Rapid Assessment Report

On

IDPS settled in Gursum Woreda, ,

December, 2017

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Contents

Acronyms………………………………………………………………………….3

Executive Summary………………………………………………………………………4

Introduction……………………………………………………………………………....4

Objective of the assessment………………………………………………………...... 4

Assessment Methodology……………………………………………………………...... 5

Profile of Assessed Sites………………………………………………………………....7

Ethical Consideration…………………………………………………………………….7

Limitations of the assessment………………………………………………………….....8

Findings…………………………………………………………………………………..8

Major Findings in Gursum town……………………………………………………….....8

Major Findings in Dhagahle……………………………………………………………..12

Findings in KubiJare…………………………………………………………………. …14

Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………….18

Recommendation…………………………………………………………………………19

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I. Acronyms

BOWCA Bureau of Women, and Children Affairs

CFS Child Friendly Space

DRC Danish Refugee Council

CP Child protection

DTM Displacement Tracking Matrix

DPPB Disaster Preparedness and Prevention Bureau

BOWCA Bureau of Women and Children Affairs

GBV Gender Based Violence

IDP Internally Displaced Person

IOM International Organization for Migration

KM Kilometer

KII Key Informant Interview

MAM Moderate Acute Malnutrition

NFI Non Food Item

NGO Non-Governmental Organization

SAM Severe Acute Malnutrition

SC Separated Children

UAM Unaccompanied Minors

WFS Women Friendly Space

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II. Executive Summary

The Somali National Regional State is hosting the largest IDP population in the country. The major causes of displacement are drought, conflict and flash floods. Most of the IDPs displaced in Somali region are internally displaced within the region, while 33 % are displaced from region and the remaining 1% are displaced from Afar region. According to round VII DTM report data from IOM, there are 683,221 IDPs in the region, while the population number being probably higher since DTM didn’t manage to cover all the sites in Somali region due to the security situation. From the total number around 281,472 (41 %) of the IDPS are displaced in Fafan and Liben Zones, where DRC is operational. In response to this huge crisis DRC has designed an intervention to enhance the safety, protection and access to appropriate essential services for the most vulnerable IDPs residing in Liben and Fafan zone. The purpose of this assessment is to identify operational sites in Fafan Zone, GursumWoreda and to determine the scale of the needs and protection risk for IDPs as well as to assess the potential/actual capacities to respond to the existing risks and needs within the communities and stakeholders. The assessment team (MPT, DPPB, BOWCA & WOWCA) has utilized key informant interviews, observation, structured interviews with women/girls, and structured interviews with IDP communities in order to get the required information from selected three sites(Gursum town, Dhagahle and Kubijare) of Gursum Woreda. The findings of the assessment revealed a snapshot of urgent protection issues and needs of the IDPs and also helped to create an evidence base to complement with information from other stakeholders (government, humanitarian organizations, etc.). They also point to where the main gaps are, and pave the way for sustainable responses. III. Introduction

DRC’s Mobile protection team in has undertaken site assessment of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Gursum woreda from November 29-1 December 2017, under the project, “Improving safety and access to services for IDPs in Somali region’’. The aim of this assessment report is to present the current protection concerns for IDP’s in Gursum Woreda and in particular the factors that increase their vulnerability as identified by the population themselves. IV. Objective of the assessment

The main objective of this assessment is to determine the scale of the needs and protection risks for IDPs and to determine the potential/actual capacities to respond within the communities and stakeholders. The specific objectives are:

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 To enable DRC and partners to have a better understanding of the protection risks for IDPs,  To identify appropriate responses to protection issues and concerns identified  To provide recommendations for strengthening protection services for IDP’s.

V. Assessment Methodology Primary data collection tools have been employed for the assessment. These include KII, semi structured interviews with women and girls, semi-structured interviews with displaced persons and site observation. The assessment was conducted jointly with DPPB, BOWCA and Woreda/Kebele Chair persons. The assessment team comprises of 3 MPT members, 1 person from DPPB and 1 person from WOWCA from Gursum Woreda. Assessment Tools Administered : 6 KI interviews conducted, 45 structured interviews with girls and women, 38structured interviews with IDP community (men and women) and 3 site observation checklists.

