Integrated Multi-Sectoral Life-Saving Response to Crisis Affected Children and their Families in Sitti Zone of Somali Region Save the Children (SC)’s proposed integrated multi-sectoral emergency health, nutrition, education, WASH and protection interventions are designed to save the lives, nutritional, educational and the protection needs of thousands of severely conflict-affected children and communities in Sitti Zone. The project targeted 2 woredas, Meisso and Afdem, where people are affected and displaced due to recurrent crisis and recently living with host communities. The project will reach these communities, provide the proposed services for both IDP, and host communities. The proposed health and nutrition support includes the provision of basic health and nutrition services and contribution to the reduction of morbidity and mortality due to disease and malnutrition in drought and conflict affected woredas by deploying MHNT and CMAM team. Through child protection response, Save the Children will provide psychosocial services through Child Friendly Spaces (CFS) such as Psychological First Aid/PFA and referral for traumatized boys, girls and families who have witnessed or personally experienced physical injuries including death. SC will also ensure identification and registration of children with different CP concerns (including number, age, and sex, special need/disability) to facilitate referral to other services providers. In addition, we will establish/strengthen child protection committees by using this emergency as an entry opportunity for community members with a composition of different groups working on addressing the needs of children including sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV).

Moreover, the proposed services include enhancing emergency-affected school aged boys’ and girls’ access to equitable, safe, and inclusive education and also Increase quality formal and non-formal learning opportunities for emergency-affected school aged children in order to achieve improved learning outcomes. According to the Rapid Inter-Agency Needs Assessment Report 13-25 August 2021, many school age children faced challenges in the four conflict and drought-affected woredas of siti zone. Poor access to basic education, limited participation and enrolment for IDP children in the available learning facilities around IDP due to, lack of scholastic materials and limited psychosocial support and back to school campaign. Significant number of children do not have access to regular meal and there are no school-feeding program in schools of drought affected and displace communities. There are frequent and chronic absenteeism among in schoolchildren of the drought affected woredas covered by the assessment. This, in turn, will contribute to increased drop out of children from the schools.

In response to this, SC will initiate emergency school feeding, construct temporary learning spaces and  gender segregated dry latrines with WASH components, rehabilitation of damaged schools, furnish temporary learning spaces and provides scholastic materials to 5614 emergency affected children and Provide capacity building training for teachers, education personnel  and PTAS. Besides, it establishes/strengthen case management systems among service providers to respond to cases of violence including SGBV and provide dignity kits for reproductive age girls. Coordination and CP referral mechanisms with different stakeholders like government bodies, law enforcement bodies, UN agencies, NGO, CBO, and community-based structures strengthened to ensure a comprehensive response to the different needs of children and their families. Further, SCI will increase awareness and improve the sanitation and hygiene practice through hygiene promotion activity of the target population.