Increasing Access to Safe Water for Crisis-Affected Communities in Idleb and Aleppo Governorates. The proposed action will increase and safeguard access to safe and adequate water for 31,239 conflict-affected people in Haritan and Ariha sub-districts. These areas have witnessed significant numbers of incoming Internally Displaced People (IDPs) as a result of recent “local agreements’, also referred to as “evacuations”, from Homs and Rural Damascus in particular. The coping capacity of new arrivals is stretched beyond limit and urgent assistance is required to secure increased access to safe water. Eight years of conflict has eroded the household resilience of communities continuing to host new arrivals. The proposed action will - therefore - deliver an evidence-based program of assistance to two targeted water units to immediately increase access to safe water, while also safeguarding WASH service provision beyond the implementation period through working in coordination with Local Councils and water units to establish cost recovery mechanisms. The proposal is informed by a water station infrastructure assessment completed by Big Heart end May/ early June. 

The following activities are planned with reference to establishing cost recovery mechanisms - 
August 2018: Finalize recruitment of dedicated Big Heart WASH Officer (Cost Recovery) and Cost Recovery water unit personnel at targeted stations. Should the proposed action be approved, Big Heart will immediately initiate recruitment processes. 
September 2018: Work with water units to complete community mapping and create databases of water WASH service consumers. This will include # of houses benefiting from the network, public and private consumers (for example hospitals, health centers, commercial facilities and businesses etc.) Following service user mapping, Big Heart will work with water units and Local Councils to design the cost recovery mechanism through calculating the total running costs of each station, the cost p/m3 of water, an appropriate threshold of contribution for users identified through the community mapping process and modality for collection of fees / WASH service charges. Training for water unit staff on management of the mechanism will also be initiated during September, as will community sensitization, awareness raising and information sessions. 
October 2018: Community sensitization, awareness raising and information sessions will continue in both areas. The cost recovery mechanism in Mseibin station will be activated, however levels of assistance with operations and maintenance are budgeted at 100% for this month, while cost recovery activities start. Assess and test levels of cost recovered and identify means to address any gaps in the following month. For example, targeted sensitization, adaptations to fee collection processes etc.  
November 2018: Roll-out cost recovery with Andan station and maintain / adapt with Mseibin. Operation and maintenance costs for both stations are budgeted at 75% for November 2018. Big Heart will continue to assess efficacy of cost recovery mechanisms and identify means to address gaps in the following month.
December 2018: Water station operation and maintenance costs are budgeted at 50%. Big Heart will continue to assess efficacy of cost recovery mechanisms and support staff dedicated to implementing same, while identifying means to address any gaps in management and implementation of cost recovery. 
January 2019: Water station operation and maintenance costs are budgeted at 25%. Big Heart will work with water units and Local Councils to assess cost recovery mechanisms during the final month of the project and to provide any technical assistance required to ensure WASH service delivery costs can be recovered following the implementation period. 

The action builds on over four years of successful operational experience in targeted sub-districts and will expand proven WASH programming to meet the needs of highly vulnerable communities, currently without assistance.