Integrated response to protection and education needs of South Sudanese refugees children and youth SUMMARY
This integrated CPiE and EiE project is implemented by Plan International Ethiopia in Bambasi and Tongo refugee camps since August 1st 2018 to respond to the increasing needs of South Sudanese refugees children. It intends to provide access to life-saving (child) protection and inclusive education services, especially for vulnerable children such as unaccompanied and separated children, child gender based violence survivors, children formerly associated with armed forces and groups, children with disability and other children at risk, to prevent child abuse and to promote education by engaging community members. Focus is on adolescents and youth with provision of gender and age appropriate services, including sport and recreational activities, menstrual hygiene kits and psychosocial support and reinforcing their life skills for empowerment. Gambella and Benishangul-Gumuz regions currently host the largest refugee population in Ethiopia, mainly South Sudanese. As of May 2018, a total of 60,641 refugees (14,792 households) reside in Benishangul-Gumuz regional state.  47% of refugees in Benishangul Gumuz are female, 63% are children, mainly South Sudanese. 35,000 new refugees are expected in 2018  while no significant returns.  
Child Protection: Given the high number of children arriving in the camps, child protection remains a high priority: lack of WASH facilities and protective measures in the existing CFS and YFS, inadequate/low response to sexual violence due to a prevailing culture of silence, psychological distress and trauma. 
Education: In 2017, 45% of South Sudanese refugee school age children were out of school. There is a lack of key facilities such as classrooms, sex-segregated latrines, water points, fences as well as libraries and laboratories, school supplies and teaching materials, there are no school feeding programs and other basic provisions for vulnerable children. Children with special needs have limited access, with only few taking part in primary education.
School management and refugee incentive teachers are not adequately trained or certified and are disproportionately male (only 8% are female). Girls are 2.5 times more likely to be out of school than boys. Reasons for low enrolment and retention of girls include harmful traditional and cultural practices, lack of resources and materials to manage menstrual hygiene, fewer educated female role models, and limited community awareness on the value of education. Additionally, girls face higher risk of school-related sexual and gender-based violence and other harmful or exploitative practices. 
Adolescent girls and boys and youth:  Youth continue to face various risks that undermine their wellbeing and expose them to death or injury. Youth mentioned that it was very challenging to have no income to support their families, which contributes to their disempowerment and involvement in crimes, violence and drug abuse. The high consumption of drugs, for example khat , cannabis and alcohol, especially by young men and adolescent boys is a major challenge. Adolescent girls and young women are highly exposed to sexual abuse and GBV, often occurring within households and communities. Some also resort to engage in commercial sex, due to lack of economic means to cover their/household needs. A lack of adequate services for adolescents and youth, like sport, recreational and social activities was also reported. Child Protection: The project builds on the socio-ecological model of Child Protection and aligns with Plan’s Global Child Protection Strategy and logframe, composed of 3 overarching CPiE Objectives : 1. Strengthen the protective environment: children, caregivers and communities recognize risks and prevent and respond to them; 2. Promote access to age and gender appropriate services: children and families can access quality services to prevent and respond to violence, abuse, neglect, and exploitation appropriate to the best interest of the child and in line with minimum standards. 3. Child protection monitoring, coordination, policy and advocacy: Plan International is part of inter-agency efforts to improve (sub) state level advocacy and policy change to improve the lives of children affected by violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation before, during and after emergencies. 
Education : Plan will focus on Early Child Care and Education centers to increase further participation and protection of girls, as well as improve quality of education.  
Youth will be engaged and empowered using youth centers as entry points, providing different age and gender appropriate and culturally sensitive services such as recreation and sports, information on Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) and Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) and access to services as well as capacity development initiatives emphasizing on child protection, peaceful co-existence and life skills Plan International was selected by ARRA (government ) and UNHCR as the sole child protection and youth programming implementing partner for 5 camps in Benishangul-Gumuz regions ( Gure Shembola, Tsore, Sherkole, Tongo and Bambasi refugee camp) and Pagak entry point. 
