Education response for drought-affected school-aged children in Bardhere, Luuq, Garbaharey, Burdhubo and Beledhawa Districts of Gedo Regions, Somalia The proposed 9-month intervention will provide access to quality education and protection services to school-aged children affected by the drought in Gedo region, Somalia. The project intervention is timely significant to address and respond to the education cluster and drought response plan (June-December 2019) strategies: i) prioritize education support to children where they live and ii) education opportunity to children in place where they move to ensure they can continue their education. Education is critical during emergencies like drought. It protects children from risks and protection related concerns. School-aged children will be provided lifesaving education intervention to schools they are currently learning to prevent the risk of dropout as well as mitigate the protection risks. Equally, school-aged children who are displaced by the drought will be reached out to their places to ensure they have access to quality education and protection services in locations they moved to the proposed project will be targeting 4000 school aged children affected by the drought in 18 schools in Belethawa (4 schools), Bardhere (4 schools), Luuq (5 schools), Garbaharey (2 schools) and Burdhubo(3). The project will target 4000 school-aged drought affected children in Gedo (2,200 boys and 1,800 girls). Education specific activities will include the provision of education supplies: As per the education minimum standard on teaching and learning materials, learners and teachers will be provided learning materials in accordance to set standards. Each grade 1-3 student will receive learning kit consisting of 7 books (6 single ruled and 1 single Squared100 sheets), 4 pencils, 4 rubbers and 2 sharpeners while students between Grade 4 and 8 will receive  7 books ((6 single ruled and 1 single Squared 100 sheets), 2 pens,2 rubbers , 1 sharpener and one student mathematics set. Bags will be given the girls provided for the sanitary kits to carry their sanitary materials to the schools to reduce their absence during menstrual period, emergency school feeding to promote retention of learners, emergency teacher incentives to motivate teachers, training of teachers and CECs on education and child protection, and sanitary kits for adolescent girls to encourage their regular attendance at school. WASH Specific activities will include water trucking to the schools and construction of water storages (Barkets), the construction of gender segregated school latrines with hand-washing facilities.  As education is lifesaving, protection mainstreaming will be key and critical to ensure children have access to protective learning environment. HIRDA will conduct protection service mapping in the target schools. The members will be able to identify children with protection concern both at the school and community. They also, help in organising children led social mobilization campaign in the community. Also, organise structured recreational activities in the school4000 (1800 girls) learners will be provided with recreational materials as per the education cluster minimum standard. Children in the target locations will have access to structured recreational play in the schools. Through the recreational materials, children will have access to play and interact with other children. Children clubs will also be established in the target schools.

HIRDA has been active education partner as well as nutrition and health. Based on its vast experienced field staff who benefited trainings offered by the education cluster and UNICEF, HIRDA will be directly implementing this project. The project will complement the ongoing alternative basic education, health and nutrition programmes funded by UNICEF. School-aged children will have access to nutrition screening exercise to identify children with acute malnutrition and treated. Equally, the health HIRDA team will prioritise the target schools to ensure children are dewormed and treated communicable diseases and illnesses.