COVID-19: WASH Emergency Response and support for Home quarantined households in the Gaza Strip Oxfam in partnership with the Youth Empowerment Center (YEC) and in close coordination with  the Palestinian Water Authority (PWA), the Ministry of Social Development (MoSD), health clus  ter, UNRWA and WASH cluster members (MA’AN, ACF, GVC, SC and UNICEF), is proposing an action that is fully aligned with OCHA’s objective 2 (fast track) of the 2020 2nd Standard Allocation Strategy in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (oPt). The objective of the proposed emergency response action is to Improve households’ capacities to apply the WASH related COVID-19 Infection, Prevention, and Control in in red zones in Gaza and Northern Gaza governorates.
The action will ensure that targeted at home quarantined families including girls, boys, women, men, elderly and people with disabilities (PwDs) have enough means to respond to their WASH needs at the household (HH) level. HHs will be supplied with hygiene kits (HK) considering the specific needs of women and PwDs, including drinking water Jerry cans and protective items. The action will also contribute to increasing targeted BNFs’ awareness and capacity to protect themselves and others from the spread of the virus.    This will be conducted through hygiene promotion sessions (remotely),    and dissemination of education and communication (IEC) materials considering the Risk Communication and Community Engagement (RCCE) guidelines and recommendations.   
Oxfam and YEC in close coordination with the relevant stakeholders will target 800 Home quarantined HHs (4,640 individuals. Men 1,061, Women 1,040, girls 1,282, boys 1,257)   who will be selected in accordance with MOSD's home quarantined beneficiary database, which is updated on a daily basis. The final BNFs will be selected in close coordination with MoSD, WASH cluster members, UNRWA and local community committees in the targeted red zones. Vulnerable families will be prioritized based on the MoSD’s vulnerability parameter  s including age, disability, families with high numbers of dependents, women-headed households and families suffering from harsh living conditions including protection related problems.
In close coordination with the water quality working group and the hygiene promotion working group (under the umbrella of WASH cluster), Oxfam will develop a WASH COVID-19 protocol, focusing on hygiene kits utilization, distribution, and domestic waste management to home quarantined people. The protocol’s main massages will be reflected in awareness sessions including the IEC materials to be distributed. Moreover, the protocol will be shared with the WASH cluster members to scale up the impact in different areas of the Gaza Strip. The project’s design considers gender and protection principles, emphasizing the participation of women in the project’s community committees including the specific needs of women and    PWDs.
 The proposed action, will contribute to improving the quality of WASH services delivered to vulnerable HH and at home quarantined families. the action will also contribute to enhancing drinking water storage capacities, promote and raise public awareness on good hygiene practices to protect communities and the surrounding environment. the action will also contribute to alleviating the burden on women and children and will enhance gender and age responsiveness through improving women’s knowledge and awareness. This will contribute to managing care duties and household chores more effectively including enhancing women’s engagement in decision making processes at the HH and community levels. 
Oxfam and YEC plan to start the distribution of HKs during the 1st two weeks of project considering the ongoing pre-signed agreements with suppliers.