Integrated Child Protection and WASH assistance targetting the most vulnerable returnees and out-of-camp IDPs in underserved locations in Diyala and Kirkuk SC proposes a 7-month integrated Child Protection and WASH intervention designed to support (6,000) of the most at-risk out-of-camp IDPs and returnees to re-establish a sense of safety and confidence in the midst of uncertainties arising from displacement and the impact of COVID19. The project will be implemented in partnership with the Iraqi Al-Ghad present in Baquba, Diyala. Preventative and responsive interventions from the list of priority activities per cluster will support comprehensive child protection and WASH interventions in line with the HRP, cluster-specific objectives, and reserve allocation strategy objectives. Al-Ghad will provide legal assistance, civil documentation, and re-establishment and training of the community-based networks and training on advocacy for community leaders including youth, and run the two child-friendly spaces in Diyala. SCI will implement case management in Diyala and will implement all other activities as a direct implementer in Dibis, Kirkuk.

SC will adhere to the Iraqi case management SoP and the COVID-19 guidance developed by the Case Management Technical Working Group (CMTWG). Girls will be provided with gender-sensitive case management processes and services considering cultural and gender-related issues. Psychosocial distress, anxiety, children with disabilities, Unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (UASC), gender-based violence (GBV), and sexual abuse will be given equal priority, and cases referred to appropriate services. SC and Al-Ghad  will develop a referral pathway and refer cases to specialized service providers. Both partners will solicit input from local community-based networks and train the members of those structures on monitoring and referral mechanism (MRM), the centrality of protection, safe reporting, safe identification, and referral, to identify the critical cases of at-risk children and refer those cases to case management. SC will second caseworkers from DoLSA in the affected communities, considering the cultural and gender diversity and ensuring they are supervised and coached by SCI managers. SCI and Al-Ghad will also recruit lawyers with social work backgrounds for legal assistance, consultations, and civil documentations. SC, Al-Ghad, and child protection committees (CPC) will implement awareness-raising on CP, hygiene, and sanitation key areas of concern, child rights, and prevention of child abuse and exploitation. Community leaders and members will be consulted on these processes. The networks will receive capacity-building support in order to fulfill their role, which includes raising 10 community-based campaigns on child protection MHPSS, gender inclusion, and WASH.

SC will use schools in target areas to establish (CFS) and provide gender and age-sensitive structured (PSS) and parenting support to the identified at-risk children and caregivers based on needs to build PSS resilience, improve beneficiaries’ social interactions, and address the effects of sudden displacements. Home-based MHPSS and family PSS kits will be purchased and distributed to the targeted children and caregivers in targeted locations.

To rehabilitate dysfunctional water systems, SC will work with the Directorate of water (DoW) and engage communities in the identification of water systems in Dibis that require rehabilitation works to achieve functionality. 
SC will provide the most vulnerable out-of-camp IDPs with access to rehabilitated latrines and showers ensuring safe, equitable, and dignified access to these facilities. Emergency solid waste desludging will be undertaken and SCI will work with community members and the Directorate of Municipality (DoM) to mitigate the risks of garbage accumulation through direct garbage collection, utilizing the cleaning campaign approach in affected communities. SC will undertake hygiene Promotion and distribution of hygiene kits. Hygiene promotion will be in line with cluster recommendations on the topics to be covered.