Emergency Life-saving WASH Services for Drought Affected IDPs and Host Communities in Xudur District, Bakool Region of Somalia (ELIWAS) This proposed intervention has been designed to provide relief through emergency access to life-saving WASH services for drought-affected communities and IDPs in Xudur District, Bakool Region of Somalia. Xudur district is one of the worst hit by the drought and is currently classified in IPC 4 (humanitarian emergency). Recent FSNAU IPC population estimates (April 2022) observed that over 50% of the population in the district is severely affected by the marauding drought conditions. The project has been designed to provide life-saving WASH services to approximately 13,926 people of the affected population (3,064 men, 3342 women, 3690 boys, and 3830 girls). The relief will be attained by undertaking the following key relief interventions: Provision of emergency life-saving water supply through water trucking using either direct delivery or a water voucher system to 11,358 people spread out in IDP settlements and rural villages. Approximately 7.67 million cubic meters of safe water will be provided over 3 months through trucking.  The supported population will be provided with 7.5 litres/person/day as per the guideline standards for emergency contexts. The action will also rehabilitate the strategic Elkhound borehole, as well as 4 other shallow wells, that are still able to support the population despite many others having dried up, to try and sustain water supply to the affected population. The project will also conduct emergency water source treatment through chlorination campaigns in the areas which are hotspots for the endemic AWD/Cholera outbreaks. 20 well have been earmarked for rounds of chlorination campaigns. It will also be necessary to sometime chlorinate trucked water at the distribution points in cases where contamination of the water sources is suspected.  

Besides water supply, 7440 persons (1637 men, 1786 women, 1972 boys, and 2046 girls) are targeted with improved communal sanitary conditions through the construction of 40 gender-segregated and culturally appropriate latrines at IDP settlements. Each toilet will target 5 households (1 toilet:30 users' ratio). The latrines will be fitted with handwashing facilities (HWFs) to facilitate hand washing after visiting toilets. At least 15% of facilities will be accessible to PLWDs. To ensure good sanitation and a clean environment, vital sanitation tools will be provided to support solid waste management. These will be used in garbage collection/cleaning campaigns as well as other appropriate applications. The 20 hygiene promoters will be trained and will steward community outreach hygiene promotion campaigns in AWD/Cholera endemic to sensitize the drought-affected communities on the preventive measures against water-related diseases. Hygiene promotion campaigns will be conducted in 10 main villages by the village-based hygiene promoters. Also, 2000 hygiene kits (including standard MHM sets) will be provided to very vulnerable IDP and host community households.

The intervention is designed to build on gains made by the ongoing WASH project (SOWASDIP) funded by the Government of Sweden and that is being implemented by ADRA in the same target locations. This action will also leverage on and complement other sectoral interventions in the same locations (CCCM, Protection, Health, Education), and will adopt an integrated approach focusing on drought and famine response, and life-saving interventions. 

In ensuring gender is mainstreamed in the project, ADRA will among other key issues guarantee an equal balance of men and women on the WASH assessment teams to ensure access to women, girls, men, and boys in the district. As part of the assessment team, ADRA will include a gender and protection/GBV specialist. ADRA will also take into consideration the division of tasks and the different needs of women, girls, boys, and men when providing water, as well as care and hygiene services.