Providing Integrated Health and WASH services to marginalized and vulnerable IDP and Host communities in Burdhubo Trocaire has been the main provider of Health services in Gedo since 1992, operating all main hospitals in northern Gedo in partnership with District Health Boards and, more recently, the Ministry of Health. This proposed intervention will provide integrated lifesaving Health and WASH services to 3,987 men, 3,767 women, 3,588 boys, and 3,404 girls from Burdhubo location in Garbaharey district. These will include approximately 7,373 IDPs, 7,373 host community members, and 730 individuals with different forms of disability. Trocaire will work closely with the government District Medical Officers, the Burdhubo District Health Board, the District Commissioner's office, other implementing partners and with coordination through the Health and WASH clusters. Coordination will be prioritized as it remains a key assumption of the project for effective and efficient delivery of integrated lifesaving assistance to vulnerable and marginalized populations in Burdhubo. Health interventions aim to provide primary and essential lifesaving services in an inclusive manner. With a few private health facilities in Burdhubo, the population remains under-served, with children, pregnant and lactating mothers facing unimaginable challenges as they walk long distances of up to 40 kilometres to access health services. Trocaire will therefore work with the above stakeholders to re-establish affordable, accessible, and inclusive health services to both vulnerable IDP and host communities. This will require minor rehabilitation of 1 static health facility- Burdhubo Health Centre, and equipment and management of 1 mobile outreach team that will access beneficiaries in 5 outreach sites. Waiting shades will be constructed in these five sites to ensure dignified assistance is provided in a safe, accessible environment. Health workers will be trained to handle different components of health activities including Clinical Management of Rape, immunizations, emergency trauma care, communicable disease treatment, TB screening and treatment etc. Specialized services, which require referral to nearby hospitals, will be facilitated. The Trocaire-managed health facility in Garbaharey town will be the main referral point, as it is equipped as a referral hospital.
WASH services will complement health services through relations with the health outreach teams, working closely to reduce morbidity and mortality rates, as well as reducing cases of malnutrition. Preventive approaches will be utilized through 11 hygiene promotion sessions with community-based staff/ volunteers. Hand-washing practices will be promoted through distribution of 1,000 hygiene kits through restricted cash vouchers in collaboration with the WASH cluster hub, as well as other partners on the ground, if any. According to assessment data collected in early March 2020, about 90 percent of the population in Burdhubo use untreated and unsafe water from the river, which is also too far a distance for most of the HHs. Within this project, Trocaire will seek to construct one hybrid shallow well with water treatment encouraged at the household level to encourage uptake of safe and clean water. One representative Water-User Management Committees (WMCs) will be set up to manage the shallow wells created. 70 emergency latrines will be constructed and hand-washing facilities with soap installed. Hygiene promotion sessions will be held. Trocaire is discussing with other partners to ensure that once this project is operational there will be opportunities to continue implementing necessary services, and working closely with the local, regional and national stakeholders to ensure that they are well equipped to continue provision of these services, when time is right for Trocaire to exit.