Education and Child Protection Integrated Program in South Omo Zone.

Center of Concern launched the implementation of the project Education and Child Protection Integrated Program in South Omo Zone in the presence of representatives from regional, zonal, and district-level government offices, the CoC board of directors and senior management team, and partners in Jinka town on November 16, 2023. CoC secured the fund required for the project from Save the Children International. The overall objective of the project is to enable boys and girls to enjoy the right to quality education and protection from violence and neglect through a well-functioning child protection system and improved access to education in the South Omo Zone of South Ethiopia Region, Ethiopia. Participants became familiar with the basics of the project (including the objectives, planned activities, targeted districts and schools, budget, and timelines). In addition, the expected roles and responsibilities of different levels of government bodies and partners were also discussed, and they expressed the commitment of their respective offices to fully support the project initiative and its objectives. The project will be implemented in 21 selected schools in Hammer, Dasenech, and Ngangatom districts of South Omo Zone from September 2023 to September 2025 and will directly address more than 13, 500 children. The major activities of the project are improving quality education, such as providing capacity-building training for teachers, equipping pre-primary schools with furniture and other school infrastructure, constructing and maintaining schools, providing scholastic materials for needy students, community awareness creation regarding HTPs and strengthening the Women and Children Affair offices to provide quality services for protection issues.