Ethiopia Protracted Joint Response 2024-2026 SUMMARY
The project intends to respond to the affected communities’ most urgent humanitarian needs in the sectors of WASH, Protection, Health and Food Security. Wag Hemra zone in Amhara has been affected by the Tigray conflict in the past years, with some of its woredas still inaccessible due to the presence of armed forces. Health and WASH facilities are severely damaged and the community-based protection structures have been severely weakened due to the war. Further, the area was affected by drought, with severe impact of the population's source of livelihood. High number of protection concerns are reported, including at least 38% of children being unaccompanied and/or separated. High frequency of early marriage is another concern that this intervention hopes to tackle. Overall, 29,477 individuals are expected to be reached throughout the project period, through FSL, WASH, Health and Protection activities. Due to overlapping crises, over 28,6 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance in Ethiopia. In Amhara, needs are driven by droughts, and conflicts. The Ziquala woreda in Amhara is severely impacted the escalation of violence within the region and the North of the country, as well as recurrent drought. This situation creates damages of infrastructures, such as WASH facilities, and disrupts crisis-affected people's livelihood, exposing them to malnutrition, and disease outbreaks. Overall, these circumstances intensify child protection risks, particularly for girls, exposed to gender-based violence, forced marriages, family separation, child labour, and psychosocial distress. Humanitarian workers also face security and mobility constraints in Amhara, sometimes forcing them to suspend their operations. This intervention aims to provide complementary multi-sectoral and integrated life-saving humanitarian support to conflict and drought affected people in need - both displaced and non-displaced - in Ziquala woreda of Amhara region. Most vulnerable and at-risk groups are prioritized in the sectors of Food security, Health, WASH and Child Protection, relying on multi-purpose cash as a delivery modality, in line with the priorities from the humanitarian response plan (HRP) of 2023 for Amhara. Based on geographical presence, experience and capacities, the EJR partners plan a response where regions and sectors complement each other and provide an integrated joint response. For Plan, this means working together with local partner Positive Action for Development who will provide FSL and Health services, integrated with Plan's response in WASH and Child Protection. The FSL activities consist of crop production, ruminants restocking, rehabilitation of community assets and resources, livestock vet promotion and income-generating activities. Vulnerable households will be actively engaged in all components. 15,000 people are targeted through FSL.
To enhance access to WASH facilities, the project will rehabilitate non-functional water points while capacitating WASH management systems. Insttutional/communal latrines (based on need) will be rehabilitated. Families will receive cash to purchase essential WASH NFIs and adolescent school girls will be enabled to purchase MHM materials. The WASH component will reach 29,477 beneficiaries.
The health system will be strengthened through capacity building of existing facilities and personnel. To provide immediate relief, essential drugs, medical supplies and equipment will be procured and distributed to health facilities. 15,668 people in need will be targeted under health.
The child protection activities focus on systems strengthening, community capacity building, direct service provision, and awareness raising. 5,500 people will be targeted through protection services. Plan International and its local partner Positive Action for Development will target 29,477 unique beneficiaries under this project, identified and selected with the community. Attention is dedicated to unaccompanied and separated children, survivors of child abuse, exploitation and violence, particularly girls. Food Security and Livelihood (FSL):
- Crop Production: Focus on improving agricultural productivity through the provision of improved and local cereal seeds (sorghum, maize, teff, wheat).
- Ruminants Restocking: 130 female-headed households will receive four local dairy goats each to enhance milk availability and nutrition, as well as build household assets.
- Rehabilitation of Community Assets: Conditional cash for work (CfW) activities aimed at rehabilitating community assets, promoting communal pasture enclosures, and addressing income needs for 100 households.
- Livestock Vet Promotion: Support local vet facilities and provide vet drugs to 2400 vulnerable households through a voucher approach to ensure safer and controlled distribution.
- Income-Generating Activities: Organize vulnerable households into groups engaging in various business activities, such as apiculture (beekeeping), with a focus on sustainable practices.

Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH):
- Water Infrastructure Rehabilitation: Addressing the damage to water schemes with a focus on providing safe and dignified latrines, hygiene facilities in schools and health facilities, and rehabilitation of communal latrines.
- Hygiene Promotion: Conduct awareness campaigns, hygiene promotion, and social mobilization mass campaigns targeting 29,477 beneficiaries.
- Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM): Provide support to 300 adolescent school girls through cash for the purchase of soap, underwear, and reusable sanitary pads.
- Access to WASH NFIs: 1,100 households targeted through cash assistance for the purchase of WASH Non-Food Items (NFIs).

Health:
- Enhanced Primary Health Care (PHC): Deploy surge capacities to support essential PHC services, including consultations for communicable diseases, maternal and reproductive healthcare, mental health, and nutrition screening.
- Technical and Logistical Support: Strengthen the local health system through rehabilitation of health facilities, training health workers, and providing essential medical supplies.
- Procurement and Distribution: Procure essential drugs and medical supplies, distributing them to service delivery points, and coaching on pharmaceutical supply chain management.
- Capacity Building: Reinforce the capacity of community health workers, conduct regular supervision, and facilitate joint review meetings.

Protection:
- Child Protection Activities: Focus on system strengthening, community capacity building, direct service provision, and awareness raising to respond to the needs of vulnerable children facing protection risks due to conflict and displacement.
- Community-based Mechanisms: Map existing community-based protection mechanisms, provide training on child rights and protection concepts, and implement life skills training for vulnerable adolescents and parents.

The targeted beneficiaries across these sectors total 15,000 for FSL, 29,477 for WASH, 15,668 for Health, and 13,500 for Protection. Under Multi-purpose cash, 500 individuals benefit from CfW carried out as part of FSL.