SAMOW ADEN HILLOWLE
Nairobi
Summary
Protection & Durable Solutions Specialist with 12+ years of front-line humanitarian experience across East & West Africa and South Asia. Proven record of leading protection programmes in complex emergencies, designing SOPs and technical tools, mainstreaming Child Safeguarding & PSEA, and coordinating with Clusters/AoRs. Adept at capacity-building, MEAL, donor reporting (ECHO, USAID, FCDO, AICS, WFP, EU) and proposal development. Fluent in English, Kiswahili and Somali.
Overview
13
13
years of professional experience
Work History
Programme Coordinator – Protection & Access to Justice
Development Concern Initiative (DCI)
01.2025 - Current
- Manage a UNDP Kenya-supported access to justice and protection project focused on Ethiopian migrants and minority communities in Wajir County.
- Lead overall project planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation to ensure effective service delivery and alignment with human rights standards.
- Facilitate legal awareness sessions for Ethiopian migrants on documentation, rights, and referral pathways.
- Conduct regular stakeholder engagement with county officials, chiefs, and community leaders to support migrant protection.
- Coordinate capacity building for CBOs, paralegals, and faith-based leaders on protection principles and migrant rights.
- Establish and maintain safe referral mechanisms to legal aid providers, health services, and GBV support structures.
- Draft high-quality donor reports and participate in donor engagement, visibility, and advocacy forums to sustain protection programming.
Protection & Durable Solutions Specialist
UNHCR
06.2024 - 12.2024
- Led the end-to-end technical design and roll-out of the protection response for 320 000 refugees and IDPs across four counties, ensuring full compliance with Global Protection Cluster standards and Sphere.
- Drafted and operationalised comprehensive SOPs on case prioritisation, GBV referral, Child Protection, and community complaints, then delivered cascading trainings to 45 staff and 6 partner NGOs.
- Served as PSEA & Safeguarding Focal Point, conducting risk assessments, staff inductions and refresher sessions; established tri-lingual confidential reporting channels in camps and online.
- Led monthly protection risk analyses using ProGres and Kobo datasets; produced interactive dashboards that informed strategic planning and donor advocacy.
- Coordinated inter-agency Rapid Protection Assessments in hard-to-reach areas and authored flash reports shared with OCHA and the ICCG.
- Provided remote and on-site technical mentoring to local partners on community-based protection and inclusive programming, raising case-quality scores from 68 % to 91 % within six months.
- Embedded protection mainstreaming across WASH and Shelter interventions, advising on inclusive site layout, lighting and GBV-risk mitigation measures adopted in two new camps.
- Supported the Project Manager in drafting narrative and indicator reports for ECHO and CERF, achieving 100 % on-time, compliant submissions.
- Represented UNHCR at national Protection Cluster, Child Protection and GBV Sub-Cluster meetings, influencing joint action plans and funding priorities.
- Managed protection budget lines valued at USD 1.2 m, monitored burn rates and prepared procurement plans for dignity kits, CFS supplies and mobile legal clinics.
Protection Specialist ( Seconded by RefugePoint)
UNHCR
06.2022 - 04.2024
- Designed and rolled-out an Urban Protection Mainstreaming Toolkit with context-specific guidance on legal assistance, psychosocial support and safe referrals for Afghan refugees in five cities.
- Conducted a national mapping of legal, social-welfare and child-protection mechanisms, updating a referral directory covering 52 service providers; trained helpline staff on its use.
- Led capacity-building of 60 national staff and partner personnel on Protection Mainstreaming, CS, PSEA, Case Management and Community Protection using participatory approaches.
- Established an M&E framework tracking 18 protection indicators; analysed data quarterly and presented findings to senior management and donors, informing adaptive programming.
- Facilitated development of Standard Operating Procedures for case management that reduced average case processing time by 27 %.
- Championed integration of safeguarding measures into cash-based interventions, including risk communication materials for children and adults at risk.
- Represented UNHCR in Child Protection and GBV Sub-Clusters, contributing to the inter-agency protection strategy for 1.5 million urban refugees.
- Served as focal point for PSEA investigations, coordinating with the Regional PSEA Network and ensuring survivor-centred responses.
- Supported proposal writing that secured USD 4.8 m from BHA and FCDO for expanded protection programming in 2023-24.
- Co-facilitated HEAT security refreshers, contextualising modules for urban operations under heightened security constraints.
Associate Protection Officer
UNHCR
02.2021 - 06.2021
- Led protection risk assessments across Bidibidi Settlement and developed site-specific mitigation plans adopted by WASH and Shelter partners.
- Supervised a team of 10 Protection Assistants delivering community-based protection services to 45 000 refugees.
- Oversaw development of community-led safeguarding messages and complaints mechanisms, increasing confidential reporting by 35 %.
- Developed SOPs on safe referrals to health and legal services; trained frontline staff and local government focal points.
