Community-Oriented Project for Education (COPE-II) This project is in response to the critical need for children’s continued access to education, especially for the most vulnerable and those from the displaced families and who have been dropped out from education due to recent developments and ongoing crisis. War Child Canada proposes an Education in Emergency project to respond the education needs of the children and to ensure children from the displaced families and vulnerable host communities can access education and continue their learning in a safe and enabling environment. WCC will build on its ongoing Community-Oriented Project for Education (COPE) in Kabul, funded by AHF under the 2021 Third Reserve-Allocation. WCC aims to expand the same interventions to additional communities at 4 new districts (Shakardara, Mirbacha Kot, Kalakan and PD15) in Kabul to support out of school children with TLS and CBE support with taking an additional caseload in Bagrami district based on the needs of the populations under the Second Community-Oriented Project for Education (COPE-II) proposed for AHF funding under 2021 First Allocation Strategy. The project aims to directly target 15,820 beneficiaries with 10,000 children (50% girls) in PD15, Shakardara, Mirbacha Kot, Kalakan and Bagrami districts of Kabul province. The project will establish 120 Temporary Learning Spaces (TLS) at the MoE schools, 40 Community Based Education (CBE) classes, provide additional 4,000 out of schoolchildren with Teaching and Learning Materials (TLMs) to support them in school enrollment, and will engage 160 TLS and CBE teachers with 40% to 50% women. In addition, project will also complement the ongoing procedures on protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA) by ensuring that boys and girls, teachers and parent are protected from being sexually exploited and abused by engaging with and strengthening existing community-based protection systems as well as capacity building of School Management Shura (SMS) particularly in implementation of the PSEA tools. Teachers will be oriented to refer children for mental health and psychosocial support services when needed. The project will engage SMS in mobilization and sensitization of communities by conducting awareness raising sessions on the importance of education and the EiE response – SMS will organize school enrollment campaigns in their communities to ensure out of school children are registered at TLS/CBE classes to continue learning. Taking into consideration the new potential waves of the COVID19 pandemic, the proposed action also aims to integrate COVID-19 preventive measures in accordance with the guidelines of the MoPH, WHO and WCC’s own protocols. Schools and learning spaces will be provided with necessary protective material (face masks and sanitizers) and social distancing will be ensured for all in person activities. One other major intervention of the proposed project is to work on creating a protective and friendly learning environment for children both at schools/CBEs and homes through establishment and training of CBCPM members whose role will be to contribute to community education on child protection and to identify and address child protection concerns in their respective communities.

According to the Afghanistan Education system, an academic year is minimum 9 months, and a sufficient time is normally required to start the project including staffing, planning for implementation, initial coordination with stakeholders and communities, selection and training of teachers, identification of venue and schools for CBE and TLS classes, enrollment of children, procurement of supplies and other preparatory activities. Of course, some more time is also required to integrate children at MoE schools and properly close out the project. Therefore, War Child Canada has proposed a 12-month project to be able to support out of school children throughout the academic year and effectively complete activities within the proposed timeline.