WASH response for equitable access to safe water and reduced GBV-risk for vulnerable IDPs, returnees, and host communities Since 2013 South Sudan entered into a cycle of conflict which impacted negatively on the population within the country in both IDP camps
and host communities, including damages to the already scarce water and sanitation facilities. Field assessments show that vast localities
are still suffering from lack of safe and clean drinking water. Unity state, Upper Nile and Western Bahr el Ghazal have been characterized by
conflicts, both military confrontations of government forces as well as inter-communal clashes which have seen many people displaced from
the places they call home. Many have moved and settled in other communities while others have moved to designated camps known as
Internally Displaced People’s camps. This movement has caused a lot of pressure on the existing functional water facilities in the host
communities as well as deterioration of the sanitation in the same localities as a result of the population increasing with lack of water and
sanitation facilities. CORDAID is currently carrying out a needs assessment in the locations where it is actually implementing projects, result
of which will be fed into the implementation of the proposed activities in 2019. Over 1.5 million people are confined to Internally Displaced
Persons’ (IDP) camps. The risk of diarrhea and water related disease outbreaks is high due to overcrowding in the IDP camps, despite
progress made in improving the living conditions of displaced populations by some agencies. Pre-crisis surveys conducted estimated the
use of improved water sources at 69%, although the access to safe drinking water was only 9%, according to UNOCHA. Similarly, the use of
improved sanitation facilities such as latrines was low and estimated at 7%. A peace agreement was signed in 2018 and with the
improvement of security in most places, some community members are returning to their home areas. In their home areas their needs are
immense in terms of WASH as a result of destruction of their infrastructure. In some of the areas where community members were
displaced from, most of the pump parts were stolen hence boreholes are not functional. During the fighting, also the sanitation facilities were
destroyed; hence the need for interventions in the communities where the populations were displaced from, the IDP camp sites as well as
the host communities where the IDPs are settled through rehabilitation of broken down hand pumps, (re-)construction of latrines, distribution
of WASH NFIs and the implementation of hygiene promotion to help the returnees to improve their hygiene.

Though the peace process has given hope to many, some locations like Koch still suffer from prolonged conflicts. Throughout 2018, there
were multiple conflicts - either between the SPLA and its opposition, or between tribes/clans owing to cattle raiding and subsequent
revenge. In the second half of 2018, Cordaid staff in Koch were twice required to be relocated back to Bentiu due to security threats. For
Canal/Pigi, it situated at the border of Jonglei and Upper Nile, with complex tribal issues and is also within the fault-line between SPLA and
IO. The IDPs displaced at Diel Payam, also known as Atar 3, where HHs have resettled after being displaced in early 2017 still have unmet
WASH needs (REACH initiative update). Such prolonged conflicts and displacement restricted the restoring of WASH services, making
them in great shortage of access to safe water and sanitation. - Mitigate WASH-related gender-based violence
- Provide timely, equitable access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene for IDPs, host communities and returnees In accordance with the results of the needs assessment, the WASH intervention will target a wider scope of beneficiaries, both direct and
indirect. The beneficiaries will include individuals, and communities that are key in demand and supply delivery of this project . The project
will be inclusive in beneficiaries targeting, paying attention to differences and inequalities in society related to gender, race, age, sexual
orientation, physical or intellectual ability, religion or socio-economic status. The project will collect and analyze data so that it can be disaggregated as much as possible by gender, age and any other social distinctions that inform programme decision-making and
implementation.
Cordaid will prioritize our targets communities as follows:
- communities with increased number of new IDPs arrivals - as water and sanitation services usually not sufficient for new arrivals according
to SPHERE standards
- communities without functional boreholes or safe water sources, where women and girls have to walk for long distance for fetching water,
with heightening GBV risks
- communities with both higher incidence of malnutrition rates and water-borne diseases
Cordaid believes the above communities would have higher priorities and our water and sanitation response will reduce their risks of GBV,
and water-borne diseases, which will then contribute to reduced risks of malnutrition of children under 5 and Pregnant and Lactating
mothers.