Global Refugee Fund

The Kakuma refugee camp, fourth largest in the world, is home to over 150,000 refugees from a number of African countries including Somalia, South Sudan, and the DRC. Adjacent to the camp is Kalobeyei, a settlement created as an answer to long-term displacement of refugees in the region.

While there are a number of NGO-run schools in Kakuma and Kalobeyei, only 50% of children are enrolled, leaving an enormous gap. Early marriage, a need for income, or other child protection issues are the primary reason cited for this low rate of school attendance. These protection issues disproportionately impact girls.

Amid these challenges, IsraAID is working to offer protection services implemented complementarily to the formal education system, specifically oriented to these children’s needs through two Child Resource Centers, one in Kakuma and one in Kalobeyei.

Throughout January, the outdoor space at the Kakuma Child Resource Center was under construction, to install a pergola which will give the children a shaded space for play. In addition, new soccer goals were set up to allow for children to play together. Check out the below pictures!!

Within the framework of these Child Resource Centers, IsraAID staff has, since 2016, trained facilitators from the community in psychosocial support to provide targeted care in a safe space. The centers are open six days per week, eight hours per day, serving 150 children each day. IsraAID’s facilitators, from the refugee community themselves, work to support the difficult emotional and behavioral needs the children often present. Furthermore, facilitators engage parents and children to create a culture of prevention and zero tolerance for phenomena such as female genital mutilation, early and forced marriage, and psychological or emotional abuse.

In January, IsraAID also launched a new Child Resource Center in the Palorinya Settlement in the Moyo district of Uganda, to provide 200 children daily with holistic protection services in a safe space. The center is run by 10 facilitators recruited from the refugee community and trained by IsraAID protection officers in prevention and response techniques. Daily activities will include psychosocial support to provide holistic care for children attendees aged 5 and up, focusing on their specific protection needs. In addition, an outreach program will engage some 400 community members in a series child protection awareness raising workshops through the framework of the center to increase preventive measures by parents, leaders, and other service providers.

Thanks for your support of these programs!