- Introduced an Excel-based indicator tracking tool that improved data accuracy and timeliness of monthly protection reporting.
- Co-facilitated case conferences with GBV, Child Protection and MHPSS partners to ensure holistic service provision.
- Supported drafting of donor proposals (BHA, FCDO) and mid-term review reports, aligning log-frames with protection indicators.
- Represented UNHCR in district-level Protection Working Groups, advocating for inclusion of persons with disabilities in livelihood schemes.
- Provided on-the-job mentoring for partner caseworkers, which increased adherence to case management SOPs from 59 % to 88 %.
- Coordinated with security teams to conduct protection-sensitive relocations during flooding, ensuring prioritisation of PSNs.
Protection Specialist (Consultant)
UNHCR
02.2019 - 06.2020
- Led needs assessments & context analyses for evacuees transiting from Libya, producing evaluation reports that guided programme redesign and donor reprogramming.
- Developed and implemented SOPs for GBV case management and Child Safeguarding, now adopted by three partner NGOs and the Government service centre.
- Established a real-time IM system using Kobo and Power BI that tracked protection incidents and service uptake, enabling rapid response to emerging risks.
- Monitored protection intervention quality through structured observation checklists, recommending improvements that increased timely case closure rate from 63 % to 88 %.
- Coordinated Capacity-Building Roadmap for 25 frontline workers covering PSEA, psychological first aid and safe referrals.
- Represented UNHCR in the national Protection Cluster and liaised with Government Ministries to integrate national referral pathways into camp operations.
- Deployed as rapid-response team lead to Agadez during an influx of 6 000 evacuees, setting up interim protection desks within 48 hours.
- Supported preparation of donor narrative and financial reports (ECHO, EU Trust Fund), ensuring alignment with grant agreements.
- Facilitated after-action reviews capturing lessons on multi-agency coordination and survivor-centred approaches.
- Provided technical input to new project proposals that mobilised EUR 2.1 m for expanded Child Protection programming in 2021.
Protection Associate
UNHCR Kenya
02.2015 - 02.2019
- Supported refugee status determination and conducted intake assessments for protection interventions.
- Provided psychosocial support and referrals for survivors of GBV and torture.
- Ensured accurate documentation and follow-up for child protection and BID cases.
- Facilitated legal counselling and coordinated with legal aid providers.
- Participated in training government staff on RSD procedures and protection principles.
- Supported development of community-based protection networks and complaint mechanisms.
- Maintained comprehensive case files in proGres and ensured data confidentiality.
Registration Assistant
UNHCR Kenya
08.2012 - 06.2013
- Verified refugee identities through biometrics and conducted household-level data updates.
- Flagged and referred cases involving separated children, GBV survivors, and elderly refugees for follow-up.
- Participated in mass verification exercises, including crowd control and sensitization campaigns.
- Provided frontline assistance to persons with urgent protection needs during registration.
- Maintained registration documentation and coordinated with the protection unit for case prioritization.
- Monitored trends and contributed to registration analysis reports.
- Liaised with community leaders to ensure inclusive registration processes.
Education
M.A. - International Relations
University of Nairobi
12.2025
B.A. - Political Science & Sociology
University of Nairobi
12.2014
Skills
- Protection mainstreaming & community-based protection
- Child safeguarding, PSEA & case management
- SOP / guideline development & roll-out
- Monitoring, evaluation & information management
- Capacity-building & mentoring of staff/partners
- Cluster coordination & inter-agency representation
- Needs assessments & context analysis
- Donor reporting & proposal writing
- Legal / social-service mapping & safe referrals
- Security-aware operations in high-risk settings
LANGUAGES
English: Fluent
Somali: Native
Kiswahili: Intermediate
Arabic: Basic conversational
Timeline
Programme Coordinator – Protection & Access to Justice
Development Concern Initiative (DCI)
01.2025 - Current
Protection & Durable Solutions Specialist
UNHCR
06.2024 - 12.2024
Protection Specialist ( Seconded by RefugePoint)
UNHCR
06.2022 - 04.2024
Associate Protection Officer
UNHCR
02.2021 - 06.2021
Protection Specialist (Consultant)
UNHCR
02.2019 - 06.2020
Protection Associate
UNHCR Kenya
02.2015 - 02.2019
Registration Assistant
UNHCR Kenya
08.2012 - 06.2013
B.A. - Political Science & Sociology
University of Nairobi
M.A. - International Relations
University of Nairobi
References
Peter, Waita, Senior information management Officer, Waita@unhcr.org, UNHCR Pakistan
Training
- Refugee Status Determination Learning Programme, UNHCR – 2016
- Interview Learning Programme (PEACE Model), UNHCR – 2016
- HEAT / Personal Security Training – 2023
- Fundamentals of Fraud & Corruption Awareness – 2019
- Team Development – 2015
- Safeguarding & PSEA e-Course – 2024
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