Safeguarding children and Adults at Risk (SCAR)

Currently, Hiwot Ethiopia is working on a project called “Safeguarding children and girls at risk (SCAR)” that aims to improve CSOs’ understanding, ability to follow policies, procedures, and requirements related to safeguarding, including those pertaining to sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment (PSEAH). The British Council provided funding for the project as part of Phase 2 of the Civil Society Support Programme (CSSP2). With the help of training, mentoring, and coaching to familiarize and mainstream safeguarding concepts, practices, and standards, the project has had an impact on 21 government partners, the Ethiopian Civil Society Council (ECSOC), and 56 CSO partners with regard to safeguarding, safe recruitment, safe programming, and case management.

The project has major two expected results. The first result focused on raising the knowledge of partner CSOs staffs and Safeguarding focal persons. Whereas the second result aims the capacity building of partner CSOs through mentoring and coaching to familiarize and mainstream safeguarding children and adult at risk concept, practices and standards.

In the execution of the safeguarding children and adult at risk project, the following strategies were applied to bring the intended results of the project.

• Organization Capacity and need Assessment; In order to assess the capacity and needs of the partner CSOs.
• Mentoring and coaching: – Hiwot Ethiopia will deliver technical support, advice and guidance to partner CSOs to review safeguarding policy and exercising safeguarding practice. The mentoring and coaching will deliver based on the gaps and needs of the partner CSOs
• Awareness raising: – various trainings and workshop will organized to safeguarding focal person and directors of partner CSOs to raise their awareness on safeguarding children and adult at risk policy, procedures both virtually and in physical presence. Accordingly, the safeguarding focal persons will organize training on safeguarding children and adult at risk to their staffs and partners. These trainings and workshop will address the knowledge gaps of the partner CSOs and to mainstream the concept, practices and standards of safeguarding.
• Monitoring and Follow up:- since this project focus on the capacity building of partner CSOs , frequent follow up and monitoring of CSOs is required to bring the results of the project.