EAMRP - East African Migration Routes Project

In East Africa and Horn of Africa, migrants mainly follow three  migration routes 
a) Southbound towards South Africa (via Kenya)
b) Eastbound route across the Red Sea towards Gulf/Saudi Arabia
c) North route towards Mediterranean Sea/Europe.

Migration is a core coping strategy for many children and youth in East Africa, including the Horn of Africa, due to climate change, political transitions, conflicts, such as the current conflict in the Tigray region, poor education and livelihood opportunities and high population density.

Direct across the 3 countries (Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan):

This project will target children (under 18 years of age) and youth (up to-24 years of age). 80% of the targeted population are of migrant communities and 20% persons from host communities.

Direct beneficiaries covering 3 countries: 26,901 persons (13873 females and 13028 males).

Indirect beneficiaries covering 3 countries:

Approximately 210000 of migrants and host communities. 

Outcome 1 (Beneficiaries): Children and youth in vulnerable situations have their rights respected and possess sound self-reliance capacities that allow them to improve their life perspectives.

Outcome 2 (Organizations): National and community organisations provide effective protection and life self-reliance support services for children and youth.

Outcome 3 (Policies): Migration policies and strategies are inclusive and needs focused, addressing the vulnerabilities of children and youth through holistic protection protocols and treating support for self-reliance.

Outcome 4 (Swiss WOGA): Switzerland learns from and strengthens its profile on the protection of children and youth in vulnerable displacement situations and promotes the corresponding agendas in national and regional coordination and policy fora.

Expected results:  

Output 1: Vulnerable children and youth on the move have enhanced protection and increased resilience capacities through a set of context-specific protection and resilience building interventions.

Output 2: National and local public entities, civil society, and community-based organisations are trained and coached to provide age and gender-sensitive assistance and protection to children on the move.

Output 3: Regional advocacy efforts and technical leadership to support the development and reinforcement of cross-border and regional migration policies and route-based strategies.

Output 4: Evidence of project results and learning shared in national and regional coordination and policy fora to promote the protection agenda for children and youth on the move.

Results from previous phases:  

During the inception phase (April 2019 – February 2021), a context specific intervention strategy was designed, target groups were identified, and specific field of works were selected (urban rather than rural).

Key insights:

- In Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan,  big cities (Khartoum/River Nile State – Addis Ababa – Greater Cairo) are the main migration hubs for Children and youth on the move

- There is a lack of comprehensive data analytics on migration at both country and regional levels which impacts on the capacities of state and non-state actors to design relevant responses.

- Very limited support and protectios arn servicee available in the big urban migration hubs (e.g. Addis, Cairo, Khartoum).

- There are significant discrepancies between countries of the region in the way they respond to child migration, their policies and capacities to address protection concerns for children and youth. Child protection legislation is in place, but it does not explicitly target migrant children, failing therefore to recognize their specific risks and needs. As a result, the protection of child rights falls short in the targeted countries, especially in Egypt and Sudan, with domestic migration legislation and policy, often insufficiently child-focused.

Save the Children International

selected through an international tender