Education and WASH assistance for highly vulnerable returnee girls and boys in the at-risk communities in Qaraqosh, Hamdaniya district and Bashiqa, Mosul district in Ninewa Governorate The humanitarian crisis in Iraq remains one of the largest and most volatile in the world. Over 3 million Iraqis are currently displaced, living in 3,700 locations across the country. In 2017, depending on the intensity and length of fighting in Mosul, Hawiga and Tel Afar, as many as 1.2 million additional civilians may be forced from their homes. The humanitarian situation is expected to worsen until families can re-establish their livelihoods and consolidate their households (HNO 2017). Therefore, ZOA has prepared a combined Education and WASH response to help the vulnerable IDPs and host communities in Qaraqosh and Bashiqa where people are trying to reestablish their lives. 

The overall objective of this project is to provide highly vulnerable returnee girls and boys in the at-risk community of Qaraqosh and the area of Bashiqa with expanded and upgraded education and learning opportunities and water and sanitation services at primary and secondary schools. An assessment will take place in 15 schools in Qaraqosh and 10 schools in Bashiqa - none of the schools has received NGO assistance. The project proposes that 10 schools will be rehabilitated in Qaraqosh, similarly 7 schools in Bashiqa, a total of 17 schools.

The project is aligned with the general and sector specific strategic objectives for the Iraq Humanitarian Pooled Fund aiming to reach highly vulnerable people and contribute to international standards of care, assistance and protection. ZOA focuses on reaching as many vulnerable people as possible, including displaced families or returnees. The present project combines a second-line response in WASH and a second-line response in proposed communities. A large part of the population of Al-Hamdaniya is currently living in Ankawa, Erbil, with 9,504 students receiving education there. Of this group 90% is expected to return to Qaraqosh and surrounding villages at the closing of the current school year. The Kurdistan government has ordered the closure of the IDP schools to facilitate returns (source: Director of Ed. Al-Hamdaniya - Basem Habib, April 17). Based on this projection, as well as awareness of displaced persons from both areas into Dohuk governorate an enrolment of 200-250 students per school is expected for both proposed intervention areas. 

We aim to ensure that conflict affected families and vulnerable populations in priority locations are assisted in rebuilding their community as follows:
1. Assistance in rehabilitation of primary and secondary educational facilities to allow access to education from the coming school year
2. Provision of equipment and materials necessary to provide quality education
3. Through gender sensitive WASH rehabilitation, provide protection to girls/boys upgrading the sanitation facilities in the schools 
4. To increase provision of facilities within the community to promote safe returns to the region. 

The main activities are as follows:
- Assessment of 25 primary and secondary schools in Qaraqosh and Bashiqa, prioritising based on community/school management input and those with high student reach
- Repairs/provision of windows and doors, repairs and rehabilitation of electrical wiring and rehabilitation of WASH facilties (drinking water supply, water storage, and sanitation facilities) for 17 of the schools
- Provision of equipment and materials necessary to re-start education, such as whiteboards, desks, trashcans, teaching materials and supply in tools/papers to 17 schools

The project duration is 3 months (from June 2017). The rehabilitation and repairs will be timely and appropriate for the new school year to commence and will be gender sensitive in its approach. 

ZOA has extensive experience with humanitarian assistance to IDPs and host populations in northern Ninewa, East Mosul city, Erbil, and Sulaymaniyah and is well positioned to successfully implement this project and help the people in need. ZOA coordinates with the DoE in both areas.