Provide immediate lifesaving Basic Nutrition Service Package support to &lt;5 children boys, girls, and pregnant and
lactating women in Ceelwaaq district of Gedo region, According to FSNAU Post Deyr 2020/ technical assessment, the overall health, food security and nutrition needs remain significant within most parts of Somalia with an estimated. In Ceelwaq nutrition situation of district continues to deteriorate further with limited humanitarian assistance. Post day 2020 released by FSNAU in Februar 2021 indicated that a chronic high level of acute malnutrition in Elwak district. The target areas have many challenges contributing to acute malnutrition particularly rural areas where access is constrained. The Desert Locust has caused significant damage to 2020 pastures and grassing land for livestock’s which the backbone liveliho of communities in Ceelwaq. The latest forecasts indicate that Desert Locust continues to pose a very high risk to rural livelihoods across Somalia in 2021, potentially exacerbating the impact of the anticipated below-average 2021 Gu rains. The Nutrition Cluster estimates caseloads of about 300 SAM and 2120 MAM annually in the Ceelwaq district with an estimated population of about 30,689 population PESS. HDC is an active nutrition/health partner and currently implementing EAC simplified protocol in partnership with UNICEF as well HIV-Global fund emergency health in Ceelwaq general hospital, Dhamasa and Hosqurun MCHs in Ceelwaq district. In Decembe 2020, UNICEF emergency projects, Covid 19, emergency primary health and implementation of the expanded admission criteria of acute malnutrition to the outpatient therapeutic program EAC that supported health and nutrition intervention in Ceelwaq district implemented by HDC came to a end. This left a gap in health and nutrition in three-way district. The Proposed project will therefore bridge the major essential nutrition service gap that currently exists in Ceelwaq following the ended UNICEF and HDC PD out of the integrated health and nutrition Project. The project will address the identified gaps in nutrition, enhancing access to nutrition services within their localities aimed at improving the physical and mental well-being of boys, girls, men and women in the targeted locations. These specific needs have been outlined in the HRP and FSNAU and UNOCHA mulita cluster need rapid assessment gaps identified in the targeted locations. The proposed project is geared towards reducing the vulnerability of the beneficiaries and communities. HDC will work with MOH-Federal, JSS-MOH to address the nutrition gaps identified. The services will be both preventive and curative targeting vulnerable men, women, boys, girls, and persons living with physical disabilities in the targeted district. 2 Mobile and outreach implementation models will be adopted to address the needs of vulnerable beneficiaries in remote and geographically isolated and hard to reach populations in Ceelwaq district. Screening for malnutrition will be carried out and children with MAM will be treated in OTP sites. Children with MAM will be referred to HDC Managed district hospital supported by UNICEF before but still functional supporting by HDC. Children diagnosed with severe acute malnutrition (SAM) with medical complication will be referred to the SCs that HDC propose to support in Ceelwaq district hospital and Damase referral health center in Ceelwaq district. However, we are facing a shortage of funding to sustain the existing nutrition services. Through this project, HDC is planning to maintain and support the existing nutrition services (2 fixed OTP, 1 stabilization center in the Ceelwaq general hospital with integration of health projects and one mobile teams into reaching 6 villages comprising IDPs and Hard to reach rural population mostly affected by crises in Elwak district. This nutrition intervention will build on HDC's ongoing emergency nutrition and health interventions in high risks areas in Ceelwaq district and will support the continuation of essential life-saving treatment in the context of COVID and other ongoing outbreaks in line with IMAM guideline.