The Genocide Intervention Network's Civilian Protection Program has developed several unique projects aimed at protecting civilians on the ground at risk of violence from large-scale atrocities. The projects described here allow us to do this now, and to build the capacity to better do it in the future. Our current projects include:
Darfur
At this stage in the conflict, most of the targeted civilians in
Helping vulnerable households afford firewood
Within the camps, a robust firewood market offers the necessary fuel to cook without having to risk leaving the camps. Families who can afford to buy firewood do, as it is much less time consuming and prevents them from putting themselves at risk. It is those households unable to afford firewood that are forced to collect it themselves. By providing families with Income Generating Activities, such as materials for growing vegetables and raising poultry, these families can afford to buy firewood. At a one time cost of only $80, families are provided with the tools to create their own sources of sustainable income.
June, 2008 Update: Your support over the past year has provided one thoussand of the most vulnerable households with materials and training for income generating activities. Our impact assessment shows that this program is working, providing households with additional income that they can use to purchase firewood, rather than risking violence trying to collect it. Over the next two months, GI-NET will expand this program to an additional 1,000 households.
Propane kitchens for the most vulnerable women
GI-Net has developed a model that will allow the most vulnerable women to cook for their households in propane kitchens located in safe areas of the camps. “Fuel-efficient” stoves have been deployed by many organizations, but questions of their actual efficiency are currently being studied by a group working on the issue, and particularly in areas devoid of firewood where an alternative is needed. Our focus groups and interviews with women and community leaders in the camps have shown that cooking with propane is a welcomed alternative to firewood which many women would prefer to cook with. Once built, the fuel consumed by such a kitchen is only $1.00 per household per day.
June, 2008 Update: GI-NET is currently testing our first outdoor propane kitchen -- the first of its kind in Darfur. After this kitchen has proven to be successful, we can rapidly build more propane kitchens in this camp, and others, to provide more of the most vulnerable families with an alternative to firewood collection.
Support for firewood patrols
Through much of 2007, GI-NET worked with displaced communities and the African Union forces on the ground to coordinate firewood patrols, essential protection which the African Union was mandated to provide. Unfortunately, due to the enormity of the African Union's task and the security challenges they faced, ultimately they were unable to run these patrols beyond a very limited basis. We are now focusing on assisting the hybrid UN-AU force (UNAMID) to conduct these patrols. Even when UNAMID is prepared and willing to conduct firewood patrols, additional efforts are required to ensure that patrols actually occur and meet the needs of women and children.
June, 2008 Update: GI-NET is currently seeking a partner on the ground in Darfur who can best facilitate UNAMID firewood patrols that would protect women when they leave the Internally Displaced Persons camps.
Putting UN Police Units on the ground in Darfur
UNAMID's Formed Police Units (FPUs) are responsible for the majority of day-to-day civilian protection activities, including camp patrols, firewood patrols, and the response to and investigation of crimes, including gender-based violence. Yet no standards exist for assessing the readiness and skill-level of FPUs contributed by various countries. In February, GI-NET support helped to develop an interim set of standards for th FPUs that will join the Darfur mission. We are now working with an expert on policing in UN missions to develop a training course that the UN will need in order to assess and train the FPUs going to Darfur now, and elsewhere in the future.
June, 2008 Update: It is expected that in late 2008, the UN will fund a team of twenty-four trainers to evaluate and re-train FPUs. However, the standards and training courses the trainers will need to use has not been created. With funding from our Civilian Protection Program, the manual can be developed immediately, rather than waiting six months for the training teams to arrive. GI-NET is currently providing salary support for a contractor to develop the standards and training manual now.
Read more about our funding for projects in Darfur, Sudan. [0]
Burma
While the pro-democracy movement in Burma has gained much needed attention, the fact remains that Burma’s government has been conducting a military campaign against its own ethnic populations for over four decades. In the last ten years, over 3,000 villages have been burned and at least 500,000 have been displaced. Virtually all the responsibility for these crimes rests with the government and several proxy militias they have co-opted. Learn more about Burma. [0]
The protection team has recently spent several weeks inside eastern Burma, where these crimes are occurring, and are currently working on our strategy for supporting civilian protection projects through local organizations there.
June, 2008 Update: GI-NET has developed a project that will help to protect civilians against attacks by the Burmese Army. More information on this will be available shortly once we have completed our plans. We encourage you to contribute to our Protection Fund (see below) now if you are interested in supporting this work, or stay tuned for further project details in the future.
Building Our Capacity
Protection Trust Fund
We need your help to raise the funds to protect civilians where and when they are at risk.
Flexibility and speed are critical in the development of effective protection projects — this is a reason why many government agencies fail to effectively address these problems. Our approach is to develop a protection trust fund which can be rapidly used to support protection projects when opportunities arise. All projects are thoroughly vetted and monitored by our Protection staff and must be approved by our Board. By contributing [0] to the Protection Trust Fund, you ensure that the Genocide Intervention Network is able to assess conflicts and carry out civilian protection programs in areas where it is most needed.
Developing Expertise
GI-NET is in the process of creating a Protection Advisory Group comprised of experienced protection professionals from multiple sectors who have worked in multiple conflicts. This group will help to assess threats to civilians and opportunities for protection projects, providing guidance on how GI-NET can be most efficient.