Emergency WASH response for drought affected people in Koch County, Unity State, South Sudan This programme is aimed at improving access to safe water for multiple purposes (domestic use, animal watering, and vegetable gardening), nutrition centres, health and education centres, and safe sanitation and hygiene to 30000 drought affected IDP and host community individuals (6000 households) in Koch County, Unity State. The program intervenes in communities with low water supply and sanitation coverage with high malnutrition rates (GAM rates of more than 27%) and in locations of high food insecurity. 

The program will support the rehabilitation of existing water supply (and drilling of new ones where possible, as PAH has its own drilling rig) and sanitation infrastructure, promotion of safe hygiene practices and capacity building of community-based institutions (community hygiene promoters, water user committees and pump mechanics). 

Water supply activities will increase access of the beneficiary communities to safe water according to at least the Sphere standard for water supply. Queuing time and distances traveled to water points by the target community will also be reduced freeing more time for the beneficiaries to engage in other economic activities to enhance their livelihoods and improve their food and nutrition security. Capacity-building activities for water user committees, local pump mechanics and community hygiene promoters will empower the impact communities to efficiently, effectively and sustainably operate, manage and maintain their water sources.

Sanitation activities will include construction of public latrines at health, school and nutrition centres, and promoting appropriate waste disposal in the communities through appropriate solid waste disposal for public places and around homes. Latrine-digging tools will also be handed over to the local community or designated local leadership so households can construct their own latrines. Sanitation activities will reduce the risk of contracting diseases by the target community through proper excreta and solid waste disposal. 

Hygiene activities will include social and behavior change communication in target to reinforce positive hygiene behaviors among the target communities and within the household. Activities will center on the safe water chain (jerrycan cleaning, water storage and household water treatment (HHWT)), hand washing and personal and menstrual hygiene. Appropriate hand washing facilities, such as the tippy-taps, constructed using local materials especially targeting institutions for easier operation, management and maintenance for the infrastructure.

At the start of the program, detailed community consultations will be conducted in order to identify the specific WASH needs of the target community according to their gender, age and vulnerabilities. Supporting nutrition centres will ensure that hygiene promotion is offered to mothers to reduce diarrheal diseases and hence enhance the uptake of nutritional supplies by under 5 children and pregnant and lactating women. Latrine construction and water supply to health, nutrition and education institutions will reduce disease transmission at these centres, and hence make health, nutrition and education centres safe for users. PAH will also conduct hygiene and sanitation promotion messages during WFP food distribution activities.