Assessment Tools Administered

1%

10% Structured Interview with girls and women- Structured interview 48% with IDP community- KI-

41% Site Observation Report-

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Structured Interviews with girls and women

33

12

WOMEN GIRLS

Structured Interviews with IDP Communities

32

6

MEN WOMEN

KII Respondents

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2

MALE FEMALE

Administered Tools

The team had utilized the four tools in the selected sites of the Woreda. Site observation was conducted in each site. The other three tools were used accordingly:

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Administered Tools Per site 16 14 12 10 8 6 4 2 0 Bombas Dhagahle Kubi jaare Strucured Interview with 15 15 15 girls and women Strucurd Interview with IDP 13 10 15 Community KII 2 2 2

VI. Profile of Assessed Sites The team assessed three sites in Gursum woreda. These are Gursum town, Dhagahle, and Kubijare. The cause of the displacement in all three sites is conflict. The IDPs in Kubijare, Gursum town and Dhagahle are displaced within the host community. Profile of Assessed Site

Gursum Dhagahle Kubi jaare # of HHs(IDP) 1200 675 515 # of Individuals(IDP) 7200 4050 3090 #HH(HC) 60 3000 655 # of Individuals(HC) 420 18000 3930 Distance from Jijiga( KM) 50 37 70

When did IDPs start to live in each site?

Kubi jaare

Dhagahle IDP IDP Name Bombas

Mar-17 Apr-17 Jun-17 Aug-17 Sep-17 Nov-17 Month/ Year

VII. Ethical considerations  Do no harm principle

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 Consideration was given to stigma arising from open discussion of sensitive issues.  Confidentiality assured  Purpose of the assessment and use of information shared  Informed consent was secured by all participants.

VIII. Limitation of the Assessment  The security situation in Gursum woreda particularly in Kubijare site was volatile since it is located near the border of Oromia region. IX. Summary of Key Findings A. Findings in Gursum town Concerns among Children  According to the KII, there are 20 separated children that are cared for by extended families and their clan but support is needed in terms of reunification with their family. These children are at high risk and they are not satisfied living with their extended family because they didn’t receive care and support like other children who are living with their biological parents and they always seems themselves as daily workers as the site chairman mention.  Children from 13-15 years are exposed to environmental risks, mostly while searching for work. Children are travelling long distances more than 62 KM into Jijiga town to search for work.  No recreational activities or psychosocial support are organized by communities for distressed children.  Children show psychological distress and change in behavior due to inability to attend school. There is a school in Gursum town but the families can’t afford the school fees, the uniform and learning materials costs.

Age distribution of SC

100% 80% 60% 40% 20% 0% Between 5 to 14 Older than 14

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Sex of SC

separated children according to gender

More boys have been More girls than separated than boys are girsl separated 45% 55%

The main causes of psychological distress among Children According to the KII, the major causes of psychological distress among children are :

Un able toGoing far attend Loosing Lack of from their Lack of school food Lack of home for parents Cloth work shelter

Concerns among Girls and Women  Women and girls are exposed to domestic violence and mainly physical abuse, while in their houses. Due to lack of livelihood opportunities for women, men are expected to contribute to the family income.

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What are the places where Women/girls feel unsafe?

At home In the camp/out side of home On the way to water point On the way to market

13%

40% 13%

34%

When women and girls feel unsafe where do they go to seek help?

6 5 5 5 4 3 2 2 2 1 1 0 Family/friend Religious Commmunity Kebele chief Police leader leader

Services available for girls and women in Gursum town 4 3.5 Avaialble 3 2.5 2 1.5 Not avaialble 1 0.5 0 Avaialbel but not enough( every three months)

Reporting and referral mechanisms for GBV

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16 14 12 10 8 Yes 6 No 4 2 I don't know 0 unwilling to respond Are ther any Do you know Are you If GBV cases GBV incident where to of the reported , in your report SGBV refferal where there community case? mechanism? any measures taken?

Concerns among the general IDP Population Access to Water and Sanitation  The interview participants have stated they have access to portable water. The water point is accessible and near to them but there is a lack water storage materials. People aren’t getting sufficient amount of water due to lack of WASH NFI (Jeri-cans) for their household consumption but so far no AWD case was reported due these issues.  Even though overcrowded there are latrines in the site Access to Health Care  The interview participants stated there is no problem of accessing the health services. The health center is usually overcrowded by patients but the IDPs are getting treatment equally to the rest of the kebele community. Shelter Related Issues  Most people in Gursum town are living in deteriorated tents. The sizes of the tents are very small and couldn’t accommodate one house hold (on average 5-6 individuals) and so far no shelter NFIs were distributed to IDPs. Access to Food  Food distribution was not done for the last 2 months in Gursum town as has been reported. In Gursum, host community are receiving food while IDPs didn’t yet receive as confirmed by IDP chairmen but they received information that they will receive food but it is still not clear when. People are fulfilling their daily needs by looking for casual labor opportunities in the nearest town, like Jijiga, since Gursum is a small town where people cannot get enough employment opportunities.

