SAFE

Adolescent girls and boys—who total 1.2 billion globally, with 90% in low-and middle-income countries—have been overlooked and underserved by the humanitarian system. Building on growing momentum to address the gaps in data and tailored responses for this population, the IRC, with support from USAID/OFDA, has developed SAFE -Supporting Adolescents and their Families in Emergencies. SAFE is a protection and psychosocial support program model to strengthen the capacity of front-line actors so that adolescent girls and boys (ages 10-19) are safer, more supported, and equipped with positive coping strategies in acute emergencies.  

How does the IRC do this?  

 Working directly with adolescent girls and boys by:  

• Providing them with essential information about important topics such as health, hygiene and personal safety  

• Connecting them to support services such as child protection or gender-based violence workers or health care  
• Encouraging participation and development of social and emotional skills to help them deal with stress and difficult situations   
• Creating space and time for them to express themselves and strengthen relationships with peers and trusted adults  

  AND  

Contributing to a safe and supportive environment for adolescent girls and boys by:  

• Working with female and male caregivers to develop their understanding of how to protect and support their adolescents and make them aware of available services  
• Co-facilitating the program with community volunteers and collaborating with community leaders, other sectors, and service providers to increase their knowledge of the needs and interests of adolescent girls and boys affected by crisis and to strengthen referrals  

 SAFE is designed for the first phase of an emergency response and framed as an ‘on-ramp’ to more comprehensive programming for adolescent girls and boys. The package was developed in collaboration with the IRC’s technical advisors, front-line protection staff, adolescent girls and boys and their female and male caregivers, as well as a reference group of academics and peer practitioners. Field testing was conducted in Nigeria and Central African Republic in 2018 and 2019, reaching over 400 adolescent girls and boys and 200 female and male caregivers. Select materials in the package have been translated into French and Arabic, and all content is published online and publicly available in both PDF and Word format to facilitate adaptation and further translation.