WASH for COVID-19 outbreak prevention While Uganda enjoys relative peace and stability within the great lakes’ region, the country neighbours Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan that continue to experience sporadic conflicts. As a result, Uganda is hosting refugees from South Sudan, DRC, Burundi, Somali and others. As of February 2020, the total number of refugees in Uganda has increased to 1,411,098 from 1,347,360 as of September 2019 implying that there is an average influx of 12,746 into the country every month where the majority are coming from SSD and DRC. Out of this, 61.9% are South Sudanese and 29% are Congolese. Since the beginning of 2020, many INGOs and NGOs have phased out their implementation due reduced donor funding yet demand for services in the refugee and host communities continues. Both Kyangwali and Imvepi refugee settlements offer home to over sixty thousand (60.000) refugees who live in congested homesteads with basic hygiene and sanitation. Following the global coronavirus pandemic, different countries have taken steps to prevent and mitigate the spread of this virus. The President of the Republic of Uganda directed closure of all schools and learning institutions, worship houses and places of mass convergence 20th March and has encouraged and called upon support from all the actors to ensure that preventive measures are put in place and adhered to. While the measures put in place may be feasible to implement in many areas of Uganda, they are difficult to adhere to for refugees living in camps and host communities. Many refugees find themselves living hand-to-mouth, meaning if they miss work for even one day, they are immediately unable to buy the commodities they need for survival. This leads to the prioritisation of expenditures for food – at the risk of less money being spent to acquire necessary sanitation goods and clean water. To make matters worse, the announcement of the arrival of COVID-19 has seen suppliers increase prices of sanitation items making it even more difficult for those with limited means (including refugees) to acquire them. Given the rate at which coronavirus is spreading, Cordaid Uganda finds it pertinent to implement emergency measures to prevent the spread of the virus in refugee settlements. This is because living conditions of refugees and the country’s poor healthcare system can result into a full-blown disaster in the country especially in overcrowded dwellings such as refugee settlements. This project is a direct response to the UNHCR Covid-19 response plan; according to this plan,  UNHCR Uganda COVID Response plan - March 2020 final, refugees in Uganda have freedom of movement and as such settlement-based refugees can/will easily access the selected higher risk locations. With the confirmation of Coronavirus cases in DR Congo, Adjumani, Hoima, Arua, Kampala and other locations, the risk of importation of the Coronavirus into Imvepi and Kyangwali has become much higher than earlier anticipated. Overall objective: This project aims to strengthen resilience of refugees and host communities in Imvepi and Kyangwali refugee settlements to respond adequately in preventing and mitigating the spread of coronavirus.
Immediate Objectives
1.	Equip communities with knowledge to identify and refer community members suspected to have contracted coronavirus 
2.	Create opportunities to enhance nutrition and livelihoods for refugees
3.	Empower refugee communities with knowledge that causes change in attitude and practice to prevent spread of coronavirus and other WASH related illnesses This project is designed to benefit refugees of South Sudanese and Congolese origins. However, some of the planned interventions such as radio programs will benefit host communities as well because of the diverse nature of radio listeners.