Provision of Lifesaving WASH services to mitigate WASH related GBV among the most vulnerable conflict  affected Communities in Yirol West County, Eastern Lakes State In this project, RUWASSA aims at providing equitable, clean and safe water supply, dignified and safe sanitation and hygiene promotion to the most vulnerable conflict affected population in Yirol West County, mainstreaming protection. The project target group includes vulnerable host amp IDP communities, mobile pastoralists ampcattle camps with keen focus on the women and children for improved social and hygienic behavioral changes. The targeted beneficiaries under this project are 25, 000 IDPs and host community living in Yirol West particularly in the areas of Abang Anuol and Geng_geng payams. Atleast over 70% of targeted beneficiaries are women and children. The IDPs in Yirol West are mostly as a result of population movement and displacement caused by inter-communal violence. The target beneficiaries are identified based upon people in need as indicated in the Humanitarian needs overview and HRP WASH cluster plan for 2019. RUWASSA’s beneficiaries are targeted based on level of vulnerability, presence of humanitarian actors, and RUWASSA’s presence and strategic advantage to deliver effective and efficient results.

The vulnerable conflict affected communities in Yirol West County underserved by insufficient access to safe clean drinking water and gross exposure to effects of open defecation due to limited access to proper sanitation facilities in the Prone and vulnerable communities in Abang (21,594 people), Anuol (12,143people) and Geng_geng (15,747people) payams. Yirol West borders Yirol East to the North-East and Rumbek East to the North-West which have both been origins to the IDPs in Yirol West due to the recent inter communal attacks in the Lakes region. The already growing IDP populations in Yirol West County has exacted pressure on the limited available safe water sources causing many boreholes to eventually break down and forcing communities to collect untreated drinking water from nearby open contaminated streams. Poor WASH standards such as open defecation, people bathing and animals drinking from the same streams risks water contamination and spread of waterborne related diseases. The dire WASH situations coupled with poor hygiene behavioral habits and cultural perceptions need to be changed gradually to adopt improved hygienic behaviors.

The project shall be achieved through provision of lifesaving safe water supply (new borehole drilling and repairs), hygiene promotion awareness and sensitization at household and institutional levels, breaking the cholera transmission routes between victims and caretakers/community members by 'contact tracing', disinfection, sensitization, and using WASH NFIs including soap, buckets, Pur amp Aquatabs to support qualitative improvement of Hygiene and also ensure Institutional latrine construction segregated by gender and household awareness on proper Sanitation practices. The new hand pump boreholes shall be drilled in underserved communities with proper safe water source and shared with neighboring communities to support hygiene activities and supplement Nutrition through clean safe water supply. The nearby Institutions (Schools amp health centres) shall also be used as platforms to reach out to the population (Indirect beneficiaries) through hygiene awareness, sensitization and lifesaving WASH NFIs distribution, WASH-GBV related services in close consultation with the affected women.