UNICEF - Support to Unicef country program in DRC 2018-2021
Contribution ID : SE-0-SE-6-51250029This website displays open data about Swedish aid, which shows when, to whom and for what purpose Swedish aid is paid out, as well as what results it has produced. This page contains information about one of the contributions financed with Swedish aid.
UNICEF has submitted an application for support to its country program. This contribution is a consolidated support to the implementation of UNICEF country program in DRC, focusing on three thematic areas: health, protection of children who previously were involved in armed groups and strengthening vulnerable societies capacity to withstand recurrent crises (r...
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UNICEF has submitted an application for support to its country program. This contribution is a consolidated support to the implementation of UNICEF country program in DRC, focusing on three thematic areas: health, protection of children who previously were involved in armed groups and strengthening vulnerable societies capacity to withstand recurrent crises (resilience). The contribution is in line with the priorities of Sweden's Development Cooperation Strategy with DRC 2021-2025, specifically area 2: Equitable health and nutrition, result area 3: Inclusive and sustainable communities as well as our cross-cutting focus resilience/nexus by strengthening the resilience of vulnerable groups and societies. This support will specifically contribute to improved access to high-quality care for children and pregnant women. Explicitly, the contribution’s results concern improved vaccination coverage, access to basic drugs to treat diarrhea, pneumonia and malaria at community levels, water and sanitation, and the strengthening of health systems for sustainability of the results. Attention to young women and adolescents' SRHR needs (including menstrual hygiene) is emphasized more than ever, in line with UNICEF Gender Action Plan (GAP) 2018-2021. Children released from armed groups will have access to psychosocial assistance and be given support to reintegrate into their communities, resume their education or engage in economic activities. The contribution will also help strengthen resilience or reduce vulnerability (health/ nutrition, education, conflict transformation / reconciliation, water and sanitation, etc.) among internally displaced persons and local populations so that they can better prevent or cope with further crises in the future. UNICEF's country program in DRC covered initially the period 2013-2017, it was later extended until 2019. The current program covers the period 2020-2024 and is based on UNICEF's global Strategic Plan 2018-2021 adopted by UNICEF's Board in 2017. The priority areas of the UNICEF country program are health, protection of vulnerable children (protection), education and humanitarian assistance and resilience. Sida previously supported UNICEF DRC through three different contributions: one thematic support for health, one project's support for child protection and another for resilience. This contribution is a consolidated model and has gradually gathered all Swedish support to UNICEF DRC country program. This modality aims to increase both flexibility (easier planning and reinforcing synergies between interventions in the focus areas on the partner's side), but also cost-effectiveness by enabling better utilization of resources (including reduced administrative staff time and cost, joint follow-up, and dialogue meetings, etc.) for both UNICEF and the Embassy. In 2018, this support was directed to health, whereas in 2019 both health and protection of children associated with armed conflict will be supported. From 2020 the Embassy had only one comprehensive contribution to UNICEF country programme in DRC through all three focus areas (health, child protection and resilience).
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Result
In 2020, UNICEF work has continued as previouly in respect implementing its CPD. The year has been filled with challenges due to COVID, lock-downs, very reduced mobility between provinces, and a major accident (fire) in UNIVEC premices in Kinshasa. However, tangible results have been achieved and UNICEF has continued to be amongst the critical partners to the Government of the DRC in responding to the various challenges in health, protection and responding to emergencies. * In 2020, the DRC maintained its status as a wild polio virus-free country as well as its status as a country that has successfully eliminated maternal and neonatal tetanus. The DRC also had no stock-out of DTP/Penta, Polio (OPV and IPV) and Tetanus Toxoid vaccines at district level. The percentage of children under the age of one fully vaccinated increased from 59 per cent in 2019 to 87 per cent in 2020. UNICEF supported the strengthening of cold chain for an improved management of vaccines through the procurement and installation of 1,924 solar refrigerators. The opening of a new refrigerated warehouse, supported by UNICEF and GAVI, represents a critical step towards establishing a nationwide vaccine ‘cold chain’. In 2020, polio continued to be a concerning issue in DRC: 76 cases of cVDPV2 were reported in eight provinces. Vaccination responses for children aged 0-59 months old were organized in 10 provinces. A total of six rounds of polio campaigns were organized in February, October and December 2020 in 194 health zones. A total of 7,344,407 children aged 0 to 59 months old were vaccinated, overachieving the out of a planned target of 7,134969 (102.9 per cent). The permanent unavailability of vaccines and routine consumables, the persistence of epidemics (Ebola, Cholera, Polio cVDPV2, measles) and the new COVID-19 epidemic resulting in the mobilization of most service providers for this response to the detriment of routine immunization