Integrated Emergency Community-based Management of Acute Malnutrition (CMAM), Health, and WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) Responses in Ethiopia, Oromia, and East Harerghe zone: Chinakson, Kumbi, Gursum, Meyu, Gola oda, Midegatola, Fedis, and Babile woredas and SNNPR, Gamogofa zone: Zala and Uba Debre tsehay woredas. According to the 2018 HDRP, the Meher finding report revealed that two previous years of consecutive drought, compounded with weak rains at the end of 2017 led hundreds of thousands destitute in southern and south-eastern Ethiopia. In Oromia, 1.18 million people are in need of Nutrition support, 2.78 M WASH and 1.58 M people need health support. Similarly, in SNNPR, 719,000 people need Nutrition support, 709,000 WASH and 510,000 people health support.  This massive influx of people in a short period has created humanitarian crisis and is pushing to the limited capacity of the Oromia Regional State and Federal Government to meet the basic lifesaving needs of the IDPs. The WASH sector has also identified an estimated 6.9 million  people needing lifesaving WASH intervention. According to the 2018 HDRP, (Humanitarian and Disaster Resilience Plan document) people will encounter a lack of safe drinking water, sanitation and hygiene promotion to protect them from WASH related diseases.

Nutrition: The Potential La Niña impacts in the first quarter of 2018 report, the short rains (October–December) and the long rains (March–May) are likely to underperform and Ethiopia is amongst the “high risk” countries to experience. The likely impacts on Gu/Ganna (March to May) rains which are the main spring rains can cause acute drought conditions in Oromia regions and lowlands of SNNPR. This will also become a critical concern in parts of central and northern SNNPR and central Oromia, which depend on the production of belg crops. 

Although Community based management of acute malnutrition (CMAM) services are institutionalized through the routine health services, access to Outpatient Therapeutic Program (OTP) and Stabilization Center (SC) remains a problem especially for the displaced communities. Coordination gaps continue to exist between SAM (OTP/SC) and MAM interventions, with referral and continuum of care breakdowns intensifying during the current crisis. There is need for community level screening and referral and treatment of SAM with and without medical complication. International Medical Corps has conducted a rapid assessment survey in the six priority one hot spot woredas and identified the SAM admission trend and nutrition and other needs of the community and the health facilities there. 

Health The overall goal of the health response project is to contribute to the reduction of morbidity and mortality through improved access to basic PHC and referral services for vulnerable drought and conflict affected communities (IDPs and host communities) in Babile,,Chinakson, Meyu Muluke, Kumbi, and Midega Tola, woredas of East Hararghe zone, Oromia region. This will be realized by establishing MHNT and provision of basic free of charge primary health care for affected IDPs and close host communities, conducting awareness creation on prevention of major reportable diseases via community mobilization and health promotion, provision of essential drugs, medical supplies and infection prevention supplies and distribution of IEC/BCC materials. This project will complement the ongoing efforts by the Ethiopian Government and other stakeholders to contain the impact of health threats created by lack of access to basic health care. 

 WASH: The critical needs for WASH services provision in terms of quality and quantity has been identified as a severe gap in the targeted IDPs and drought affected woredas. In the targeted Woredas, the low WASH (water and sanitation coverage), limited number of functioning and accessible water sources of safe water, poor condition of sanitation facilities, and hygiene practise increases the risk for WASH-related diseases. In addition, as per the gender roles women and girls are required to travel larger distances (often over 5 kms) for water collection from unsafe water sources (rivers and ponds), which has increased the vulnerability for WASH related disease spread and protection challenges. The critical water sho