Right to Care IV: Reintegrating vulnerable children into protective communities in Borno  State Street Child with its partner LABDI will strengthen community-based child protection mechanisms in four communities of Damboa, Gwoza (Pulka) LGA's in Borno State, in order to enhance protective environments of communities and address critical needs faced by 4,140 vulnerable conflict affected children and caregivers. In order to maximise experience, presence, and value for money concerns, the project will be implemented in the communities of Sector 123 Camp and Camp B (Pulka), Kachallabulari and Shuwari Informal Camps (Damboa). These communities have been selected based on protection gaps identified within the Sector as well as the pre-existing child protection infrastructure and community relationships built during previous protection interventions, that can be further strengthened and localised in line with allocation priorities.

LABDI  will conduct front-line protection activities, including the set-up and running of child-friendly spaces and case management systems within communities of implementation to ensure that children have access to dedicated protective services that support psychosocial wellbeing as well as providing case management services to the most vulnerable children. This direct service provision will be supported by capacity building of community and government child protection structures to empower communities with skills necessary to identify, mitigate, and respond to child protection issues. In line with sector priorities, referral mechanisms and and pathways will be mapped and strengthened through consistent engagement at sector level. 

Street Child will support LABDI through provision and capacity building of specialised protection services including family tracing and reunification (FTR), socioeconomic reintegration of unaccompanied children and children formerly associated with armed groups (CAAG), and mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) on basis of need. Technical capacity building will be supported by institutional and organisational strengthening in key operational aspects including logistics and procurement, finance, internal policy, and MampE frameworks/reporting mechanisms, and other topics. These strengthening initiatives will be implemented through a range of formats and modalities to best facilitate institutional learning - workshops and presentations will be followed up with bilateral monitoring and review. Key Street Child staff will carry out 1-1 mentoring with LABDI colleagues on a scheduled basis, either in LABDI or SC office, where they will be available to directly support and mentor their counterpart on key issues and initiatives. Capacity building topics will be primarily raised and requested by LABDI, in order to promote internal reflection, however SC will also propose capacity strengthening topics as a result of implementing progress. A capacity development plan will be developed with LABDI at project inception.

Capacity strengthening will also be mainstreamed, both technical and organisational skills, to improve resilience of community/government stakeholders. This will ensure that trained, sensitised, and motivated national NGOs and government departments will have the ability to maintain services in preventing, mitigating, and responding to child protection concerns, and thus maintain the protective environment surrounding the areas of implementation, after project close-out. Through bilateral support and empowerment of LABDI staff, Street Child will contribute to the organisation's strategic positioning and capacity within the Child Protection Sub Sector and promote leadership and coordination by national organisations in the wider northeast Nigeria humanitarian response.

Innovative and adaptable AAP, CRM, and MampE frameworks will improve capacity of local communities to take ownership of the humanitarian response in their own homes.