Plan will work with and build on existing frameworks, processes, structures, and institutions. Plan has been regularly attending the special refugee task force meetings held under leadership and coordination from ARRA and UNHCR,  both at the national level and at regional level in Gambella and Benishangul-Gumuz. It has been actively participating in education and protection/GBV cluster meetings chaired by ARRA and UNHCR, as well as the Regional Education Cluster chaired by Regional Education Bureau and UNICEF. Plan collaborates with UNHCR and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) for the cross-border family tracing and reunification. Wherever possible, Plan makes sure to work within existing structures to build capacity rather than create parallel systems, which will foster sustainability. Interventions under this project have been designed, and will be implemented, in collaboration with key stakeholders and within existing structures (government and UN) to ensure alignment, compliance to sectorial program strategies and UNHCR program framework. Heads of community structures have been engaged as well. The intervention will ensure close engagement with the relevant governmental - and non-governmental - stakeholders, such as ARRA, UNICEF and UNHCR, as well as other implementing NGOs -	CP activities:  most vulnerable and at risk children as well as adults. Main target : Unaccompanied and Separated Children (UASC), child GBV survivors and Other Vulnerable Children (OVC) 
-	Education activities : children aged 3 to 5 and adults such as Primary School facilitators, teachers, teaching assistants, parent-teachers association members, school mothers and community beneficiaries of awareness raising sessions. 
-	Youth activities : adolescents and youth aged 14 to 24, including GBV survivors and adolescents and youth  most at risk of GBV, including unaccompanied minors and teenage mothers. Objective 1: Refugee and host community children are protected and receive ongoing support through Psychosocial Support and case management in an inclusive, safe, child friendly and protective environment
Activity 1.1: Establish and run 2 permanent CFS including fencing respectively in Tongo and Bambasi refugee camps - 
Activity 1.2: Identification, registration of unaccompanied and separated children (UASC) and Other Vulnerable Child (OVC) protection cases 
Activity 1.3: Purchase and provision of non-food items (NFIs) and direct support for critical cases  (NFI kits will consist of cloth, household utensils, mats, blankets and hygiene and sanitation kits for girls) 
Activity 1.4: Recruit, train, and provide monthly incentive for social workers 
Activity 1.5: Provide integrated psychosocial support in the CFSs based on the IDEAL model 
Activity 1.6: Provision of positive parenting skill training for foster families and parents of other vulnerable children.  
Activity 1.8: Establish and/or strengthen adolescent and children clubs in the camp and train them on child protection and life skills 
Activity 1.9: Strengthen and support Child Protection Committees
Activity 1.10: Awareness raising sessions on GBV, disability inclusion, services available, and other topics 
Activity 1.11: Campaign and material support to tackle chigoe flea pandemic – commonly known as Jigger flea - that affect children 
Activity 1.12: Establish and train on community feedback management mechanisms 
Activity 1.13: Train local court members, shurtas, partner organization staff, and zonal leaders to reinforce laws and regulations on child protection and GBV 

Objective 2: Refugee girls and boys, aged 3-14 years, have improved access to age and developmentally appropriate education opportunities, in an inclusive and safe school environment. 
Activity 2.1: Construct and equip one new Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCD) block 
Activity 2.2. Recruit, train, and provide monthly incentives to ECCD facilitators 
Activity 2.3 : Train primary school supervisors and assistant 

Objective 3: Youth South Sudanese refugees have access to gender and age appropriate sexual and reproductive health (SRH) and psychosocial and empowerment support
Activity 3.1: Establish and run 2 new youth centers 
Activity 3.2: Establish and support youth clubs, including sport clubs, SRH/GBV clubs, Art & cultural clubs, peaceful coexistence club.
Activity 3.3: Provision of training for youth clubs on child protection, case management, psychosocial first aid, referral pathways
Activity 3.4: Train on life skills, SRH and HIV prevention 
Activity 3.5: Organize 3 solidarity sport games/tournaments between refugees and host community 
Activity 3.6: Conduct group discussion sessions on peaceful coexistence among youth