Anticipating disasters to better protect children and their families in Djibouti

UNICEF is joining forces with the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the World Food Programme (WFP), the Italian Red Cross and the Djibouti Red Crescent through a consortium supported by the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (DG ECHO), to strengthen disaster preparedness in Djibouti. Implemented in partnership with the Government of Djibouti, this 24-month project will directly reach more than 41,000 people, including 15,240 women and girls, across the country’s five regions and urban areas. The project has a total budget of approximately EUR 1.68 million, of which EUR 1.3 million is funded by DG ECHO.

Djibouti faces recurrent floods, prolonged droughts and increasingly unpredictable seasons, which undermine families’ livelihoods and disrupt children’s access to water, healthcare and education. These shocks are compounded by high mobility along migration corridors, the degradation of natural resources and the resurgence of waterborne diseases. In this context, anticipating risks and strengthening preparedness are critical to better protecting children, their families and the communities most exposed to these risks.

The project, “Strengthening Disaster Preparedness and Anticipatory Action for Migrants and Vulnerable Communities in Djibouti” (PREACT-DJ), will run from June 2026 to May 2028 in the regions of Obock, Tadjourah, Arta, Dikhil and Ali Sabieh, as well as in urban areas, including Balbala. It connects three levels of action: national disaster risk management systems, the capacities of regional and local authorities, and the direct engagement of communities in risk analysis and the development of solutions adapted to their realities.

Four objectives guide the intervention: strengthening institutional and community preparedness mechanisms; generating and disseminating reliable data to support risk-informed planning; improving access for children, families and people on the move to healthcare, water, sanitation and hygiene, nutrition and child protection services along migration routes; and rapidly activating anticipatory measures when there is a risk of flooding.

Within the consortium, UNICEF brings its expertise in health, particularly epidemic preparedness and emergency response, as well as in water, sanitation and hygiene and child protection. This contribution aims to strengthen the resilience of national systems and better protect children and their families before, during and after crises.