Integrated Emergency WASH and HealthResponse for Conflict Affected People in Al Dhale’e, Abyan, Aden The proposed project will provide life-saving essential health services to conflict affected communities in Al Dhale’e governorate and life-saving WASH services to communities in Al Dhale’e, Abyan and Aden governorates with the objective to contribute to the reduced morbidity and mortality among the conflict affected communities in Al Dhale’e through life-saving emergency health services.

Health
The International Rescue Committee (IRC) will contribute to the emergency response efforts to address the needs of conflict affected people in Al Dhale’e’ governorate so that conflict affected communities have increased access to essential health and reproductive health.

The IRC will achieve its objective through through provision of primary health care services to affected communities through three mobile health teams (MHT) the provision of essential drugs to nine health facilities the provision of support including drugs and medical supplies as well as solar panels to secondary health care facilities to sustain electric powered life sustaining services and provide basic rehabilitation to the emergency obstetric and newborn care (EmONC) unit of Al Dhale’e governorate hospital (Al Naser). 

The IRC’s nutrition and WASH sectors are also present in Al Dhale’e and will target the same population in aldhale’e which will have a positive impact on the health services and on the targeted beneficiaries. The WASH team will assists in the provision of water, sanitation and waste disposal, and provide guidance about the rehabilitation activities which are planned under health program. The IRC WASH program is also currently providing rehabilitation of drinking water sources in health facilities. IRC community health workers will support both health and WASH program implementation to ensure coordination and complementarity. 

Currently the IRC provides primary health care services in the mentioned areas through HPF funding which ended on 30 April 2016. Since the MoPH is unable to maintain these services, it is critical that the IRC secure funding to continue these services beyond April 2016.  The proposed 12 month project will be co-fundied with funding from other sources and through the HPF first location of 2016.  The co-funding approach will be more effective in term of cost effectiveness and to ensure provision of services for a longer period.  

WASH
Under this project, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) will respond to the basic WASH needs of crisis affected people, so that people have access to safe drinking water to reduce excess morbidity and mortality related to water borne diseases among the 70,000 conflict affected people in the southern governorates of Al Dhale’e, Abyan and Aden. 

Key activities in this response will be improved emergency access to safe drinking water through water trucking to most vulnerable groups, while working to restore sustainable water sources through rehabilitation of damaged water supply schemes. The IRC will improve access to safe excreta disposal for the most vulnerable families by providing conditional cash support connected to latrine construction including concrete covering to existing household latrines and supporting families without latrines to construct their own. The IRC will facilitate temporary latrines to reduce open defecation when internally displaced persons (IDP) do not have access to land. 

The IRC will implement certain activities with a national Partner, Nahda Makers Organization, working in three districts. They will implement activities related to improving access to hygiene items through distribution of household water treatment strategies, delivering hygiene promotion activities and also in printing and distribution of information education communication (IEC) materials.