Provision of life-saving nutrition, health and WASH assistance to the most vulnerable conflict-affected communities in Abyan and Shabwah governorates of Yemen According to the 2017 Yemen Humanitarian Needs Overview (HNO), there are around 18.8 million people in need of some kind of humanitarian assistance, including 10.3 million people who are in acute need. While 14.8 million people lack access to health care including 8.8 million living in severely underserved areas, only 45% of the health facilities are fully functional. About 3.3 million children and pregnant or lactating women are acutely malnourished, including 462,000 children under 5 suffering from severe acute malnutrition The latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) estimates that 7 governorates containing around 60% of the population are currently at IPC phase 4- emergency. An estimated 14.5 million people require assistance to ensure access to safe drinking water and sanitation, including 8.2 million who are in acute need. 

This project aims to provide life-saving assistance to the most vulnerable in Shabwah (Attaq and Habban districts) and Abyan (Russud and Sarrar districts) governorates through an integrated approach that includes nutrition, health and WASH assistance. This is to contribute in addressing the immediate causes of food insecurity and malnutrition in priority districts identified among the most affected by the crises. 

In line with the Health cluster’s 1st and 2nd objectives, to provide integrated primary, secondary and referral health services and to strengthen reproductive, maternal, new born, child and adolescent health (RMNCAH), IOM proposes to support 5 fixed health facilities to ensure the availability of the above services. IOM will support 5 health facilities to provide the minimum package of health services according to the type of the facility: 3 district hospitals, 1 health center and 1 health unit. IOM will ensure basic OPD services are available in the 5 facilities, secondary health care services should also be available at the hospital level. PHC services to be provided in all facilities will include general clinical services and trauma care, child health (IMCI amp EPI), sexual and reproductive health including maternal and newborn, management of communicable and non-communicable diseases, and environmental health. At district hospital emergency care, EmONC etc. will be supported.

Per the nutrition cluster’s 1st objective, IOM plans to deliver quality, life-saving interventions for acutely malnourished children and pregnant and lactating women (PLW). IOM also plans to contribute to the 2nd nutrition objective which aims to prevent malnutrition by enhancing BSFP and IYCF. IOM will also support the treatment and prevention of malnutrition for children 0-59 months and PLW through CMAM. To do so, IOM will train community health workers to do screening and referral of cases, and train health workers and ensure full operation of the OTPs in the five facilities to provide treatment based on CMAM guidelines.  

Also, IOM aims at providing a number of WASH activities to support the target health facilities and surrounding communities. Those will include:
a) Rehabilitation of community water systems in 5 sites in Abyan and Shabwa, benefiting  24,734 people
b) Rehabilitation of sewage systems in 2 sites, in Abyan and Shabwa, benefiting 12,000 people 
c) Distribution of 900 family hygiene kits to 900 Households, coupled with hygiene awareness
d) Distribution of 1600 ceramic water filters in Abyan
e) Rehabilitation of water systems supporting 5 health facilities in Abyan and Shabwa
f) Providing water trucking support to two health facilities in Abyan (Rusod hospital and Sarar health center) for the period of 6 months

IOM’s interventions are conceived so as to accord priority assistance to the most vulnerable, particularly women, boys, girls and those with special needs. Most of the people who leave at areas where health facilities are not fully functional, do not have other alternatives, hence, do not have access to health care. This situation is worst for women an