Rapid Operational Support for AWD Emergency Response in Ethiopia This project, titled ‘Rapid Operational Support for Acute Watery Diarrhea (AWD) Emergency Response in Ethiopia’, aims to provide logistics assistance to the Ministry of Health (MoH), Regional Health Bureaus, as well as the Health and WASH Clusters, in their efforts to address the health crisis in the Ethiopia Somali Region of Ethiopia. While various sources such as international experts have identified the AWD cases as Cholera, the government is yet to make its determination. The support provided will aim to enable government health workers to respond to AWD outbreaks in an effective and timely manner.

The project has two key components. Firstly, to provide fleet management services for response teams, so that they can visit remote parts of the region to respond to AWD outbreaks. Under this component, UNOPS will assign 50 SUV vehicles in good-condition with drivers who are familiar with the Region through various service providers. The vehicles will be managed by UNOPS, who will work with the service providers and humanitarian partners to ensure vehicles meet the requirements of the emergency, in terms of equipment, availability, and quality of service (for example, by verifying the standards, timeliness of vehicle provision and quality of vehicles). An Operations Associate will be appointed under this component to conduct troubleshooting, ensure that the provider conducts maintenance of vehicles, and facilitate the planning and work of response teams

The second component is to disburse per diem payments to health workers, in accordance with MoH per diem rates. About 300 health workers are to be assigned to the AWD response for a period of 3 months. Timely payments will ensure health workers have the means to travel to areas in need and respond in a timely manner. AWD outbreaks require a real-time response, so disbursement of per diem requires an innovative approach, which cannot simply be handled through bank transfers or cash handouts. UNOPS will work with mobile payment companies to ensure daily payments to health workers, regardless of remoteness of their location. This solution is cost-effective, as it reduces logistic and time costs. To manage this process, UNOPS will deploy an Operations Associate to the command post in Jigjiga, to oversee per diem payments, and assist health workers with any issues, changes and delays. Per diem payments will be made through an innovative electronic/mobile payment system, to be managed by a supplier, to ensure cost-effectiveness and timeliness.

As per OCHA’s recommendation, the project also includes an activity to engage up to 100 cleaners for 3 months in the affected areas. If and when required, UNOPS can engage a service provider on behalf of OCHA and other partners to provide cleaners to various treatment centers in the region. The supplier would also be responsible for providing basic cleaning supplies to up to 20 treatment centers. Alternatively, UNOPS can also provide cleaners with partner-managed personnel contracts on behalf of OCHA and other humanitarian partners, as long as they are selected and supervised on a daily basis by the appropriate medical experts. In this scenario, UNOPS will work with a vendor to ensure that basic cleaning supplies are provided to each site, up to 20 locations. Once OCHA instructs UNOPS to provide support on cleaning, detailed work plan around these arrangements will be developed and finalized with the relevant humanitarian partners.

These cleaners will be selected by the appropriate partner(s), and provided with UNOPS contracts for up to 3 months. UNOPS will accordingly provide them with salary payments, as well as basic 

The UNOPS operations management team will be a part of the WHO operations team on the ground. The team will be mandated with providing logistics coordination, ensuring that response teams have the means to travel to outbreak areas in a timely manner, based on information provided by MoH and WHO.