Life-saving WASH services provision to vulnerable and most affected communities in Babile, Chinaksen and Fedis woredas of East Hararghe zone in the Oromia Region LWF aims to respond to the critical WASH needs of IDPs, returnees and host community in three Woredas of East Hararghe zone. The project is in line to the EHF 1st Standard Allocation of 2020 for WASH as well as focus to the prevention of the COVID-19 pandemic particularly in Fedis Woreda hosting IDPs from Djibouti. The WASH project mainstreams interventions in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, LWF will ensure adherence to the government directives on COVID-19 when organizing training and meetings. 
LWF has been providing humanitarian assistance to communities hard hit by conflict and climate change particularly in the Oromia and Somali regions where the lion shares of the displaced people live. LWF has been assisting the IDPs and returnee in WASH and other sectors, but there are some IDP sites and returnee who have been ‘ignored’ or ‘marginalized’, as indicated in the EHF 1st Standard Allocation in 2020 and LWF’s rapid needs assessment conducted in the three Woredas of East Hararghe zone. Because of increasing needs for WASH assistance, LWF has been requested by the East Hararghe zonal water office to extend its support to vulnerable groups in the zone. LWF, with this project intends to reach IDPs and returnees with WASH in 3 Woredas where it has presence. 
The proposed project will provide WASH solutions to IDPs, returnees and host community in 10 kebeles of Babile, Fedis and Chinaksen Woredas of East Hararghe zone based on identified gaps and needs. The kebeles in Babile Woreda are Barkale –OR770, Rahmete Selama and Ifadin-OR578 in Fedis Woreda Bareda-OR687, Bid bora-OR686, Balina Arba amp Hassen Riski and in Chinaksen Woreda Amola-OR649, Qalid-OR732,Arbait and Arda 2nd and-OR 729. These kebeles are reported to be in immediate need of live-saving WASH interventions. LWF team collected data from the field and learned that the target communities are in a dire situation due to absence of water, low awareness and poor hygiene practice as well as facing critical shortages of NFIs such as soap and sanitation materials. Moreover immediate response is needed to react on awareness creation and prevention mechanism of COVID-19.
Prioritized WASH responses are rehabilitation of two boreholes, rehabilitation of two shallow wells and rehabilitation of 6 roof catchments for health centers and schools. WASH NFIs will be provided to 6,465 HHs and WASH kits to 1,200 HHs. The access to safe drinking water will benefit the most affected or vulnerable host community members with IDPs and returnees. This will contribute to avoid conflict between IDPs and host communities. The project will benefit a total of 24,738 people, 16,135 m and 8,602 F. 
20 blocks of sex segregated communal latrine each having 5 stances will be constructed with sensitization and awareness creation activity on sanitation and hygiene parallel with COVID-19 awareness. The WASH NFIs include multipurpose soaps, dignity kit to 2000 women and girls in the reproductive age group of 14-45 years. LWF will complement its water supply and sanitation support with hygiene promotion activities in all target kebeles. People with special needs such as people with disability, female headed HHs, lactating and pregnant women, etc. will be given special attention in the response activities. The hygiene promotion campaigns will be organized twice using drama, demonstration and printed aids such as leaflets and posters. Information on COVID-19 and prevention methods will be disseminated to the wider community through such methods as radio and education using loudspeaker which will enable to reach more people even in the non-target woredas. In addition, the IEC materials on hygiene and sanitation will incorporate messages on COVID-19 both in visual and written forms. The project will be implemented over a six-month period of 2020.
The planned activities will be implemented integrated with the on-going livelihood, GBV and protection activities in the 3 targeted woredas with support from IHA