Comprehensive Protection Response to Conflict-Affected Populations in Al Dhale’e and Al-Hudaydah (Tuhayta district) governorates, in Yemen – Enhancing Access to Rights and Services This project will contribute to the improvement of conflict affected people in Yemen’s access to rights and services through the provision of essential protection services targeting all age groups and all types of beneficiaries including internally displaced persons (IDPs), host communities (HCs), and returnees. The Danish Refugee Council (DRC) will target the most vulnerable individuals including women, men, boys, and girls in Al-Dhale’e and Al-Hudaydah (Tuhayta district) governorates.

The project will provide quality protection services in community centres and through mobile outreach teams able to quickly move and adapt to the changing context, including recreational and non-specialized group psychosocial support activities as an entry point in the community, protection monitoring, case management with a special focus on women at risk and children (including referrals, cash for protection, hereafter called Individual Protection Assistance [IPA], and livelihoods activities), legal aid, and awareness raising (including mine risk education [MRE]).

In Al-Hudaydah (Tuhayta district), DRC is present in IDP sites since June 2019 with a joint site management and coordination (SMC) / Emergency Response (ER) response, which this protection intervention will complement for integrated programming DRC has a field office in Mokha and a strong presence in Al Khawkha with SMC, ER, and protection. DRC protection mobile outreach teams will follow DRC’s SMC teams to conduct outreach and protection monitoring in new sites to enable multi-sectorial assessments and better respond to all needs identified. YHPF funding will complement DRC’s protection response in Al-Hudaydah governorate with mobile community centres offering all protection activities through mobile caravans covering sites according to changing needs and to possible shifts in frontline.

In Al-Dahle’e, DRC will select an implementing partner to provide all protection services, with technical support provided by DRC. As of March 2020, following a partner’s selection and start-up phase, the implementing partner will establish a static centre in the district identified with the most needs and in accordance with the Protection Cluster’s priority locations (Al-Dahle’e or Qaatabah), and a mobile outreach team to conduct protection monitoring and provide protection services to better respond to the needs identified in Al-Dhale’e and the quickly changing context. Following the recent fighting and critical needs identified, DRC has responded through its ER team for MPCA, and protection (protection monitoring, legal documentation, and victim assistance) this project will enable DRC and its implementing partner to provide a comprehensive protection response in Al-Dhale’e. In addition, DRC’s ER team is currently planning to continue  its activities in Al-Dhale’e under UNHCR, which will enable referrals from Protection to ER for multi-purpose cash assistance (MPCA), and referrals from ER to DRC’s Protection partner of individuals with protection concerns.

DRC will also support existing community-based Protection Networks (CBPNs) in Al-Dhale’e, and joint protection/SMC community committees in IDP sites in Al-Hudaydah. In both governorates,DRC currently works with an implementing local partner under its UNICEF-funded victim assistance project and has established a large network of child protection committees.

In addition, through protection monitoring in its community centres and through mobile outreach teams, DRC and its partner in Al Dhale’e will feed the Protection Cluster and the OCHA with information on protection risks,basic needs and gaps in Al-Dhale’e and Al-Hudaydah governorates, to inform the humanitarian response and develop advocacy points on key protection concerns where needed.
Finally upon the request from the protection cluster, the project will include a study aiming to provide analysis on barriers to inclusion and access to services, assistance and entitlements.