Provision of protection and PSS services to women and children in Rafah and KhanYounis– Southern Gaza Strip - OPT “I became aware of how to deal with my children, I became confident in myself amp able to protect my daughter amp myself. I’m very happy that they renovated our house amp I’m also happy with the dignity kit which provided me with many things that I’m deprived of. My daughter has changed a lot for the better. She has stopped dreaming nightmares like before. She is also interested in her studies amp her marks have been improved a lot.” 

This is a quote from a GBV case who amp her children live in difficult conditions in a remote amp marginalized area in Rafah, she were able to reach AWDA’s Center in Rafah, and benefit from the protection services provided within a project funded by the OPT-HF. Through the project amp in cooperation with civil society institutions, the mentioned case amp her children benefited from PSS services, case management, training on food processing, voucher assistance, dignity kit, clothes for her children, besides renovation of her home which was not suitable for human living.

The situation of this family is a model for a lucky family, which has been able to access amp benefit from the project's services, while thousands of families in the marginalized amp remote areas are in need of such services amp couldn’t access them due to the lacks of centers to provide protection services. In response to this need, cooperation with 5 CBOs located in remote amp marginalized areas in West Rafah amp East Khanyounis will be done to implement the project's activities in their centers in order to facilitate the access of the target groups to the protection services. Moreover, the needs amp the importance of providing protection services in the mentioned areas have been confirmed through coordination with the Protection Cluster Coordinator, GBV sub-working group coordinator, Child protection group coordinator and the MOSD. Adding to the results of the needs assessment conducted by AWDA in the targeted areas. In order to avoid any duplication in the provided services, coordination have been done with CFTA in Khanyunis, WEFAQ amp WAC in Rafah.


Upon what mentioned above, the project will be implemented in the following centers:
 West Rafah through 3 CBOs (Al Namat Assoc. – Al Mauassi Agriculture Assoc. – Palestinian Child’s friends Assoc.)
 East Khanyonis through Al Awda Community Center in BaniSuhaila amp 2 CBOs (Brillent Future Assoc. - Al-Waleed Charity).
The capacity of those CBOs will be built financially through the allocation of part of the budget for rental allowance to carry out activities at their centers, besides training their staff on protection mainstreaming, identification amp referral of (GBV cases amp children affected by conflict related and household violence amp who subjected to protection threats), adding to training them on complaint mechanisms, PSEA amp protection mainstreaming.

The project will target (182) Women amp girls who are survivors or at risk of GBV. And (540) Children (aged 6-17) of both sexes affected by conflict-related amp domestic violence. (5% PWDs)

Working with women amp children in the same project is a lesson learned from the project which is currently implemented in Rafah. where the project services can be summarized as follows:
 Providing structured, collective amp individual PSS services for children as well as case management amp referral. 
 Conducting awareness sessions for Children’s Caregivers.
 Provision of case management amp referral services for GBV cases.
 Provision of CVA for protection to GBV cases.
 Purchasing amp storing of dignity kits as emergency preparedness.
 Raising community awareness on women's amp children's protection issues amp PSEA through: awareness sessions, Facebook and radio.

To provide the services with high quality while ensuring the protection of the target groups, the project staff will be trained on CVA as well as on safeguarding, PSEA amp Code of conduct policies.