Through the establishment and the training of community child protection committees and School Management Committees, the resources of the community will be mobilized around the schools. Gender equality will be fostered in the composition of the committees. Each trained committees will be provided with material inputs to sustain the school of their community through specific agreed upon activities.

The awareness campaigns as well as the hygiene and sanitation promotion activities will be designed and organized with the active involvement of teachers, committees members and pupils, taking into consideration the specific needs of girls and boys.