The Women’s Participation Project (WPP) was jointly developed by WRC and IOM, in coordination with the Global Camp Coordination and Camp Management (CCCM) Cluster. This initiative was part of the global initiative Safe from the Start aiming at reducing GBV in camps and camp-like settings, and it is funded by the Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration (PRM) of the US State Department. The objective of the WPP is to enable CCCM practitioners to gain a broader understanding of what participation is and to develop contextually appropriate strategies to enhance the participation of women and girls in displacement settings.

The WPP started in Somalia in 2019, in the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) sites of Kabasa and Qansaxley, in Doolow (Gedo region). Since its launch in 2019, the WPP has helped to increase women's participation in the daily life of the sites and in the sites’ governance structures. Key achievements of the last phase of the project include the completion of vocational training in handicrafts by 615 women, the organisation of three community events by women's groups, the
establishment of a community-led protection committee, and dialogue sessions between men and women to raise awareness of GBV and the risks and challenges faced by women and girls in the sites.

Building on the success of the project activities in Doolow, IOM sought to expand the WPP to new regions in Somalia, including IDP sites in Kismayo (Lower Juba region). In September 2022, as a first step in the roll-out of the WPP in Kismayo, IOM CCCM team conducted a baseline assessment in three IDP sites in Kismayo to assess current levels and prospects related to participation and safety, as well as to identify barriers and opportunities to increase the participation of women and girls in decision-making. This report presents the main findings from the baseline assessment.