As part of its long-standing relationship with UNICEF, Quoin has deployed this application in a number of diverse and challenging contexts. Somaliland, however, presents a unique scenario because it lies at the center of a complex, cross-border web of child migration routes. Children fleeing drought, conflict, and general economic hardship traverse dangerous terrain and porous international boundaries, often at risk of exploitation by professional traffickers, or mugaafeh.

Our team met with local nonprofits, UN personnel, and law enforcement officials to gain an understanding of migrant children’s needs and the dangers they face on their journey. Organizations working in child protection in this context face numerous challenges due to the constant mobility of the population they serve. Since an at-risk child may move on to another city or country within a few days of their initial registration, social workers have found it impossible to keep track of their cases in accordance with best practices. And since children rarely receive or carry official forms of documentation, organizations have no way of keeping track of information on a child’s needs and risk factors as they travel from location to location. The difficulty of cross-border cooperation - typically due to simmering conflicts over territory, natural resources, or ethnic rivalries - only compounds these challenges.

Through our ongoing collaboration with UNICEF and its partners, Quoin is developing mobile and web solutions that suit the business processes of organizations working in the region to provide services to these children.