Provision of Life-Saving WASH Assistance in Overburdened Areas With High Severity of Need. The proposed action will provide life-saving and life-sustaining Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) assistance in Idleb City and Daret Ezza town. Both areas are now home to an increased number of newly displaced people and ranked high in terms of WASH severity of need by the 2020 Humanitarian Needs Overview (HNO). Big Heart is currently implementing a successful SCHF funded WASH program in these communities and the proposed action seeks to prevent a critical gap in WASH assistance after March 2020 when the current project closes. As such, the project responds directly to Allocation Strategic Objective 2 (ASO2) of the SCHF 2020 First Reserve Allocation through leveraging Big Hearts existing presence to safeguard provision of critical WASH services to people in out of camp locations which are overwhelmed with new arrivals. Planned activities have been developed in close coordination with the WASH cluster and other members.

Proposed activities will benefit a total of 263,671 conflict-affected people, of which 106,781 IDP. This will include maintaining increased access to safe and adequate water for 43,875 conflict-affected people, maintaining adequate and improved improving Solid Waste Management (SWM) services for 263,671 people, promoting positive hygiene practices and implementing highly targeted upgrades to rainwater drainage systems in both communities. No selection criteria will be applied to planned Solid Waste Management (SWM) activities which are planned at community level meaning all residents in targeted areas will benefit from improved SWM to mitigate against tension / conflict between these groups. Likewise, water provision activities in Idleb City will target all residents in targeted neighbourhoods, including host and IDP populations. Water trucking in Daret Ezza will target newly arrived IDPs located in unfinished buildings not connected to the water network. 

Access to adequate, safe water currently delivered under the SCHF funded action will be maintained and scaled up to meet increased need across both host and IDP populations as a direct result of incoming displacement. This will be achieved through technical and operational support to five, existing emergency boreholes (four in Idleb City and one in Daret Ezza) currently supported by Big Heart. Increased needs for adequate SWM services, improved rainwater drainage and hygiene promotion will also be addressed. Mitigation measures for winter flooding have also been considered in program design, specifically planned works to improve rainwater drainage. Given the action targets communities hosting increased IDP population as as opposed to camps, drainage works to mitigate flood risk are not a priority in the communities prioritized for the proposed action. 

The implementation plan includes provision of technical and operational support to five boreholes, water trucking to particularly vulnerable groups not connected to water networks and delivery of SWM services for the six-month duration (April – September 2020). This will include provision of fuel and support for Water Unit and SWM worker stipends in addition to necessary repairs and maintenance to boreholes and compactor trucks. Additional garbage containers will be provided in areas with identified gaps, specifically newer neighborhoods hosting new arrivals. A phased program of works to rehabilitate and improve rainwater drainage and deliver Hygiene promotion activities in both communities will be implemented over the course of the six-month action. 

Should targeted areas experience further influxes of newly displaced people during the implementation period, Big Heart will coordinate with GOAL to adjust pumping schedules in Idleb City to increase water provision. For Daret Ezza, borehole pumping hours will be extended in coordination with the LC who have agreed to cover associated costs, specifically fuel for generator.