KAALO Refugees and Asylum Seekers Center.
Annually, there is extension of the protection project for refugees and asylum seekers funded by our partner UNHCR and implemented by KAALO Relief and Development since 2007.
Time frame of the project: 1st Jan 2012 to 31st Dec 2012
Project Goal and Objectives
This project aims to strengthen the protection framework for refugees and asylum seekers in Garowe and Bosasso, and simultaneously ensure adequate delivery of essential humanitarian assistance by addressing the following existing problems.
- Legal protection of refugees and asylum seekers, in particular through legal counseling and legal representation.
- Establishment of clear legal referral mechanisms to ensure effective collaboration between KAALO and referring agencies and quick response mechanisms.
- Ensure special arrangements for protection and care for separated or unaccompanied children ensuring respect for individual rights and that the best interests of the child are met.
- Detention centre monitoring to preclude and/ or respond to cases of arbitrary arrest, ensuring timely and effective response to the needs of refugees and asylum seekers in detention.
- Training of law enforcement officers, judiciary and other relevant stakeholders on the rights and obligations of refugees and asylum seekers, basic human rights standards and relevant human rights documents.
- Community awareness-raising among refugee and asylum seekers on the rights and obligations of the refugee and asylum seeker community in Puntland.
Target beneficiaries
This project will benefit refugees and asylum seekers in Garowe and Bosasso, project beneficiary consists primarily of Ethiopian nationals. The majority of Ethiopian refugees and asylum seekers are of Oromo ethnicity, with a few individuals originating from the Ogaden, Amhara and Tigre ethnic groups. Also the local communities and government officers are the project beneficiaries.
The project activities include:
- Capacity development for civil society and government relevant departments for monitoring and supporting reduction in arbitrary detention for persons of concern.
- Training for local lawyers, legal counselors, as well as other concerned actors
- Regular monitoring of and visiting detention centers
- Training for custodial crops and police
- Collaborate with local lawyers to provide support to legal cases
- Legal counseling and legal representation to refugees and asylum seekers
- Providing information on legal referral mechanisms to PoCs.
- Referral to other services providers for refugees and asylum seekers such as health facilities, education, livelihood opportunities and other protection information departments.
- Counseling and advisory services for the detainees to know about their rights.
- Community peace-building initiatives bringing together refugee and asylum seekers and host communities to discuss traditional conflict resolution.
- Meeting with community elders and refugee/ asylum seekers to discuss more about conflict resolution methods.
- Support host and asylum seekers community to establish 15 steering committees from PoC and hosts to oversee and follow up conflict and dispute cases.
- Advocate for continuous support through coordinating meetings among all governmental agencies and local and international NGOs.
- Awareness rising for host community on setting up their priority and identifying gaps to recommend improvement through participatory approach.Provide capacity building for refugees/asylum seekers and host community committee through training workshops in order fulfill and understand their roles and responsibilities and to cement peaceful coexistence among host and asylum seekers.
- Forum sessions for community awareness raising campaigns and community collaborations.
Protection project Coordinator
Abdulkadir Ahmed Warsame
