Integrated WASH Response for Increasing Resilience of the Vulnerable Communities in Salamieh District Integrated WASH Response for Increasing Resilience of the Vulnerable Communities in Salamiyeh District is a 12-months lifesaving and life-sustaining principled humanitarian response in the WASH sector. 

In line with the SHF 2021 First Standard Allocation Strategy Paper, UN WASH Cluster objectives, 2021 Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) strategic objectives (SO) and AKDN’s Global and in-country frameworks, the response addresses important humanitarian needs with the principle objective of: increasing the resilience of the affected and at-risk communities by improving access to quality water services, emergency WASH services and safe and protective sanitation and hygienic behavior and practices in the select sub-districts of Salamiyeh District: Salamiyeh including the peri-urban areas, Barri, Al-Saan, Saboura, and Oqeirbat. 

The proposed response will be implemented through an integrated approach by increasing access to safe and adequate water resources, improving safe WASH practices and knowledge among target vulnerable populations, and improving WASH systems and services in the target areas. Project interventions will also aim to reduce the impact of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the current economic crisis resulting in the low efficiency of water systems and services including operation and maintenance services and processes.

In order to implement an integrated intervention that could respond to both, the short and longer-term needs of the most vulnerable populations in Syria in the WASH sector, the proposed response works towards two inter-related outcomes:

Project Outcome 1: Improved level of protective sanitation and gender-responsive hygiene practices among targeted vulnerable households and communities. This will be achieved by promoting safe WASH practices and hygienic behaviors among different age groups and across households and community spaces, utilizing previously established trusted local platforms, ultimately intended to sustain results and deliver emergency humanitarian assistance and basic services in underserved areas. 

Project Outcome 2: Increased access to quality, equitable and reliable water services among the targeted vulnerable households and communities. Under this outcome, vulnerable and severely water insecure communities will receive access to clean water via water trucking services in order to sustain human survival needs and maintain dignity. Additionally, the operation and maintenance processes of water facilities at the community level will be supported to enhance and maintain the pumping capacity and the continuity of the services. 

Through these interventions the response will directly reach nearly 245,000 vulnerable people (over 50% women and girls) across Salamieh including the peri-urban areas, Barri, Al-Saan, Saboura and Oqeirbat sub-districts, leading to improved access to basic WASH services and reduced recourse to harmful coping strategies among vulnerable populations that have negative cascade effects on individuals and communities in terms of public health, environment, nutritional status, inequality and poverty.

To the extent possible, interventions have been designed to be gender, age and protection-sensitive, and reach either broader or distinct segments of the population depending on the need and nature of the activity. As much as possible, these interventions have been coordinated with the UN WASH Cluster.