Delivering Equitable and Affordable WASH Services To IDPs in Camps and Host Communities of Girei LGA , Adamawa State, NE Nigeria. Adamawa State is one of the BAY states in Northeast Nigeria that was ravaged by the activities of the Boko Haram Insurgents since 2014. More than 1m people fled their homes for refuge in other safer and nearby LGAs and states. This is further aggravated by other humanitarian crises like flooding, cholera, communal clashes and farmers-herders clashes. Although more than 829,594 displaced persons in Adamawa state have returned to their communities and homes (DTM R. XXXVII - Aug. 2021, pp. 6), but with limited access to WASH services to support their coping mechanism. The inadequate WASH services in the IDPs camps and Host communities have increased the vulnerability of the population. Poor access to WASH services has rendered these population vulnerable to water-borne diseases like typhoid, dysentery, diarrhoea, Cholera and COVID-19 pandemic. The most vulnerable and targeted group are Women, Children and Persons Living With Disability (PLWD).

Girei LGA has received influx of the IDPs displaced from the northern part of Adamawa state, thereby overstretching the available limited WASH facilities. Girei LGA is also one of the LGAs in Adamawa State that is annually prone to occurrence of Cholera and Flooding. This has exposed the people to water-borne related diseases. It is one of the LGAs that still hosts IDPs camps and a number of informal IDPs camps and host communities. This project therefore seeks to provide and deliver a timely, equitable, affordable, accessible and effective WASH services to the IDPs living in camps and Host communities. This will help to strengthen their resilience to preventing and mitigating diseases that could emerge as a result of poor access to WASH services.

This project will seek to create access to safe drinking water to 16,000 people in Girei LGA, through the construction of 2 Solar Powered Boreholes and 12 Hand Pump Boreholes in IDPs host communities. Also, the project will restore access to safe drinking water to 8,000 people in Girei LGA, through the rehabilitation of 16 dysfunctional Hand Pump Boreholes in Schools, Health Centers and in Host communities. 30 Water Sanitation and Hygiene Committees (WASHComs) will be formed and trained to manage the functionality of these 30 new and rehabilitated water facilities. In order to improve their personal and environmental hygiene to curb diseases, 16 House-to-House Community Hygiene promoters will be identified in the communities and engaged for a period of 5 months. They will reach out to sensitise about 30,000 people (5,000 HHs) in the IDPs Host Communities on prevention and control of sanitation and hygiene related diseases like typhoid, cholera, etc. Another 4 Menstrual Hygiene Promoters will receive training on Menstrual Hygiene management (MHM), and engaged to sensitise 100 Girls in Junior Secondary Schools for a period of 2 months with MHM messages. MHM kits will be distributed to the targeted school girls. The MHM kits will be provided by the WASH sector.
Similarly, 12 Chlorinators/Disinfectors will be trained and engaged to undertake chlorination and Disinfection activities in cholera hotspot areas (Host Communities) for a period of 5 months.