Emergency multi-sectoral response to IDP and drought affected communities in Borena, Oromia and Shebelle, Somali region According to the 2020 Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP), 5.9 million of the most vulnerable crisis-affected people are targeted to receive basic lifesaving health services, and an estimated 4.4 million children under the age of five, pregnant women or nursing mothers will be in need of treatment for acute malnutrition. Oromia and Somali regions are the top two regions in the country in need of humanitarian assistance for an estimated 5.7 people in 2020. This EHF funded integrated emergency Nutrition and Health response aims to contribute to the reduction of morbidity and mortality among children under five years of age (U5), Pregnant and Lactating Women (PLW) and women of child bearing age in Girawa and Bedeno woredas (East Hararghe, Oromia) Moyale and Miyo woredas (Borena, Oromia), and Adadele and Gode woredas (Shebelle, Somali) through life-saving emergency services nutrition and health service.  The health interventions will be implemented in all the aforementioned six woreda while Moyale and Gode woredas are prioritized only for nutrition. Other existing health and nutrition projects funded by ECHO and OFDA will play a complementary to maximizing the impact and protecting the gains achieved so far in improving the health and nutritional statous of children, PLW and women in targeted woredas. 

The proposed intervention woredas have high acute malnutrition (AM) and disease burden rates of varying magnitude with history of chronic and recurrent disease out breaks (e.g. cholera and measles) which will be exacerbated in the context of COVID-19. 

The intervention under the health sector aims at enhancing the accessibility of essential health services to most vulnerable population. Specific interventions include provision of emergency and basic medical kits and PPE. [All to be provided by WHO], outpatient consultations and treatment, health education, routine vaccination for children under five, antenatal care, delivery services, postnatal care, family planning, MHPSS and SGBV clinical care of rape, communicable diseases, non-communicable diseases and putting mechanism of referrals to higher service delivery destinations. [All services will be provided to users free of charge]. The support to woreda health offices extends to providing of appropriate IEC materials and installation of hand hygiene methods, capacity building on early detection and response to epidemic prone disease (cholera, measles etc.) outbreaks and COVID-19 and IPC, RCCE etc. Furthermore, additional risk Communication and Community Engagement (RCCE), community awareness activities in the context of COVID-19 will be implemented.  

The interventions under the nutrition sector include treatment services to children under five years of age and PLW affected by acute malnutrition (SAM+MAM) support preventive nutrition services with a focus on protection of adequate Infant and Young Children Feeding (IYCF) practices and promoting multi- sectoral responses as well as providing psychosocial support to caregivers, strengthening local health system capacity on early warning, nutrition situation monitoring and nutrition emergency preparedness and response planning programs. Active community based nutrition screening services through Family MUAC approach, support to caretakers of SC admitted children on food provision, support to nutrition services supplies, provision of gap filling routine drugs for SAM management. On-site training and capacity building on CMAM/IMAM and IYCF program in line with the national guideline, regular monitoring and technical assistance to health workers in health facilities, MHNT clinics and nutrition. Risk communication on COVID-19 and demand creation for nutrition services are among the key activities to be undertaken.