Addressing critical WASH needs in Taiz  Al-Dhale’e Governorates CARE proposes to implement a humanitarian response to address critical WASH needs of people living in Al Wazi’iyah and Hayfan Districts (Taiz Governorate) and Al-Azriq District (Al-Dhale'e Governorate). The project will address the WASH needs of households (HHs) through enhancing access to safe drinking water improving access to sanitation facilities and improving their knowledge of key hygiene, sanitation, and nutrition practices. Key activities will include water trucking, rehabilitation of strategic water schemes, providing HH water treatment materials and training households in their use. Water scheme rehabilitation will be conducted in areas with high AWD incidence, areas with high SAM prevalence as well as in areas with IDP / returnee. Rehabilitation of water schemes will include provision of spare parts, repair and maintenance of strategically located water schemes. 

To ensure safe water quality, CARE will conduct chlorination and monitor water quality. This will be conducted through training of project field staff on use portable water testing kits and monitoring of key parameters. In order to enhance access to sanitation facilities and thereby contribute to the prevention of diseases, CARE will construct family latrines for the most vulnerable households. In addition, through a NNGO partner, the project shall implement nutrition-sensitive hygiene promotion and distribution of Cluster-approved hygiene kits and replenishables. Hygiene promotion will be focusing on health-seeking behaviors, and recognizing signs and symptoms of common water-borne disease such as acute watery diarrhea and cholera. Additionally, the NNGO partner will promote optimal nutrition behaviors (such as regular hand-washing, appropriate health-seeking behaviors, optimal infant and young child feeding, and exclusive breastfeeding) to individuals or groups through the provision of relevant nutrition/health messages at WASH meetings.

Post distribution monitoring will also be the integral component of the monitoring framework so as to know the effectiveness of the process of distribution of hygiene kits as well as beneficiaries’ satisfaction on the contents and quantity of hygiene kits. Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice (KAP) surveys shall also be conducted to measure the changes in knowledge and practice of households to key hygiene, sanitation, and nutrition issues.

The project, in collaboration with relevant stakeholders, will establish community committees and develop beneficiaries' selection criteria so as to overcome possible exclusion errors and maximize inclusion. Close coordination will also be ensured with community committees and stakeholders in identifying water schemes for rehabilitation. To account for anticipated wait times in obtaining approvals and permissions from authorities, CARE has built in an interim period to the workplan such that activities should remain on track. To ensure sustainability of the rehabilitated water schemes beyond the project period, CARE will establish Water Management Committees and members of the committees will be trained on the operation and maintenance of the water schemes. The project will also strengthen the Complaint, Feedback, and Response mechanism in order to receive timely complaint/feedback from the beneficiaries and provide timely response. The project shall ensure that vulnerable IDP and host men, women, boys, and girls have equal access.