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1.2 1 Yes 0.8 Avaialbe but not enough 0.6 Not 0.4 0.2 I don't know 0 Not willing to answer

Major Social Services

Major Findings in Dhagahle Site Concerns among Girls and Women  Women show psychological distress and change in behavior which is attributed to lack of employment opportunities and idleness. Women were previously engaged in agriculture work and now they have nothing to do. Men look for daily labor to generate income for their households. The lack of income from the women’s side leads to physical abuse and neglect and misunderstanding among the family members as was reported

What are the major protection concerns for girls and women?

Denail of psychological resource distress 33% 33%

physical Neglecct abuse by their 7% husbands 27%

Concerns among Children  According to the KII, there are 16 separated children in this site due to displacement. Separated children are cared for by extended families and their clan but more support is

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needed like scholastic materials (exercise books, pens, uniform), school feeding and recreational materials. These children are at higher risk.  No recreational activities or psychosocial support are organized by the community for distressed children. Concerns among IDP Population Access to Water, Sanitation and Hygiene  According to IDP community the water point is near and accessible. There is through a need of community awareness on hygiene and sanitation.  There are no communal latrines or washing facilities for the community.  Open defecation is observed. Access to Health Care  There is a health center in Dhagahle and IDPs have access to it through referrals from the kebele chairman but still they are not satisfied by the service, since the provision of medication is not free of charge. Access to Food  Food was not distributed for the last three months in Dhagahle town as reported. Hosting community received food, while IDPs didn’t receive yet as confirmed by IDP chairman even though they were informed that food would be delivered. People are fulfilling their daily needs by looking for casual labor opportunities in the nearest towns, like Jijiga. Shelter and NFI Related Concerns  People are living in poor quality tents provided to them by their kebele community. Shelter is their top priority next to food and NFI.  Shelter materials are not yet distributed in this site. Migration Related Concerns  According to KI respondents, migration is common in Dhagahle. Particularly men are migrating out of the country in order to secure income for their family and are severing on the border for traveling outside of the country i.e. Hargaise and Wajale. According to some KII youth are involved in dangerous travelling as well and gave an example of two youth IDPs who tried to migrate but returned from Addis Ababa.

B. Major Findings in Kubijare Site Safety and Security Concerns among Children and women  Children and women feel insecure due to lack of light in the site.

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 Lack of lighting in the camp is one of the triggering factors for safety related concerns, since the incidents are common at the night hours.  Children reported higher levels of insecurity than any other group, due to the unfriendly nature of the environment, lack of light and absence of door for their shelters.

Security Concerns

Atack by Hyena low Medium Lack of light High Snake bite

0 2 4 6 8 10 12

A. Documentation Related Concerns (Among the IDP communities)  According to the Site chairman, 100 % of the IDPs in Kubijare are not registered. According to the community, undocumented IDPs are being hosted by and predominantly share food and accommodation with relatives. Mostly unregistered community members are from minority clans, females and elderly. According to RDPPB representative, the registration is going on. Access to Water and Health  The water point is very far, around 7KM from the site. The problem of water is very serious in Kubijare according to the community. The community use traditional water pumps to get water from shallow wells.  There is a health post with limited capacity to respond to cases. There is only one male staff and limited facilities in terms of equipment and medical supplies but it’s accessible to the IDPs. For secondary referrals they can go to Gursum health center which is 25 KM from Kubijare site Concerns among Children  Children present psychological distress and change in behavior due to inability to attend school, since there is no school in the KubiJare. Parents are also not equipped to deal with children’s distress.  KII noted that 4 children and 1 adolescent (aged 13 and above) joined the armed conflict after the displacement and became a member of militias. Obstacles for children not to attend school

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50% 50%

Lack of scholastic material Distance of the school

Concern among Girls/Women/community  Girls and women (even the community in general) don’t have adequate information on the available services in the site and the actors providing those services. During the assessment, they were asking DRC staffs for NFI, registration, food, shelter and provision of water.  KII noted that there are 15 cases of malaria in this site with lactating and pregnant women and children being more vulnerable and at risk. C. Conclusion This report paints a grim and alarming picture of the current situation of IDPs in Gursum Woreda, where the volatile security situation in the area and overall lack of services creates a climate of fear which affects the lives of IDPs negatively.

