Provide life-saving and sustainable integrated Health, Nutrition and WASH interventions for flood affected populations in Beletweyne Localized rainfall coupled with heavy rains in the Ethiopian highlands have led to increasing water levels in the Shabelle and Juba rivers in southern Somalia, causing widespread flooding in low-lying riverine communities and displacing more than 230,000 people out of their homes, with 111 settlements underwater according to FAO-managed Somalia Water and Land Information Management system, as indicated in the OCHA Somalia Flash Update No. 3, 1 November 2019.

Beledweyne town, near the Somalia’s boarder with Ethiopia, is worst affected due to its topography and proximity to River Shebelle. It’s not the first time the town has experienced flooding.

Save the Children is proposing an 8-month integrated Health, Nutrition and WASH project targeting flood affected populations in Beletweyne, reaching a total of 71,876 individuals (men: 15,032, women: 31,553, boys: 12,139 and girls: 13,152). Displaced (9,019 men, 18,932 women, 7,283 boys, 7,891 girls non displaced, (6,013 men, 12,621 women, 4,856 boys, 5,261 girls).
 
The proposed project is in line with cluster strategic objectives by providing integrated lifesaving health, nutrition and WASH services. The nutrition cluster priority districts in Hiran region including Beletweyne due to critical levels of GAM rate at 19.6 and SAM of 4.1. The project is designed in such a way that while providing emergency lifesaving interventions it will also provide longer term sustainable solutions for affected populations. To ensure the emergency interventions are linked to durable solutions, the project includes construction, rehabilitation and upgrading of water supply systems and promotion of hygiene and sanitation services.

The project will contribute to improving equitable access to quality life-saving curative and preventative health, nutrition and WASH services through the support of static health facilities and mobile outreach to the flood affected populations in Hiran, particularly Beletweyne District. There will be 8 sites that will provide integrated health and nutrition services for flood affected communities, offering outpatient consultations, routine immunization, maternal healthcare, disease surveillance and health promotion as well as systematic identiﬁcation, referral and treatment of acutely malnourished cases by providing integrated nutrition services to OTPs, TSFP, IYCF-E and referral to stabilization centers. Micronutrient supplementation, promotion of IYCF practices, promoting the adoption of good hygiene and sanitation practices will also be provided. Special focus will be given to prevention of disease outbreak and malnutrition, improve early identification malnutrition by empowering mothers to use MUAC screening, access to primary health care, and therefore reduce excess morbidity and mortality. 

The WASH component in health and nutrition will also improve good hygiene practices, rehabilitation of WASH infrastructure, more equitable and better access to sustainable water points for drinking and handwashing with soap, and provision of basic sanitation services in these facilities. Hygiene and sanitation support and promotion will be provided in an integrated approach in the health and nutrition sites. There will also be outreach nutrition, hygiene and health promotion within the community and in schools. This will empower children to be agents of change for hygiene promotion.