Crises like COVID-19 both exacerbate existing vulnerabilities and create new ones, especially in fragile contexts where children already face heightened risks of violence.We want to reduce the vulnerabilities of children and youth in Negresti area towards violence during the COVID19 pandemic and promote participation, by creating a local children consultative council that will be actively involved in the community, developing civic initiatives to prevent and combat violence against children.

The project will take place in Negresti, Vaslui, the pole of urban poverty in Romania.

In 2013, scholars declared Negresti as the pole of urban poverty in Romania. With an advanced poverty rate,half of children and young people aged 0-18 face:
-Educational vulnerabilities:children that attend simultaneous classes,with learning disabilities,poor grades, drop outs etc
-Social vulnerabilities:single families,children with disabilities,in foster families,with parents working abroas,families that benefit for universal income etc
In 2020,out of a total school population of 1,248 children aged 3-18 years old,510 are most vulnerable children (MVC),as they meet one or more of the above-mentioned criteria(41%).Communities with high vulnerability scores have a higher prevalence of violence against children,where the social problems are interconnected and often have a domino effect.

Community involvement activities will follow WVR child protection protocol, as safety of our participants is fundamental in having a successful community intervention.
Direct target group is formed by 20 vulnerable children(aged 14-17) that will be trained and actively empowered to participate in developing local civic initiatives to tackle violence against children. After a local assessment, co-led by children, with 100 children surveyed, the initiatives will be designed during the community engagement meetings, where 10 formal and informal community leaders(social worker, psychologist,educational and medical staff,police officer) will assess with children and parents the risks of violence against children. All local stakeholders will be actively involved in implementing the initiatives.

1.Select the direct target group
2.Organize 6 workshops for 20 children (Children Rights,Child Protection Legislation and Responsible Institutions,Public speaking,Designing civic initiatives,Community engagement,Interaction with media)
3.Organize 2 community engagement meetings, focused on developing child protection mechanisms
4.Design and implement, together with the children,an assessment regarding the awareness on violence against children within the local community from the beginning of the pandemic
5.Develop 2 local civic initiatives to protect children against any type of violence during COVID19 pandemic
6. Present children’s results in 1 national or international event related to child protection, sharing best practicing and assuring the visibility for the project

The project will answer the need for protection of vulnerable children from small urban and rural areas of Negresti. The empowerment of children to participate in the advancement of their own protection systems will be achieved by focusing on capacity building processes addressed to children,together with the design of civic initiatives.The results are:
-20 children will benefit from 6 workshops on children rights,child protection legislation, public speaking,design civic initiatives,community engagement,media interaction
-10 representatives and 4 local structures will be engaged in the civic initiatives designed
-100 children participate in an assessment co-led by children
-2 local civic initiatives regarding children protection mechanisms will be developed

The project goal is to reduce vulnerabilities of rural children and youth towards violence during and after the COVID19 pandemic in Negresti.The idea is developed on 3 pillars, having a multi-leveled intervention:
-Capacitating 20 children and youth from Negresti to successfully participate in the local social protection mechanisms designed to prevent and combat violence against children
-Capacitating 10 representatives of the local formal and informal consultative structures to design and implement local civic initiatives to protect children against any type of violence during COVID19 pandemic
-Developing a local advocacy campaign,co-led by the children from the community, which will tackle local child protection measures and mechanisms to prevent and combat violence and its effects

World Vision is working to provide children with access to quality and affordable education and health services,knowledge of their rights and a means to protect themselves from those who would exploit them.
In the topic of preventing and combating violence, WVR is part of the World Vision International campaign “It takes a world to end violence against children”, and acts as a resource within the experts community,organising several national research projects and campaigns(Why we hit children?, Wellbeing of children from rural areas, Child-led survey on sexual violence against children, part of the Out of the Shadow Index).
Regarding child participation, WVR developed a children consultative mechanism, where leadership is promoting an organisational culture that listens to children.

Social Relations Specialist (8 h/day):15.360 EUR
Child Participation Expert (4 h/day):10.560 EUR
Advocacy Expert (1 h/day):2.880 EUR
Communication expert (1h/day):2.640 EUR
Financial Expert (1h/day):2.640 EUR
Transport:1.800 EUR
Communication and dissemination:1800 EUR
Visibility materials: 1.000 EUR
Protocol:1600 EUR
Consumables:1200 EUR
Transport and accommodation: 4000 EUR

Total costs:
HR: 34.080 EUR
Direct costs: 11.400 EUR
Indirect costs: 4.500 EUR

- Feedback on the idea
- Support in designing the visibility and communication plan
- Developing partnerships