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Special
Projects: Democratic Republic of Congo
No
more Special Project Proposals are currently being accepted for implementation
in the Democratic Republic of Congo
Support
for the Reunification and Reintegration of Former Child Soldiers in the
DRC — Save the Children
This
project has three main objectives:
- To improve
understanding of the needs of children associated with fighting
forces - including girls - and to promote their rights during
transition from military to civilian life. This will entail the following
activities: (i) analyze and document the situation of child soldiers
in the Kivus; (ii) conduct participatory research to identify strategies
to prevent recruitment and facilitate sustainable reintegration; (iii)
identify ways of gaining access to girls associated with fighting forces;
(iv) train the military on issues of child protection (training of trainers).
- To create
and strengthen institutional capacity of government and NGO partners
to ensure protection of child soldiers in the framework of the national
demobilization and reintegration program. This will entail the following
activities: (i) support government in participatory policy-making and
program design; (ii) prepare training modules; (iii) prepare a framework
to monitor implementation and evaluate impact; (iv) train trainers at
a regional level; (v) support and monitor training for governmental
and non-governmental partners at a provincial level; (vi) evaluate the
impact of training.
- To facilitate
the sustainable socio-economic reintegration of child soldiers
into their communities through transitional support, family reunification,
and strengthening community capacities. This will entail the following
activities: (i) strengthen the capacity of local partners to manage
transit and orientation centers (CTOs); (ii) trace the families of the
demobilized children; (iii) develop pilot activities for community support
to Mayi Mayi children; (iv) strengthen the capacity of local networks
to monitor the reintegrated children; (v) support community micro-projects
that promote the sustainable reintegration of the demobilized child-soldiers.
Status:
Grant agreement has been signed by the World Bank and Save the Children.
The first tranche of approximately US$1 million was disbursed in March
2004.
Amount: US$2,500,000
Situation
Assessment and Pilot Projects for Demobilization and Reintegration of
Child Soldiers in Orientale, Northern Katanga and Maniema Provinces —
International Rescue Committee (IRC)/ International Foundation for
Education and Self-Help (IFESH)/ CARE International
This
project will consist of four components that will be implemented in three
provinces of eastern DRC.
- Assessing
armed groups' willingness to demobilize children. Activities will
include: (i) an assessment of the willingness of all accessible armed
groups to provide access to children and agree to their demobilization,
as well as the current dynamics that are leading to recruitment; (ii)
the development of a system of identification and verification in collaboration
with UNICEF and BUNADER; (iii) the development of a password-protected
database accessible by Internet to manage information collected from
all field sites (this database will be made available to other organizations
working not only with child soldiers, but also with separated children
in general).
- Community
sensitization and training. Activities will include: (i) sensitization
and training activities with key community members, to establish the
foundation for community-level protection committees; (ii) participatory
and action-oriented assessments through household, market and infrastructure
surveys and assessments of market possibilities, educational possibilities,
and social resources, resulting in a composite mapping of reintegration
opportunities and needs in the targeted areas; (iii) tracing and reunification
for a sample group of children and researching alternative care for
untraceable cases and children who cannot be reunified for the time
being.
- Development
of provincial plans for demobilization. Activities will include
the development of provincial plans within a more global framework,
with input from national and international partners in the targeted
areas-local, the organization of fora in each province to discuss and
agree upon definitions, principles and approaches for the child soldier
DDR process, and the production of a detailed implementation plan.
- Child
soldiers reintegration. Activities will include: (i) building the
capacity of local partners engaged in child protection work; (ii) strengthening
existing or setting up local structures and committees; (iii) training
local authorities and military battalions on child protection needs
and the demobilization process; (iv) conducting large scale dissemination
and awareness-raising campaigns to increase information and knowledge
of the national demobilization plan at the community level; (v) conducting
identification and verification of child soldiers; (vi) setting up and
managing transit centers for demobilized children; (vii) ensuring the
provision of psychosocial activities at the CTO and community level;
(viii) conducting ongoing tracing, reunification and follow up of demobilized
children; (ix) conducting community-based reintegration activities;
(x) develop a strategy for education "catch-up"; and (xi)
setting up special community funds to facilitate child soldiers' reintegration,
prevent re-recruitment and support other vulnerable children. Approximately
35 community-based reintegration activities will include: rehabilitation
of buildings, social infrastructure or economic activities identified
through participatory research.
Status:
Grant agreements have been signed by the World Bank and implemening partners.
The first tranches equalling approximately US$2 million were disbursed
to all the three organizations in early January 2004.
Amount: US$7,000,000 (between three implementing partners)
Community
Recovery and Reintegration of Ex-Combatants in Eastern DRC — UNDP
This project consists of three components that will be implemented in
five provinces (North and South Kivu, Orientale, Katanga and Maniema).
- Sensitisation
and Community mobilisation activities are aimed at creating a favourable
environment for the implementation of the project through creation or
reinforcement of local community based networks, village committees,
community workshops, discussions, etc. in order to: (i) disseminate
objectives of overall project; (ii) promote community participation
in socio-economic rehabilitation; (iii) promote confidence and peaceful
co-existence between the local communities and ex combatants.
