22-08-2025 | di COOPI

Child protection in the face of security crises in CAR

In the town of Obo, located in the Haut Mbomou prefecture in the Central African Republic, the scars of conflict are still present and it is here that the project “Emergency and integrated response in CCCM, ABRIS, NFI and Child Protection in Haut Mbomou in favour of populations affected by security crises” is being managed by COOPI - Cooperazione Internazionale with the support of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). The aim of the project is to provide comprehensive emergency protection to locally displaced people and those living with host families, spontaneous returnees and children most affected by the humanitarian crisis.

The project has reached over 14,000 beneficiaries, one of whom is Jemina, a seven-year-old girl. She was born of a relationship with a Ugandan husband, a former soldier who was on a mission to protect civilians from the atrocities committed by members of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), a Ugandan armed group, in the Haut Mbomou prefecture. Jemina is her mother's third child, and her life was turned upside down when her father left, following the withdrawal of the military from the area at the end of the mission. Today, with the support of the project, the child has gradually been able to recover. Jemina's mother describes the impact of the project on her family.

“A few months ago, my child and I were living in a state of anxiety, not only because my partner had left us, but also because of the many crises that had arisen in our locality, - says the mother-. Declared HIV-positive and on ORV, and without the means to obtain the accompanying measures, we were desperate, not knowing how to feed ourselves, my daughter Jemina and her two older brothers. The assistance provided by this project enabled us firstly to stabilise my child's state of health with health care, who was in a bad way, including myself. And then the monthly food support also helped, not just for one child, but for all my children".

Community impact of the project and future prospects

Jemina's mother has been selected as a beneficiary of the income-generating activities, which will help her to strengthen her professional skills and provide her with a small kit to start a business. The benefits of this programme are evident across the board, as it provides not only financial support, but also psychosocial support, and creates a virtuous circle of community and economic reintegration, which will also have an effect on the children, as in the case of Jemina.

Through this assistance, the beneficiaries have regained hope, confidence, dignity that had been lost and the desire to succeed in the near future. Jemina's mother emphasises the importance of the support for her daughter and the other children. "I'm proud to be able to put my household back on an even keel. My dream is to open my own shop (small business), so that I can further improve the daily lives of my children, and of Jemina in particular. By reintegrating myself into the local community, with the help of the project team, I'll be able to become a new person again, and I'll also be able to give advice to young girls, as I already do, so that they don't fall into similar situations".

The testimonies of Jemina and her mother are a tangible example of how humanitarian aid can support and change the lives and restore a future to populations affected by crises. The project implemented by COOPI therefore helps to strengthen the resilience of communities and stimulate local growth, a means of building a fairer and more prosperous future for all, even in the most difficult situations.

COOPI - Cooperazione Internazionale has been present in the Central African Republic since 1974, and over the years has carried out more than 271 projects that have reached over 9.5 million beneficiaries. COOPI is currently managing 10 projects in 8 locations in the country, in the areas of nutritional security, education in emergency and protection.