WASH First: Scaling up WASH SDG efforts: the first line of defence against COVID-19 - Kenya SUMMARY
The WASH First program in Kenya started in 2020 and is part of the scaling-up efforts of the WASH SDG Consortium and its main objective is to prevent further spread of COVID19.  Plan International Kenya started the implementation of the program in the urban informal settlements of Kibera and Kawangware of Nairobi and in Kilifi North (town), Rabai and Kaloleni. These areas have been hit hard by the pandemic. The program will organize awareness raising campaigns on COVID-19. It further will promote direct messaging and information sharing. And finally,  it will improve access to water, sanitation, handwashing facilities and (menstrual) hygiene products. The first cases of Covid-19 were detected early 2020 and government took the measures like promoting social distancing, handwashing and wearing face masks.  Quarantine centers were setup for people diagnosed with the disease and large gatherings were forbidden.  A lockdown and curfew were in effect during the first months. The project intervention areas were selected in coordination with Ministry of Health (MoH) and had already limited access to WASH facilities. Many of the residents of the  informal urban settlements Kibera and Kawangware of Nairiobi had already pre-existing medical conditions like tuberculosis and HIV. More underaged girls were forced to marriage and more teenage girls got pregnant. Lockdown and curfew also increased the risk of violence for women and girls when visiting public toilets at night. In the rural areas people have almost no access to water and sanitation. Because schools were closed children had less access to WASH facilities. Lockdown also caused more cases of Gender Based Violence.  
People with disabilities face challenges in accessing WASH services and prevention messaging. The fear of stigmatisation of being diagnosed with Covid-19 complicated the track and trace efforts of the MoH. The main objective of the program is:
Promotion of health-related hygiene practices to prevent further spread of COVID-19 in at-risk countries through awareness raising and improved access to water, sanitation and hygiene services
Result areas:
1.  Enhanced understanding of individuals, communities, health workers, schools and WASH service providers about  mitigation measures against COVID-19 transmission
2. Population at risk of Covid-19 have sufficient and constant access to commodities and consumables (i.e. handwashing facilities, disinfection equipment, soap, hygiene kits including menstrual health products) and personal protective equipment (PPEs)
3. Population at risk of COVID-19 have safe (considering safeguarding and security) access to Water and Sanitation services through the construction of new and repair of non-functional water facilities or through temporary/mobile services/supplies. Support adolescent girls living in urban informal settlements in having access to bathrooms by paying the public toilet use fee At the start of the health crisis, the government was acting quickly and CSO's had no role in the decision taking process.  However, space for civil society to engage with government remained as government was actively seeking involvement. This program has been developed in coordination with the Ministry of Health. Local actors like community workers, WASH committees, sanitation workers, schools, WASH service providers and government officials will be trained on how to reduce transmission of COVID-19 virus. Plan Kenya has a presence in the intervention areas and has a working relationship with government and other stakeholders. Plan implements directly and through its local partner the Real Hope Youth and Community Organization (RHYCO), and has experience with the implementation of WASH programs. The program is fully aligned with the Emergency Response Program that had been prepared in the context of the pandemic. The end beneficiaries of the programme activities will be the vulnerable and at risk groups living in the  low income  informal urban settlements Kibera and Kawangware of Nairobi and in Kilifi Noth and the rural areas of Rabai and Kaloleni. Plan International Kenya will implement the following activities on the 6 intervention strategies:

Intervention strategy 1: Awareness raising (campaigns and mass media campaigns) on COVID-19
• Raise awareness in communities on COVID-19 prevention, using different methodologies such as the
use of murals that have been strategically painted on walls and billboards
• Use media and participate in the talk shows

Intervention strategy 2: Direct information sharing and messaging
• Support the sensitisation of CHV/Ws in charge of COVID-19 prevention messaging and control
management.
• Strengthen the capacity of girl’s advocates for peer support on COVID-19 prevention and information
sharing and advocacy on issues concerning children and girls.
• Raise awareness in schools using the COVID-19 prevention guidelines for schools that are currently
being developed.
• Promote social distancing measures around WASH facilities and prioritise access for elderly/disabled/
pregnant people.
• Work with CHW/Vs so they can distribute contextualised prevention messages.

Intervention strategy 3: Improving access to safe drinking water and water supply for handwashing, as
well as menstrual health and sanitation (including safe disposal of waste)
• Support communities to access water for handwashing and consumption. Handwashing units will be
placed in strategic places.
• Truck water to strategic water storage facilities for ease of access.
• Support adolescent girls living in urban informal settlements in having access to bathrooms by paying
the public toilet use fee.
• Ensure vulnerable people have access to WASH facilities.
• Install handwash units in schools and make MHM products available for girls.

Intervention strategy 4: Improving access to safe handwashing facilities
• Place handwashing units in strategic places with liquid soap that are also accessible for the disabled
and elderly.
• Provide handwashing units and liquid soap in schools when they reopen in January 2021.

Intervention strategy 5: Access to hygiene products including soap, disinfectant, PPE and menstrual
hygiene products
• Provide appropriate hygiene kits and sanitary towels for girls and support them in accessing bathrooms
for personal hygiene in urban informal settlements.
• Ensure vulnerable people have access to hygiene products.
• Collaborate with the MoH to procure infection prevention materials such as disinfectants, and
detergents in order to ensure there is adequate disinfection at critical areas including schools, public
transport facilities and health facilities. MoH guidelines on IPC will be followed.
• Disinfect schools before the planned re-opening, as some have been used as isolation centres.
• Where necessary, procure and supply sanitisers to health care workers and teachers.
• Procure and distribute masks, both surgical and reusable, for health care workers and CHVs. Masks
will also be given to vulnerable people within the selected communities.

Intervention strategy 6: COVID-related coordination meetings with local government and other
stakeholders
• Collaborate with the MoH and other partners to update information on the pandemic as appropriate.
• Support national measures and initiatives to share more information on COVID-19 transmission
prevention and control.
• Support the development of appropriate gender sensitive and inclusive messages for communities,
taking into consideration their literacy level and ability to understand. Institutional: By involving local government and local stakeholders, the ownership of the program will be anchored in the local institutional structure. 

Social: The active participation of the target groups is essential to ensure that we respond to their specific needs.  The overall goal of this program is the “promotion of health-related hygiene practices to prevent further spread of COVID-19 through awareness raising and improved access to WASH services.” The intervention will ensure that the achievement of the SDG 6 goals does not come to a standstill in the intervention areas.