Iraq Crisis - Water and Hygiene Assistance for Internally Displaced People - 2016

March 2016 - The humanitarian situation in Iraq continues to deteriorate. The violence between armed groups and government forces has displaced over 3.2 million people from their homes. An estimated 10 million people in Iraq have been affected by the conflict and are in need of humanitarian assistance. The capacity of the Government to respond to the basic needs of its citizens has been overwhelmed. In 2016 more people will be displaced by the conflict while many will remain displaced in camps and host communities. However there will also be growing numbers of people returning to areas no longer under the control of ISIL who will also need assistance to help restart their lives. With GAC’s support this project is implementing and extending water sanitation and hygiene programming in new and existing vulnerable host communities improving overall services and reducing tensions between host communities and internally displaced persons. This project will: (1) repair and/or maintain water networks and sanitation facilities in camps schools and host communities for up to 22 900 vulnerable conflict-affected people; (2) establish and support gender-balanced water sanitation and hygiene committees in displacement camps; (3) provide hygiene kits that meet the differing needs of women girls and infants from vulnerable conflict-affected households; and (4) provide training and materials to hygiene promotion staff to respond to cholera.

The expected outcomes for this project include: (1) improved access to clean water and sanitation facilities for conflict-affected people; (2) improved access to hygiene kits for women girls and infants in vulnerable communities; and (3) improved ability to respond to a cholera outbreak. The expected ultimate outcome is lives saved suffering alleviated and human dignity maintained in countries experiencing humanitarian crisis or that are food insecure.