The German Foreign Office supports the work of Joining Forces in six countries
Hamburg, November 30, 2022 – Joining Forces, the consortium of the world's six largest child protection organizations, will receive €16 million from the German Federal Foreign Office to protect 260,000 girls and boys in six countries from violence and exploitation while fleeing their homes. This is the largest sum the consortium has ever raised for a child protection project.
The project “Joining Forces – Protecting Children in Need” is being implemented in Ethiopia, Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Colombia, South Sudan, and the Central African Republic to establish safe havens in refugee camps and host communities, providing care for traumatized girls and boys. “Never before has the number of people forced to flee been as high as it is today. And, as always, it is the children who suffer the most from the effects of crises,” says Kathrin Hartkopf, spokesperson for the management of Plan International Germany, the organization coordinating the project.
The security situation for children and young people in many parts of the project countries is perilous. They experience war, displacement, and forced migration. They have lost family members or been separated from their parents and are forced into labor or military service. Many children are left to fend for themselves while fleeing. Girls are particularly vulnerable to sexual violence, forced marriages, and early pregnancies.
In addition to the often protracted conflicts in the six project countries, the global hunger crisis is exacerbating the situation. Food prices have risen dramatically, partly due to the collapse in grain imports from Ukraine and Russia.
The project reaches more than 390,000 people, including over 260,000 children and young people, with psychosocial support, the establishment of so-called "safe spaces," and child-friendly counseling centers. It has a duration of two years.
About Joining Forces
: Joining Forces is an alliance of the six largest international children's rights organizations. Its members are: ChildFund, Plan International, Save the Children, SOS Children's Villages Worldwide, terre des hommes , and World Vision. The alliance was founded in 2017 and is committed to the implementation of children's rights and the end of violence against children.