Integrated Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), Food Security and Livelihoods (FSL), Nutrition and Health Program for vulnerable populations in White Nile State An estimated 1.1 million refugees in Sudan are in need of multisector interventions to address their vulnerabilities and assistance needs. In response to these significant needs, Mercy Corps, Plan International and Jasmar Organization propose to undertake an integrated multi-sector project targeting four localities in White Nile State (WNS): El Salam, El Jabalian, Tendalti and El Douiem. The program will strengthen WASH, public health and nutrition services, and to improve their food security and livelihoods in order to adapt, withstand, and recover from disasters and emergencies.  This program goal will be achieved by building resilience and improving the livelihood opportunities of refugees in Sudan’s WNS through provision of basic services, and improved access to livelihood opportunities. The project will respond to the needs and priorities of the affected population through an integrated multi-sectoral approach, with gender and protection mainstreamed throughout. 
Building on the consortium partners’ presence in WNS across the four localities, this proposed project will leverage their skills and ongoing programming to maximize the impact of the project.

Mercy Corps, Plan and Jasmar will deliver food security and livelihoods (FSL) interventions targeting refugees and surrounding host community in WNS. The FSL activities will create market-driven livelihood opportunities in a refugee context where barriers to formal and informal employment severely undermine both the food security and resilience capacities of households. Specifically, Mercy Corps will target refugees in Elsalam and Eldouem while Plan will target refugees in Eldouem and Tendalti with Jasmar targeting host communities in Eljabalian. The consortium partners will address the FSL needs through a combination of agricultural input and business start-up support, which will include the distribution of seeds and tools to support households to kick-start their agricultural production. Multipurpose cash activities will support households to meet their urgent needs during the lean season without resorting to negative coping strategies, and the formation of Village Saving and Loan Associations (VSLAs) will increase households’ access to financial services. FSL activities will be adapted according to WHO and MoH guidance on COVID-19 risk mitigation, to discourage crowds while ensuring participants have access to humanitarian assistance in a timely manner. Through multipurpose cash assistance, households’ financial ability will be improved and people will be able to stay at home and avoid high risk areas such as markets.
     Mercy Corps will address WASH needs through rehabilitation of water sources at both community and institutions, formation and training of WASH committees to ensure improved access to clean and safe water. Mercy Corps will then complement the water supply activities through hygiene promotion and train community hygiene promoters who will carry out hygiene promotion awareness raising activities to enhance health and wellbeing of the targeted individuals. During the implementation Mercy Corps will ensure COVID-19 transmission risks are mitigated through behavior change by ensuring adherence preventive practices including social distancing and respiratory hygiene.

Plan will lead  health and nutrition activities, providing a comprehensive service with strong emphasis and integration of reproductive health (RH) services, as well as consistent outreach to promote ante and post-natal care visits (ANC and PNC). Support for expanded programs on immunization (EPI) outreach and services is also integrated, including strengthening of cold chain infrastructure. Plan will support health facilities with outpatient therapeutic program (OTP) services whilst also training mothers support groups (MSG) to addresses the multi-sectoral causes of malnutrition, such as inadequate diet diversity, poor WASH behaviors, and unsafe food preparation and conservation methods