Improving access to critical child protection services for conflict affected children in Aweil East and Bor South. This is a child protection project which will be implemented in Aweil East County in Northern Bahr el Ghazal State and Bor South County in Jonglei State. The project seeks to ensure that girls and boys affected by the armed conflict and impacted by COVID-19 in Aweil East and Bor South have access to age and gender sensitive preventive and response lifesaving services for their recovery and well-being. The project will be implemented in 3 Payams of Madhol, Yargot and WunLang in Aweil East and Bor Town in Bor County. The project seeks to respond to critical child protection risks/threats/concerns identified in Aweil and Bor South including separation of children from their families, child recruitment, sexual and gender-based violence including early and forced marriage of children, psychosocial distress among children and caregivers, child labour, children in conflict with the law, among others. COVID-19 is projected to exacerbated these risks especially separation due to isolation, quarantine or hospitalization of parents/caregivers or children themselves. Protection risks to girls in Aweil East and Bor South include sexual and gender-based violence including child, early, and forced marriage (CEFM) and female genital cutting, poor access to social services including education, health and CFS, and high burden on domestic chores compared boys. While risks to boys include recruitment, cattle rustling to get cows to marry and boys are also at higher risk of child labour and separation from caregivers than girls. To address the diverse needs of children, the project will adopt a multi-sectoral integrated approach by working with and coordinating with other sectoral interventions/services. Due to restrictions and impeded access as a result of COVID-19, the project will make adaptations in the execution of planned activities and delivery of planned services to ensure that vulnerable and risk children, their families and communities continue to be reached with essential lifesaving services including COVID-19 prevention and response messages, case management and MHPSS services. 

The project will reach a total of 13,800 people (4,500 girls, 4,500 boys, 2,400 women and 2,400 men) the following key interventions/services: child protection and GBV awareness raising and dialogue targeting behavioural, attitudinal and practice change in favor of children and their rights child protection and GBV case management services to respond to urgent and critical protection needs of girls and boys and improve their safety and well-being capacity building of front-line actors and community-based structures to improve the knowledge and skills to protect children establish child friendly feedback, reporting /complaint mechanisms to enhance accountability to children and their caregivers and advocacy and lobbying to influence duty bearers and to unlock barriers protection of children. As part of the reach children, the project will reach an estimated 200 children with disabilities with case management, MHPSS and awareness services. This 2.2.% of the overall direct target for children to be reached under this project.