Integrated Responses to Drought-affected Communities in Siraro Woreda of the Oromia Region ltpgtPAD, ASDEPO, and Nexus are submitting a life-saving response to unaddressed needs in Siraro Woreda. This project is designed following a need assessment in the area where the humanitarian situation is deteriorating due to multiple crises such as high levels of malnutrition, conflict, and climate-induced shocks. The project is designed to provide a nutrition-sensitive humanitarian response in four additional kebeles to the existing initiative in consultation with the relevant government offices in the intervention woreda. To improve the nutritional status of the crisis-affected communities, the intersectoral Nutrition, Health, WASH, and Agriculture packages are designed and will be implemented in the Woreda. Accordingly, the proposal is aligned with key priorities in the reserve allocation strategy (2024), cluster guidelines, and strategic objectives of the HRP 2024. PAD, ASDEPO, and Nexus will leverage their extensive experiences and expertise in emergency nutrition, Health, WASH, and Agriculture for the successful implementation of the project. They have established an operational presence in the woreda and have been implementing similar program and this one will enable IPs to add four more kebeles to respond to the prevailing crisis. A rapid need assessment jointly conducted by PAD, ASDEPO, and Nexus revealed a high level of malnutrition, a significant number of non-functional water points and institutional WASH facilities, deteriorating health services, and a decline in agriculture production in the woreda. As a response, several activities focusing on improving nutrition, WASH, agriculture, and health in the target community are proposed in this project.ltbrgtThe project aims to tackle multidimensional crises including drought, and epidemics that have heightened risks for affected communities, leading to negative coping mechanisms such as child marriage and child labor. To address the pressing nutrition needs of the community, the project will assist 7,963 Pregnant and Lactating Women (PLW) and 19,800 children under the age of five. Essential routine drugs will be procured to fill gaps in the UNICEF pipeline for Therapeutic Feeding Program (TFP) sites. PAD and its implementing partners will also assist more than 20,000 individuals through integrated agricultural, WASH, and health interventions. ltbrgtThe project's approach integrates immediate life-saving interventions with sustainable solutions aimed at enhancing the recovery and resilience of the target populations. Gender equality, protection, disability inclusion, and accountability to affected individuals are central themes woven throughout project activities. Robust monitoring and evaluation processes will be conducted by PAD and the co-implementing partners to guide programmatic decisions based on field evidence. Regular joint monitoring sessions with key government stakeholders will also be conducted.ltbrgtPAD and the implementing partners will actively engage in the cluster system at both national and sub-national levels to enhance coordination and reporting of project activities. Leveraging their existing humanitarian and life-saving programs, PAD, ASDEPO, and Nexus will swiftly initiate project implementation, leveraging their established partnerships, operational presence, and contextual familiarity. Through this allocation, the project aims to directly impact 47,012 (Females=25,243) individuals in need with a particular focus on reaching women, girls, persons with disabilities, and the elderly among the total beneficiaries. Of the total beneficiaries, 7,787 (Females=4,750) are persons with disabilities. The project will last for a 10-month duration with a total budget of USD 1,000,000.00.  ltbrgtlt/pgt