Increased and Sustained access to lifesaving water and sanitation for displacement affected populations in Dal

Objectives

Since establishing initial operations in Somalia in 2004, the Norwegian Refugee Council has been implementing WASH, Food Security, Livelihoods, ICLA( Information Counselling and Legal Assistance )and Education sector programming throughout Somalia . In Juba region specifically, the proposed program will link with NRC’s ongoing interventions in ICLA, Food Security, Livelihoods, WASH and Education all defined to provide a combination of lifesaving and resilience building support to displacement affected communities. This project will include rehabilitation of WASH facilities in schools and dissemination of hygiene education. NRC will build on the aforementioned interventions to provide a holistic response to the disaster affected populations .NRC has evidence that confirms that an integrated, holistic intervention is required to meet the urgent and inter-connected food security, nutrition, and WASH needs in affected geographical location. It is with this understanding that this action is designed to act in complementarity to other related action that is currently being implemented. In Kismayo , access to and use of latrines and sanitation facilities is extremely low. Only a third of the populations use any method to prevent contamination of the water when storing or handling. As a result, cholera and acute watery diarrhea (AWD) are endemic and frequent outbreaks occur every year. This intervention targets IDP and host communities whose health and nutritional status is severely impeded by frequent water borne illnesses and whose traditional coping mechanisms and livelihood systems are still recovering from the recent recurrent emergencies. This situation is likely to be aggravated by the foreseen increase in number of returns arising out the intended closure of the refugee camps in Kenya. The project intends to increase equal and sustained access to reliable safe water, adequate sanitation, promote positive hygiene services and take appropriate action to contribute to the lifesaving and life sustaining integrated response to displacement affected populations among IDPs and host communities in Dalxiiksa Kismayo. This action will be implemented in the location with the highest number of IDPs within Kismayu . NRC seeks to implement hygiene promotion activities that include distribution of assorted hygiene items, training of promoters and wash committees, construction and rehabilitation of shallow wells and rehabilitation of other water infrastructure, construction of both communal latrines including de-sludging existing ones. The latrine facilities will be lockable and equipped with handwashing facilities. All activities will fall in line with both sphere and relevant approved WASH cluster standards and guidelines. The beneficiaries will be selected through a community consultative process with the community leaders in order to ensure that only those who meet the specified vulnerable criteria are identified for support. Female headed households will be given high priority while accountability and transparency measures will be put in place to ensure equity within an all-inclusive aid administration process. NRC will maintain and expand synergies across all the programs by ensuring that this action is implemented alongside other s and that benefits arising out of multiple actions to the same target groups are exponentially increased. NRC shelter and ICLA program will provide opportunities for constructing appropriate transitional shelters using preferred and locally available material through an owner driven approach, while livelihood interventions will direct efforts towards supporting a combination of both off farm and on farm food security interventions that ensure sustained improvement of food security indicators. The Shelter program will work hand in hand with ICLA to ensure that all those who benefit from WASH, Livelihood and Shelter intervention have secure land tenure arrangements and are guaranteed of protection.