In general, this short assessment report revealed the following major protection concerns in Gursum Woreda:  From the data collected and analysed, there are children (mostly under 14 years) who are separated and unaccompanied as a result of the displacement. Separated children are cared for by extended families and clan members, but there is need for intervention to ensure their well-being.  KIs indicated that they noticed negative change in children’s (both boys and girls) behaviour. The major reasons for the change are lack of schooling and basic services (food, shelter, NFIs, water and etc.), losing their parents and going far from home for work (fire wood collection and fetching water )  Semi structured interviews with girls and women indicated that girls and women are really exposed to environmental dangers as they have to walk 7 KM to fetch water. It is urgent that the community is provided with safe drinking water at their sites.  As the semi structured interviews with girls and women revealed, girls and women usually report to Kebele chief, community leader and police when they fell unsafe either in or out of their sites.  In general, IDP communities seem to be more aware of the security situation and incidents that have happened recently. Overall, IDPs report that the security situation is good, specifically in villages bordering Oromia region as it is regularly patrolled by the police. Moreover, children and women reported feeling insecure due to lack of light in their sites, lack of door for their shelter and fearing attack from hyenas at night hours.

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 Structured interviews with IDP communities indicated access to food as the main concern all across population categories. Shelter and NFI were the second main concern expressed all across population categories consulted. Access to safe water, education, health, and livelihood were also mentioned across all population categories as being secondary concerns.  As was indicated by KI, the majority of IDPs in Gursum woreda were not yet registered with a negative impact on food distribution in all the tree sites. Key Risks the community exposed to According to the community who participated in this assessment; Lack of food, shelter, access to safe water, self-reported psychological stress and security issues along with access to education, health and livelihood opportunities are the top key risks reported by the communities. Key risks the community exposed to

Lack of food Lack of shelter Lack of water Lack of NFI Psychological distress security problem Lack of access to education Acess to health Lack of electricity Child labour Family separation Migration Domestic violence Lack of documentation

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

Recommendations  Access to services: Support should be provided to communities in order to effectively identify and prioritize the most vulnerable families and children to access services. It is urgent that the community is provided with food, shelter, safe drinking water, NFI at their sites.  Coordination: Ensure that government bodies, such as DPPB, BOWCA and humanitarian partners coordinate to support IDPs by providing the very much needed basic social services like education, health, electricity, and psycho-social support and employment opportunities.  Psychological distress and recreational activities : While there was reported significant difference in the behavior of the children and women there should have a separate assessment to identify the levels of psychological distress of the community and especially women and children. Psychosocial support should also be provided through child friendly spaces, women friendly spaces and other community mechanisms and empower caregivers to provide comfort to children.  Strengthen Community Structure: Strengthen community structures, including protection committees whether the service is available or not, to identify most vulnerable families and children and refer them to available services.

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 Family separation : There is a need for targeted interventions to address family separation. This could be through supporting families with pasture for their animals and water so that families don’t separate. The children can then stay in school and have other facilities such as CFS where they can come and play and also receive psychosocial support.  Referral Mechanisms: Reinforce the referral mechanism with the objective of informing IDP communities, organizations/agencies, at regional and district level, about the availability of services provided by different agencies in their respective geographical areas and ensure that IDPs have access to services provided by members’ agencies through the referral mechanism.  Registration: Perform household registration and IDP profiling at the three IDPs sites An immediate household level registration is required to enable protection interventions and efficient response planning  Prevention : Create an overall protective environment for all in order to exercise their rights. Mobilize communities to develop prevention strategies to protect girls exposed to GBV on the way to fetching water and collecting of firewood. In the meantime, the top priority interventions that assessment participants identified are provision of food, shelter and access to water. Priority Intervention

Provision of food Shelter provision Ensure access to water ProvideNFI Ensure access to education Ensure access to health Improve security Psycho-social support for children Ensure access to electricity Start FTR Prevent child labour Prevent domestic violence Awarness raising on migration Strengthen registration service

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