activities, and insecurity in some provinces were the major constraints leading to the cancellation of some activities and a slowdown in the implementation of the routine immunization workplan. * In respect to protection, through the improved synergy between the Ministry of Social Affairs and its para-social workers and community actors, a total of 292,111 children in need were identified and referred by social workers and community actors to social services. In non-conflict affected areas, more than 1,800 social workers and almost 5,000 para-social workers/community-based actors were trained on how to use child protection tools, child protection concepts or case management. In 2020, 67,564 children (including 30,246 girls) in conflict with the law had access to a specialized juvenile justice system, representing a 46 per cent increase from the previous year. This improvement was partly due to the government strategy to reduce prison populations as a key way of controlling the spread of COVID-19. Given the significant number of children in detention at serious risk of contracting the virus, UNICEF advocated for the release and protection of all children deprived of their liberty. As a result of this action, 10,919 children (including 1,846 girls) were liberated and given appropriate support. Despite the constraints imposed by COVID-19 prevention measures, the Division of Social Affairs (DIVAS) supported 292,111 vulnerable children and provided social services to 228,606 children (112,087 girls). This was facilitated by the UNICEF investment in improving collaboration between the Ministry of Social Affairs and community-based actors, reaffirming the crucial role of social work during emergency situations, especially during public health outbreaks and crises such as Ebola or COVID-19.
This contribution is aimed at supporting the implementation of UNICEF Country Programme in DRC 2020-2024 that focuses on the achievement of the following goal areas: 1) every child survives and thrives, 2) every child is protected from violence and 3) every child lives in a safe and clean environment. The theory of change is that this goal will be achieved if: (a) quality basic social services are delivered at scale; (b) region-specific approaches address child deprivations and gender-based inequalities that characterize each region; and (c) district-level models involving multi-sector convergence are replicated across the country. The underlying assumptions are that the Government will increase investments in basic social services and decentralisation, and there will be a reduction in violence and conflict. The programme will address system-wide bottlenecks to social services through (a) generating data and evidence for planning and monitoring; (b) policy reforms, strategic advocacy and use of evidence to deliver at scale; (c) strengthening of institutional capacities and community systems for quality service delivery; (d) influencing public investment and (e) leveraging resources and partners, including the private sector. In health, the objective of the intervention is specifically to increase the coverage of high impact interventions on maternal, adolescent and child health in the countries' health zones and to encourage the adoption of responsible behaviours by adolescents and young people to prevent unwanted pregnancies, HIV/AIDS and human papilloma virus (HPV) as well as to support positive health policy development centrally and at intermediate levels in the country. It is expected that in four years time, three quarters of the 516 Health Zones in DRC will be able to provide the high impact interventions on maternal, adolescent and child health, and at least 80% of targeted villages are certified as child-friendly communities. Among key indicators is the percentage of children <11 months receiving a third dose of DTP-containing vaccine from 81% in 2017 to 95% in 2024. With regard to protection, this intervention will contribute to promote governance for child protection and strengthening protective environment from all forms of violence in the country. In terms of results, the support will contribute to identification, interim care and psychosocial support, reunification and reintegration measures and quality services for at least 50% of the affected children; as well as to operationalization of surveillance mechanisms. Another indicator is the number of territories implementing the child protection network (from 62% in 2018 to 85% in 2024). In addition for the reintegration of child ex-combatants, Unicef ??will have to focus more on the work of the MONUSCO of SSU via ISSSS (international security and stabilization support strategy) on the present demobilization agreement of FRPI in Ituri. In terms of protection, Unicef ??will have to strengthen the mechanism for child birth registration and find out how to lead the lobbying and advocacy to catch up with cases of children who have not been registered within 90 days of birth in the fragile zones. The interventions in transitional zones is aimed at improving coverage of basic social services and in strengthening communities' capacity to manage key risks and vulnerabilities. Results in terms of increased access to basic social services concern access to primary education, to health services including prevention and treatment of severe malnutrition, to safe water and sanitation. Strengthening community-level social protection networks, including using cash transfer mechanisms. Unicef ??will have to make intersectorality effective through CAC (cellule d'animation communautaire : multisectoral structure responsible for coordinating all development initiatives at the local level) after the integration of PEAR + 3 into this support to the country program but also to make analysis of the actions to be carried out after the response to Ebola outbreak.
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