Health and WASH in southern region AHDS, active in Uruzgan Province since 1995, wants to play its role in materialization of the AHF-2021Strategic Objective-1 thorough the “Healthcare and WASH in southern region” project covering hard to reach and under-served areas.

Key activities:

A. HEALTH
Activity 1: Access to primary health care in Uruzgan:
 Provide primary healthcare (PHC) services in white areas via mobile health teams (MHT).
 Provide reproductive, maternal, new born and child health service. 
 Provide vaccination services. 
 Provide minimal nutrition services for under five children and pregnant and lactating women (PLW)
 Provide trainings on MHPSS, GBV, PSEA, AAP, COVID-19_RCCE and reporting for the staff. 
 Provide first aid trauma care.
 Support GBV survivors. 
 Facilitate trauma related disability and mental health support service. 
 Provide community based psychosocial support to girls and boys and their families affected by emergencies.
 Provide awareness on prevention of COVID-19 to the target communities.
 Promote vaccination for Polio and COVID-19.

Activity 3: COVID-19 response:
 Provide PPE kits for all the frontline staff.
 Conduct COVID-19 risk communication campaigns to targeted vulnerable people.

B. WASH (both provinces)
Activity 4: Provide WASH minimum package to SAM or AWD/cholera affected households.
Activity 5: Upgrade of WASH services in AWD/cholera in at risk public spaces (markets) and institutions (health facilities, schools).
Activity 6: Distribution of hygiene kits with hygiene promotion focusing on proper and water efficient handwashing systems with soap for vulnerable families (IDPs and disabled).
Activity 7: Open Defecation Free promotion with Community Total Sanitation technics in the target areas:
 Facilitate the communities to analyze their sanitation profile, their practices of defecation and the consequences, leading to collective action. 
 Promote improvement of latrine design, hygienic practices, solid waste management, waste disposal, and protection of drinking water sources.

During the needs assessment, AHDS had consultations with stakeholders the health and WASH clusters, the communities, local authorities, NGOs and UN agencies. The locations and main activities were chosen in coordination with the stakeholders.

Location:
 Uruzgan: Chora, Chenartoo, Dehrawud, Khas-Uruzgan and Shahid Hassas districts.

Estimated direct beneficiaries are 35,183 (35,100 people in the communities and 83 project staff with 100% involvement in the services).

The primary health care teams (PHC) will have properly trained staff, required equipment, supplies and transportation. Each health team will have a doctor, a female midwife, a nutrition nurse, a psychosocial counselor, a vaccinator and a community mobilizer. 

The WASH teams will have required equipment, supplies, transportation, trainer/supervisors and trained WASH promotors one for each 200 households working in couples of male and female. 

Community Shuras (CDC) will establish sub-committees for health and WASH to facilitate the project. The community Shuras play key role in facilitating access, security measures, raising the needs, monitoring and complaint redress. 

The activities and performance will be monitored by technical staff of AHDS as well as members of the community Shuras. 

AHDS continues to participate in all meetings and other events initiated by Health, Nutrition, WASH and Protection clusters in Kabul and Uruzgan. 

The project is designed to contributes to gender equality. Data and information will be segregated gender and age wise to ensure a good analysis of outputs and outcomes based on gender aspects.

The total required budget is approximately USD 647,201.91

Exit strategy is lobby and advocacy with the communities and potential supporters.