Child Protection and GBV Prevention and Response interventions to the Most Vulnerable Communities in Mayendit This project aims to save lives, improve dignity, address the needs and protect from harm over  9,965 people (1902 Men, 4523 Women, 1070 boys and 2470 girls) people living in crisis-affected communities in Mayendit through integrated Gender Based Violence (GBV) prevention, response, and risk mitigation interventions and Child Protection services..

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) through static (Rubkuay Payam) and mobile response (Tutnyang and Thaker Payams) will provide Gender Based Violence (GBV) prevention, response, and risk mitigation interventions. The response services will include provision of survivor centered GBV case management services. Through the already established Women and Girls Safe Space (WGSS) in Rubkuay Payam, women and girls will be provided with age and context appropriate psychosocial support interventions to empower, support their healing, and contribute to building their resilience. The project will further scale up the GBV prevention intervention focusing on community engagement to address social norms, beliefs and practices that demean and disadvantage women and girls in the community. These interventions will include information dissemination on GBV services, community dialogues) and complemented with capacity building of community structures and service providers as well as outreach activities focusing on GBV, and Child Protection. On GBV risk mitigation, IRC will conduct GBV mainstreaming trainings across sectors (Nutrition, Food Security and Livelihood (FSL), Protection and Health) coupled with interagency GBV safety audits assessment to identify key concerns and risks affecting the protection environment of women and girls. To mitigate the risks associated with negative coping mechanisms among the vulnerable and at-risk women including those living with disabilities, IRC will support them with economic empowerment interventions through provision of multipurpose cash assistance to vulnerable women and income generating activities to equip women with skills on establishing their own small-scale business. 

Child Protection (CP) sector will focus on the prevention girls and boys from abuse, neglect, exploitation and violence and provide comprehensive response when children experience or at risk of harm in Rubkuay, Thakar, Tutnyang and Dablual Payams of Mayendit County. This intervention will be complemented by other ongoing CP response services funded by SIDA and previously established safe healing and learning spaces established by SSHF to ensure a successful and comprehensive CP intervention. The IRC CP program will provide case management service for children with protection concerns through cash assistance for 100 children as per the case plan of the children and the caseworkers will be trained on the case management SOP. The proposed project will target 300 caregivers on parenting skills training and 210 frontline workers on child protection in emergencies (CPiE) and PFA in the community. A total of 150 teachers in 14 schools will be targeted on PSS in schools. In addition, through the integrated community outreach team, the larger community members, including children, will be targeted through community awareness on key child protection risks, social norms, harmful practices, Mine Risk education (MRE), and related information on CP service and mitigation measures.