350 children protected
350 children protected
Finding Safety Again
Finding Safety Again
Protection programs helped displaced children reconnect with support networks and regain.
Protection programs helped displaced children reconnect with support networks and regain.
FINDING SAFETY AGAIN
FINDING SAFETY AGAIN
There is a particular kind of fear that settles over a camp that has stopped being a place of refuge. Not quiet. Not calm. Just uncertainty — of danger, of displacement, of the small signs that mean families are not protected. For nearly two years, that fear held over the displacement camp in this part of the Somali region.
There is a particular kind of fear that settles over a camp that has stopped being a place of refuge. Not quiet. Not calm. Just uncertainty — of danger, of displacement, of the small signs that mean families are not protected. For nearly two years, that fear held over the displacement camp in this part of the Somali region.
When conflict forced more than 2,000 families from their homes in early 2023, the camp quickly became overcrowded. Safe spaces for children disappeared within weeks. Families had fled alongside their neighbors. The camp itself remained standing — its tents still intact, its communal areas still marked with the last gatherings anyone had held — but it stood vulnerable, a place without protection. For the children who lived there, this meant more than physical danger. It meant the loss of one of the only safe routines left in their lives. Many had already been displaced once or twice before. The camp had been the one place that stayed predictable, even as everything else changed.
When conflict forced more than 2,000 families from their homes in early 2023, the camp quickly became overcrowded. Safe spaces for children disappeared within weeks. Families had fled alongside their neighbors. The camp itself remained standing — its tents still intact, its communal areas still marked with the last gatherings anyone had held — but it stood vulnerable, a place without protection. For the children who lived there, this meant more than physical danger. It meant the loss of one of the only safe routines left in their lives. Many had already been displaced once or twice before. The camp had been the one place that stayed predictable, even as everything else changed.
I remember walking through the camp every day," said one local mother, whose three children had lived there since its opening. "It just felt unsafe. Nobody talked about it anymore. It felt like talking about something that was already lost.
I remember walking through the camp every day," said one local mother, whose three children had lived there since its opening. "It just felt unsafe. Nobody talked about it anymore. It felt like talking about something that was already lost.
When Karuna’s field team arrived in the region in late 2023, the priority was not immediately the camp itself. It was trust. Families who had been displaced, deported, and disappointed by short-lived aid efforts in the past were understandably cautious. The first weeks were spent simply listening — understanding what the community believed it needed, rather than arriving with predetermined solutions.
When Karuna’s field team arrived in the region in late 2023, the priority was not immediately the camp itself. It was trust. Families who had been displaced, deported, and disappointed by short-lived aid efforts in the past were understandably cautious. The first weeks were spent simply listening — understanding what the community believed it needed, rather than arriving with predetermined solutions.
Fear lived here. Now, safety and hope are finally returning home again.
Fear lived here. Now, safety and hope are finally returning home again.
Listening Before Building
Listening Before Building
When fear fades, hope rises
When fear fades, hope rises
That listening shaped everything that followed. Rather than building a new safety structure from scratch, the community proposed something simpler and faster: a dedicated safe space for children under a shared area already used for community gatherings. It would not look like a protection center in the traditional sense. But it would function as one, immediately. Karuna provided materials, a small stipend to support two trained child protection workers, and — critically — more than 200 safety kits, ranging from emergency whistles to age-appropriate safety awareness materials in both Somali and English. For a community that had been without consistent protection for over a year, this was not a minor addition. It was, for many children, the first time they had felt truly safe in months. The first week, only fifteen children showed up. Word had not yet spread, and trust takes time to rebuild. By the end of the second week, that number had grown to over eighty. Some had not played freely in months. A few did not remember what it felt like to feel safe at all.
That listening shaped everything that followed. Rather than building a new safety structure from scratch, the community proposed something simpler and faster: a dedicated safe space for children under a shared area already used for community gatherings. It would not look like a protection center in the traditional sense. But it would function as one, immediately. Karuna provided materials, a small stipend to support two trained child protection workers, and — critically — more than 200 safety kits, ranging from emergency whistles to age-appropriate safety awareness materials in both Somali and English. For a community that had been without consistent protection for over a year, this was not a minor addition. It was, for many children, the first time they had felt truly safe in months. The first week, only fifteen children showed up. Word had not yet spread, and trust takes time to rebuild. By the end of the second week, that number had grown to over eighty. Some had not played freely in months. A few did not remember what it felt like to feel safe at all.
We listened first. Then we designed and built.
We listened first. Then we designed and built.
SAFETY & HEALING
SAFETY & HEALING
Rebuilding Trust Together
Rebuilding Trust Together
One of the returning child protection workers, Fatima, had worked in the camp for six years before the violence escalated. She described the first weeks back as "relearning how to help children heal and play in the same hour." Several children needed time before they could trust adults again. Others arrived early every day, unwilling to risk being late to something they had waited so long to have back. By the fourth month, attendance had stabilized at just under 150 children — nearly matching pre-displacement numbers. The community, with Karuna’s continued support, began discussing a more permanent safety structure for the following year.
One of the returning child protection workers, Fatima, had worked in the camp for six years before the violence escalated. She described the first weeks back as "relearning how to help children heal and play in the same hour." Several children needed time before they could trust adults again. Others arrived early every day, unwilling to risk being late to something they had waited so long to have back. By the fourth month, attendance had stabilized at just under 150 children — nearly matching pre-displacement numbers. The community, with Karuna’s continued support, began discussing a more permanent safety structure for the following year.
Outcome
Outcome
What changed, in the months that followed.
What changed, in the months that followed.
10M
Children supported
10M
Children supported
100+
Schools Assisted
100+
Schools Assisted
90+
Community Established
90+
Community Established
I remember walking through the camp every day and feeling afraid. Now my children play without fear, and I don't have to wonder if they will be safe.
I remember walking through the camp every day and feeling afraid. Now my children play without fear, and I don't have to wonder if they will be safe.
