Provision of access to WASH services for vulnerable and underserved communities in Helmand and Herat provinces This project will enhance access of vulnerable populations to effective water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services to mitigate the impact and risk of Acute Watery Diarrhea (AWD) and malnutrition. The IRC will integrate WASH activities through this project with its ongoing health and nutrition response program in Helmand and Herat provinces. The IRC will use data from its mobile health and nutrition teams (MHNTs) and static health facilities in the project target locations to identify and serve communities with higher diarrhea and malnutrition cases. IRC is running 6 MHNTs in Guzara, Pashtoon Zarghoon and Adraskan of Herat province and 8 MHNTs in Marja of Nad-e-Ali, Musa Qala and Sangin districts of Helmand province, through which IRC intends to integrate the activities of this project. The project community hygiene promotion volunteers (CHPVs) will also identify households with children suffering from diarrhea and those who use unsafe drinking water sources and unsafe water storage and transportation practices during house-to-house hygiene promotion sessions to be assisted through this project. 

The IRC will conduct additional assessments in the communities that are reported with high numbers of diarrhea and malnutrition cases by MHNTs for WASH needs, including bacteriological tests of drinking water, sanitary inspection of water sources, quantity of water available for drinking, cooking and cloth washing and defecation practices in the communities. To respond to AWD and malnutrition, the project will provide disinfection/chlorination of water sources, hygiene promotion awareness sessions focused on diarrhea control and adoption of positive hygiene practices, provision of latrine facilities and rehabilitation and construction of water points. The IRC will conduct community mobilization and will engage men, women, boys, girls, elderly, people with disabilities and others intensively from the project onset. The CHPVs will be selected from the target communities and local materials will be used for establishing the latrines. The CHPVs after receiving training of trainer (ToT) will conduct hygiene promotion sessions for women and girls at household level in accordance with the local culture. IRC will ensure that issues of protection, inclusion of persons with disabilities and gender-based violence related to water scarcity and sanitation are addressed and mainstreamed through the project period by ensuring awareness raising on equal access to WASH services for men, women, boys, and girls. IRC will ensure inclusion of children/persons with disabilities and older persons through staff training on inclusion of children/persons with disabilities and older persons. Through complementary funding, IRC will recruit Inclusion Officers to support with accessibility audits of IRC’s physical spaces and the results will be utilized to make necessary adaptations to ensure meaningful access. IRC will also provide reasonable accommodation for children/persons with disabilities and older persons. IRC will ensure that members of the community are trained on operation and maintenance of the WASH infrastructure installed. The project will directly reach 97,200 community members whilst 20% of them will be Internally displaced persons (IDPs) and 10% will be returnees. IRC has consulted and will maintain coordination with CRS, regional WASH cluster and other WASH cluster partners in both target provinces about the selection of districts and villages for WASH interventions under this project