- Community
reconstruction and development in order to (i) strengthen the capacity
of communities through rehabilitation of social infrastructure (rural
tracks, wells, sanitation facilities, etc.) and initiate a participatory
process of long tem development; (ii) promote income generation by increasing
economic opportunities through the financing of community production
initiatives; and (iii) progressively including ex-combatants into these
projects.
- Sustainable
reintegration of ex combatants through the financing of micro-projects.
Each micro project will cost approximately US$500. The micro-projects
will be implemented through NGOs and the identification of the different
micro projects will be based on election criteria following procedural
standards of UNDP. Technical procedures will be standardized to ensure
coherency in project implementation. Each project will benefit from
technical experience during the implementation cycle of the micro project
(identification, formulation, start up). There will be no introduction
of new technologies within the communities, nor the development of major
work projects. The micro projects will support the ex combatants in
activities that are already traditional economic and social activities
in these areas.
Status:
Grant agreement between UNDP and the World Bank was signed. The first
tranche of US$2.8 million was disbursed at the end of January 2004.
Amount: US$5,000,000
Rapid
Response Mechanism to Support the DDR of Ex-Combatants in the DRC —
UNDP
This project has two main objectives:
- To facilitate
the national DDR program through the conduct of exploratory activities;
evaluation missions; quick surveys of targeted populations;, analysis
of preliminary conditions for DDR; sensitization activities, peace-building
and reconciliation; information exchanges; consultations with targeted
groups and other affected populations.
- To respond
to other contingencies and programmatic and operational urgencies by
rapidly deploying experts, materials and other inputs, as well as the
preparation of services for DDR in areas of program implementation (demobilization
sites, transit centers, community welcome centers, etc.).
Status:
Grant agreement between UNDP and the World Bank was signed. The first
tranche of US$3.2 million was disbursed at the end of January 2004.
Amount: US$4,629,870
Family
and Community Reintegration of Demobilized Child Soldiers— Belgian
Red Cross
This
project consists of three components that will be implemented in Kinshasa
and in the southern part of the Equateur region focused around Mbandaka:
- Training
of Personnel: Personnel of the Red Cross in the DRC will be trained
to work with demobilized child soldiers at transit centers (CTO - centre
de transit et d'orientation) as well as to mediate with their families
and conduct sensitization activities at the community level. This training
consists of: psychosocial development and evolution of children and
child soldiers, techniques of communication and observation, mediation,
active participatory research, counseling/psycho-therapy, education
activities, preparation for return to and reintegration of child into
the family and community.
- Sensitization
and Prevention: The Red Cross will undertake sensitization activities
aimed at several different groups to increase understanding of the need
to better protect children, the legal framework of child protection,
the situation of child soldiers and their reintegration back into family
and community. The groups to be targeted include: government, local
authorities, communities, families, teachers and students. This component
will include the training of Red Cross volunteers on the situation of
demobilized child soldiers, who are then to monitor the situation of
demobilized child soldiers and their communities and intervene when
they see children or families having trouble adapting.
- Reintegration
of demobilized child soldiers back into their families and/or communities:
CTOs (transit centers) will be opened that will have the capacity to
accommodate 50 children divided between houses that can lodge 10-15
children. A "parental couple" will act as parental substitutes
in each of the houses and will undertake the daily care of the children,
in cooperation with educators, mediators, a doctor, a psychologist,
guards and chauffeurs. The children will remain in the CTO for an average
of three months, during which time their situation will be analyzed
and they will be prepared to re-enter their families and communities.
This preparation will consist of a minimal education (reading, writing,
etc), psycho-social counseling, some skills-oriented training, as well
as sportive and religious activities. A file will be created for each
child that includes a medical evaluation, a psychological evaluation,
level of instruction reached, family history, socio-economic situation
of the family, and the behavior of the child at the CTO. Individual
plans will then be drawn up, including being reunited with families
or alternative care arrangements, individual and family counseling needs,
the amount of follow-up to be conducted once the child leaves the CTO
(with a minimum of one visit a month for a year), reintegration of the
child into school or an apprenticeship, etc.
Status:
Grant Agreement has been signed and documentation for the first disbursement
is being prepared.
Amount: US$2,157,754
Prevention
of Recruitment, Demobilization and Reintegration of Children Associated
with Armed Forces — UNICEF
The
main objectives of this project, which will be implemented throughout
DRC, are to:
- To help
the government of transition in the development and implementation of
the Programme de Désarmement, Démobilisation et Réinsertion
(PDDR) with specific reference to children;
- To establish
coordination mechanisms at the national and provincial levels for the
implementation of demobilization and reintegration programs for children
in the armed forces;
- To establish
and support monitoring and evaluation mechanisms for programs for children
in armed groups;
- To train
government and NGO personnel in the approach, mechanisms and tools of
the PDDR;
- To support
national NGOs for the family and community reintegration of demobilized
child soldiers;
- To develop
and assist with the implementation of information/sensitization activities;
- To develop
the capacities (through training) of the national partners (governmental
and non-governmental);
- To establish
a rapid response mechanism for the demobilization and reintegration
of children from the armed forces.
Status:
Grant Agreement between UNICEF and the World Bank is under preparation.
Amount: US$4,997,000
For
more general information on Special Projects and their overall implementation
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