Provision of humanitarian nutrition, health and WASH services to drought-affected population in targeted Union Councils in District Umerkot in Sindh and Chagai in Balochistan. UNICEF in collaboration with the government departments, UN Agencies and NGO partners will ensure the provision of life saving nutrition, health and WASH integrated services to drought affected people, mostly women and children to prevent and mitigate the negative impact of drought on their lives. 

Nutrition: The preliminary results of recent National Nutrition Survey, 2018 reported Global Acute Malnutrition (GAM) rate of 29.1 percent in district Umerkot, Sindh, which shows the criticality of nutrition situation among children and women.  The proposed intervention is jointly planned with DoH and aimed to fill the critical gaps in the implementation of and continuation of Govt. supported nutrition services through PC1. The overall objective of the nutrition intervention is to ensure the provision of lifesaving nutrition services to acutely malnourished children (boys and girls) and pregnant and lactating women in the drought effected areas. This PHPF funding will support the implementation of life saving nutrition services in 8 static health facilities/nutrition sites and 3 mobile units (Umerkot:06, Chaghai:05), that will enable the provision of nutrition services to women and children in affected geographic locations.

Health: The project aims to ensure access of children under 5 years of age, pregnant, lactating and child bearing age women to Basic Emergency Obstetric and Neonatal Care (BEmONC) services with referral for Comprehensive EmONC and emergency immunization services. UNICEF health programme will coordinate with the nutrition and WASH for providing services through the same health facilities and in the same communities for ensuring the provision of essential services through an integrated, gender-responsive approach. Distance related access issues will be addressed through conducting outreach services for emergency immunization and community awareness sessions through lady health workers/social mobilizers at the community level.

WASH: WASH related interventions aim to increase access to WASH services, with a focus on safe drinking water for approx. 20,000 droughts affected people. The multi-sector assessment and secondary data indicate over 800 water supply schemes in drought affected districts are non-functional. In Sindh this includes a considerable number of non-functional reverse osmosis plants. (faulty machinery, bore collapse, damaged pipeline etc.). Repair/Rehabilitation of non-functional water supply schemes, handpumps, water filtration plants including rehabilitation of public operated water systems, reverse osmosis plants, community schemes, tube wells, etc. Water quality testing of all the rehabilitated water supply systems and handpumps along with water points used for water tankering and residual chlorine in water tanks to be undertaken. Also access to WASH services at nutrition/health service centres to be ensured. 

WASH facilities will be installed at health centres. The facilities at health / nutrition service centers will include: 1) provision of segregated toilets for male and female patients, 2) provision of drinking water and 3) provision of handwashing stations and soap in health facilities. The unit cost has been based upon current programming in similar contexts but will vary slightly per facility. The prioritization of health centres requiring facilities will be based upon nutrition and health interventions supported from the overall PHPF allocation to UNICEF for this emergency.

Hygiene Promotion for vulnerable population (approximately 10,000 people) will be undertaken, including the messages on importance of hand washing at critical times and the use of various household water treatment options. This activity will be supported through NGO implementing partners. Cost of this activity have been estimated based on costs for the same activity in other parts of the country.