“Strengthening of WASH access, preparedness and response capacity for the most vulnerable families in North Gaza Governorate” This intervention is an immediate response to ensure that girls, boys, women, men, elderly with and without disabilities have access to adequate WASH service. Furthermore, the intervention aims to enhance the emergency preparedness and response capacity of vulnerable communities in the Gaza Strip (GS). Specifically, the action aiming at strengthening the resilience capacities of the most vulnerable and under-served population through improving the access to essential WASH services at household (HH) level through rehabilitation and/or upgrading of bathrooms and kitchens, provision of water tanks, and provision of hygiene materials/kits and raising hygiene awareness. The action will intervene at community level trough lifesaving emergency WASH preparedness and response intervention to the most vulnerable communities through improvement their drainage water system through conduction, inspection and maintenance of stormwater/wastewater facilities. The project addresses the significant gap identified in humanitarian needs overview (2019), especially targeting women heads of HHs and war widows, chronically ill, pregnant women and vulnerable families with children and persons with disabilities (PwDs). The enhancement of hygienic-sanitations conditions trough the access to WASH facilities will led to an improvement of the family health status and it will contribute to reduce and mitigate the effects, vulnerabilities and risks associated with living in an Access Restricted Area (ARA), especially for women, children, elderly and PwDs. The WASH preparedness intervention will protect vulnerable families from the impact of flooding, due to the upcoming winter, and reduce hazards for public health and properties. This will also enhance service providers ‘preparedness and support communities ‘resilience building in front of protracted crisis and chronic vulnerability especially in terms of WASH and Health.
The hard component activities set will be planned with a pre assessment selecting the beneficiaries and provided at two levels (households and communities), and will be complemented by hygiene awareness sessions, to ensure not just sustainability of the project, but also the logic of the intervention.
Specifically, the action encompasses at HH level rehabilitation and/or upgrading HH’s WASH facilities (kitchens and bathrooms) plus provision of safe domestic water storage units and safe hygiene material and at community level cleaning, inspection and maintenance of stormwater and wastewater facilities. 49,963 people (8,327 HHs) living in Beit Lahia (44,974) and Um al Nasser (4,989) localities in the North Gaza Governorate will benefit from the action. WW-GVC and Rural Women Development Society (RWDS) will implement the proposed action jointly. These two organizations have a longstanding experience in collaborating, as shown by the recent joint implementation of WASH emergency projects that funded by oPt humanitarian fund (Strengthening of resilience capacities through comprehensive emergency WASH interventions in the most vulnerable areas of the Gaza Strip, 2018 Provision of alternative energy sources (solar) to support desalinization plants to guarantee access to sustainable, adequate and safe drinking water for vulnerable population in Gaza Strip, 2018). Coordination with WASH Cluster and its members, as well as communication with PWA and CMWU, have been carried out during the design of this proposal and will continue during its implementation. The action responds to the issues and needs raised by PWA, CMWU and WASH Cluster, specifically the criticality of the WASH services currently prevailing in the GS and their inability to meet the needs and quality standards, because of insufficient power supply, lack of basic technical qualifications and skills, and the government’s limited resources. Both the intervention at community and HH levels will trigger positive impacts on the health and safeness of the environment and its inhabitants.