Multisectoral Intervention to Support Inclusive Education, Health, and Food Security

Fifty years since the establishment of the Sahrawi Refugee Camps, CISP is reinforcing its over four decades of commitment to this population, in part through the support of AICS. This integrated and multidisciplinary intervention, built upon the proposing NGOs’ decades of expertise, is designed to improve the living conditions and enhance the resilience of refugees in the Sahrawi Camps.

CISP’s actions aim to empower young Sahrawis, providing them with tools to better navigate their lives amid the pervasive uncertainty and frustration caused by the international political-diplomatic deadlock over the Western Sahara issue. The intervention is structured around four key sectors: education, health, food security, and environment.

In education, the goal is to guarantee quality, inclusive schooling, particularly for children and adolescents at risk of dropping out. This involves expanding access by constructing new schools, strengthening teacher skills, and implementing essential programs like school feeding and the provision of hygiene kits. The project places significant emphasis on child protection and the inclusion of people with disabilities.

Regarding health, the project seeks to bolster primary healthcare services by renovating medical dispensaries and procuring emergency response vehicles, including a new ambulance.

In a situation of protracted crisis where the refugee population balances ongoing emergency needs with the demand for social progress, the project partners with Movimento Africa ’70 and Nexus ER on two complementary fronts: food security and development. Actions include supporting local production, especially semi-nomadic livestock farming, through veterinary and logistical assistance. Furthermore, the project generates sustainable employment opportunities, such as the recovery and valorization of animal hides, which aligns with existing environmental initiatives.

The project is fully coherent with the priorities established by organizations like WFP, UNICEF, and UNHCR, and aligns with the Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda, particularly those focused on eliminating hunger and ensuring quality education.

Project Code: AID 013041/01/2

General Objective

To help mitigate the impact of emergencies on the lives of Sahrawi refugees by building their capacity for recovery through inclusive education, improved health, and better food and job security.

Specific Objectives

Project activities are divided into three main areas: education, health, and food security/environment.

Education

The project focuses on improving educational access and quality, particularly for refugee children and adolescents outside the school system.

• Meals and Supplies: Introducing nutritious school meals and distributing educational kits for children and personal hygiene kits for adolescent girls.
• New Infrastructure: Constructing and equipping a new middle school and upgrading school sports facilities (e.g., establishing a sports field).
• Catch-Up Programs: Creating an accelerated education and after-school program to help adolescents who have left school re-enter the system.
• Teacher Support: Providing specific training to strengthen teachers’ pedagogical skills and offering financial bonuses to encourage professional qualification and stability.
• Governance and Participation: Strengthening the education system’s management capacity through a computerized information system and encouraging greater parental involvement in school management and monitoring.
• Family Assistance: Training specialized personnel to provide family-level support for vulnerable individuals and those with special needs.

Health

The objective is to strengthen essential health services in target areas.

• Renovation and Equipment: Restoring water and sanitation facilities (WASH) in six medical dispensaries and equipping them with basic supplies, including medicines for the Central Pharmacy.
• Emergency Response: Purchasing a new, fully equipped 4×4 ambulance.

Food Security and Environment

These activities aim to bolster local food production and create new income opportunities.

• Livestock Support: Providing logistical support (water tanker, 4×4 vehicles) and structured veterinary assistance (treatments and vaccines) for semi-nomadic livestock, targeting both state-owned herds and family farms.
• Leather Value Chain: Supporting a local value chain for the collection, treatment, and valorization of hides, generating income opportunities for workers and raising awareness among families.
• Breeding Center Optimization: Upgrading the public Hussein Tamek (HT) center with necessary electricity supply, a logistical vehicle, equipment for cleaning tilapia breeding tanks, and a laundry facility. Staff will also be trained on health, safety, and biosecurity.

The project will deliver measurable and tangible outcomes in terms of infrastructure, trained personnel, and operational services.

Education

• Increased Access: 4,000 school-age children (5–11 years) will receive at least two meals per week.
• Materials: 500 adolescent girls will receive menstrual hygiene kits, and 250 adolescents in the accelerated program will receive educational kits.
• New Facilities: A new middle school with a capacity for 300 students and adequate WASH facilities will be operational. A 750 m² sports field will be available at a middle school.
• School Re-entry: 500 out-of-school adolescents will be identified and enrolled in the accelerated education program.
• Teaching Capacity: The pedagogical skills of 174 teachers will be enhanced.
• Enhanced Governance: A Computerized Educational Management System will be operational, and 40 members of parent-teacher associations will be trained and involved in planning.
• Specialized Care: 25 social assistants will be trained in the care of vulnerable individuals, directly benefiting 204 people with specific needs.

Health

• Facility Upgrade: Six medical dispensaries will be renovated and fully equipped.
• Emergency Capacity: A new 4×4 ambulance will be purchased and put into service at Dajla Hospital.

Food Security and Livelihoods

• Livestock Logistics: A water transport tanker and a 4×4 vehicle will be operational to support the state camel herd and its herders.
• Veterinary Service: A structured and qualified veterinary service for nomadic livestock will be active, and four territorial veterinary services will have medicine and vaccine stocks for family farms.
• Sustainable Value Chain: 500 families will be sensitized, and 100 will provide hides for the local value chain, supporting 18 workers in leather processing.
• Optimized HT Center: The HT center will have sufficient electricity and a 4×4 vehicle for all activities. Hygiene and logistics (tank cleaning, laundry) will be improved, and staff will be trained and provided with appropriate safety attire.