Provision of preventative and responsive  child protection services for drought affected populations in Somaliland Since July 2015, Save the Children (SC) has been implementing an emergency response in the drought affected areas of Awdal and Waqui Galbeed regions of Somaliland. SC was the first organization to raise the alarm and to respond to the drought by addressing the food security, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), child protection and primary health needs of the most affected populations. With the worsening situation of drought conditions, SC has since expanded its emergency programming into Puntland, Somalia in Mudug region.

SC is already implementing interventions in drought effected areas which includes health, nutrition and water tracking which will be linked to this proposed intervention. To complement the already existing drought response programming , SC proposes child protection interventions which will improve the protection of children from some of the key Child protection issues including Separation and unaccompanied children due to displacement of people in search of food, water and pasture for livestock, boys and girls are engaged in exploitative work where girls are employed as domestic servants and boys engaged in shoe shining ,and daily manual labor with low pay and the environment is not protected since children are on their own and therefore exposed to violence, abuse, exploitation and neglect  which is exacerbated by the drought. For example, the existing mobile health teams will be trained to refer children and to inform community members of the child protection services available to them. SC will geographically target W.Galbeed and Awdal in Somaliland. The project aims to undertake a range of child protection interventions focusing on essential frontline services that are critical to the physical survival and psychosocial well-being of children affected by the drought. Activities will focus on provision of community and school-based psychosocial support activities for boys and girls in collaboration with other sectors (Health, Nutrition, NFI and Food Distribution-Livelihoods), strengthening existing community protection systems (CWCs CECs, Camp management) to identify cases of abuse, exploitation, and violence and neglect and particularly contributors to family separation , including economic ones due to the current extreme stresses placed on family livelihoods. The action will also facilitate family tracing and reunification for separated and unaccompanied children, and initiate the provision of appropriate community based interim care for UASC. Regular monitoring visits will be conducted to monitor the appropriateness of these care arrangements. The capacity of community based structures (CECs, CWCs) will be strengthened to identify and refer children with protection concerns through the existing referral pathways. SC will facilitate referrals for survivors of gender based violence to receive medical, psychosocial and other necessary support using case management. Existing child friendly spaces will be equipped with recreational materials to enhance a conducive environment for play, psychosocial wellbeing and development.

Additionally, The project would further contribute to the increased capacity and resilience of local communities, by empowering nomadic communities with the knowledge and skills of taking better care of their children as a strategy to prevent abuse, exploitation, neglect and violence.