A robust Community Based Protection and community outreach will remain core to the interventions for refugees. This will facilitate a more in depth understanding of the different needs and ensure that support is based on these differential needs. This support will entail cash assistance as well as other forms of assistance. Targeted assistance will be implemented for urban refugees regardless of whether they are referred from the camps or they apply to reside in Addis Ababa through the OCP. The implementation of the Urban Livelihoods Strategy will provide a useful alternative for refugees who are not included in the targeted assistance. In this regard, access to meaningful livelihoods opportunities will remain a central objective, both to promote self-reliance and to reduce the trend of secondary movement and build self-reliance. Vocational training opportunities will continue to provide skills for refugees to find jobs in the informal sector. Increased dialogue between refugee parents and local school authorities/teachers will be a priority, as well as “anti-bullying campaigns” to protect refugee children from abuse in schools. Expenses related to school enrolment will be covered. Amharic classes for children will be supported. Refugees granted urban refugee status will continue to access all levels of healthcare available in the country. OCP refugees will be assisted to access improved basic services and the sharing of information with regard to OCP refugees between the government and UNHCR will be more streamlined, to facilitate improved protection monitoring.
UNHCR will continue pursuing avenues that will make voluntary repatriation feasible, by engaging the Kenyan authorities, through UNHCR Representation Office in Kenya and improve information sharing on conditions in the villages of origin in 2017. While voluntary repatriation opportunities are pursued, the office will continue working with the “Cross Border Integrated Programme for Sustainable Peace and Socioeconomic Transformation for Marsabit County of Kenya and Borena Zone of Ethiopia” launched in 2015 which contains potential additional solutions opportunities for the Kenyan Borena refugees in Ethiopia, whether they remain in Ethiopia (as refugees, or under another status which could be discussed) or return to Kenya. The search for alternative legal status will also be explored with the government of Ethiopia for the refugees who chose not to return.
2017