Emergency WASH Response for Flood-affected Populations in Mayendit and Leer Counties Samaritan’s Purse (SP) proposes to respond to the emergency needs for basic water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services in communities affected by recent flooding in Mayendit and Leer Counties. The project would be implemented in two phases with the goal of providing both emergency and flood-resilient WASH services to a total of 18,000 people. Activities will be implemented immediately with the first phase covering November 2021 to January 2022 and the second phase expected to be conducted from December to April 2022 with the goal of covering all WASH service needs for the most flood-affected communities as early as possible. 

Phase 1: While immediately mobilizing supplies from the core pipeline, a rapid targeting analysis will be conducted with other area partners to ensure the response meets the needs of the most vulnerable populations without overlapping current interventions. Samaritan’s Purse will then immediately deploy the first phase of response to reduce suffering by providing immediate access to potable water and critical hygiene supplies to the recently displaced populations through distribution of hygiene kits containing water purification tablets, soap, and buckets, as well as dignity kits for women and girls. People with special needs (PSNs), including people with disabilities (PWDs), elderly individuals, and female-headed households (HHs), will be given first priority for distribution. To complement this activity, culturally appropriate hygiene messages will be shared throughout the community using a hybrid approach of local staff and community promoters to support the mitigation of high rates of malaria and diarrhea reported in flood-affected communities. 

Phase 2: With a desire to respond to the increased vulnerabilities of displaced populations while understanding the pressure put on limited WASH resources in host communities, SP plans to target the second phase of interventions at both displaced and host populations groups in the two counties. The timing of this phase will be largely dependent on water levels in flood-affected areas however, activities will be implemented alongside the first phase response if possible, or as soon as advisable to provide immediate sanitation supports. In this phase, SP will construct 46 stances of emergency latrines. A critical analysis will be conducted in November to target the most vulnerable and densest population groupings, avoiding overlap with partner organizations, while ensuring areas have adequate dry land in the strategic locations to construct the latrines. Protection criteria will be considered during location targeting and will be verified mid-year to ensure equal and safe access for the entire local population group. 

Similar criteria will be used to establish strategic locations for 20 borehole rehabilitations throughout the two counties, which will provide longer-term support for safe water access in the most flood-affected areas. The teams will begin rehabilitations in December if water has receded in strategic areas. Prior to implementation, in the first phase of programming, teams will begin site selection and mobilize resources to begin rehabilitations of water sources that have been submerged by flood waters as soon as possible. After completion, water quality testing will commence and water management committees (WMCs) and hand pump mechanics will be trained to support local ownership and to ensure that healthy, safe, flood-resilient water will benefit the communities after the response. 

Throughout the response, SP will maintain community feedback systems and will continue to coordinate closely with area partners and local authorities, including continuing to lead WASH coordination with partners in Mayendit County and closely liaising with the partner leading WASH coordination in Leer County.