Project Name：Improving Access to Basic Water Sanitation and Hygiene in Ten Health Care Facilities for Vulnerable Communities in Garissa County, Kenya

Project status：Projects in Operation

Cooperating Country：Kenya

Project Description：

Extreme weather events cause multiple threats and challenges, affecting human health, lives and economic activities. Since late 2020, Eastern Africa has faced its most severe drought since the 1980s, with five consecutive rainy seasons bringing abnormally low amounts of precipitation. As a result, an estimated 6.4 million people in Kenya now require humanitarian assistance, the highest number in the last decade. 

Kenya’s Garissa County has been subject to recurrent acute water shortages, and a large portion of its health care facilities (HCFs) lack basic water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services. The ongoing drought is further exacerbating HCF deficiencies in WASH services, decreasing the quality of local healthcare. To improve HCF access to WASH in Garissa County, the TaiwanICDF launched a new project in collaboration with the Terre des hommes Foundation (Tdh) in October 2023. The work aligns with WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (JMP) standards for HCFs, with an aim to improve target facilities’ WASH operations. Specific project goal covers the key aspects of water access, sanitation, hygiene, waste management and environmental cleanliness. The project will also benefit the target HCFs to improve WASH capacity in response to extreme weather events, such as recurrent droughts and floods. Overall, the project includes the following:

1. Water supply infrastructures, sanitation and hygiene facilities of 10 HCFs were constructed, rehabilitated, or improved.
2. Protocols for infrastructure operation and maintenance were developed and maintenance kits for HCFs (tools and equipment) were provided.
3. Training and capacity building for HCF staff and local health officials in WASH were conducted.

Implementation Start Date：2023-10-01

Implementation End Date：2025-09-30

Source of Funding：TaiwanICDF

Project Objectives：

Accessibility to basic water supply, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) in 10 health care facilities in Garissa County improved, in accordance with international standards.

Executing Agency：

Terre des hommes Foundation (Tdh) Kenya Office

Implementation Arrangement：

The TaiwanICDF will support the project by dispatching experts. Tdh Kenya will implement the project and liaise with local government units, communities and stakeholders. 

Current Progress：

To the end of December 2024, the following activities have been carried out:

1. Mapped personnel responsible for the operation and maintenance of WASH infrastructure at the 10 healthcare facilities (HCFs). Key personnel include sub-county public health officers, medical superintendents, facility officers, cleaners, incinerator operators, and waste handlers, with their respective responsibilities identified. Established a WASH FIT committee at each of the 10 HCFs, with each committee tasked with managing the operation and maintenance of WASH infrastructure.

2. Conducted WASH FIT training for key Sub-County Health Management teams and health facility in-charges. A total of 23 participants attended the training.

3. Finalized the operation manuals for WASH infrastructure, including simplified SOPs for biomedical waste management and environmental cleaning at the HCFs, in collaboration with the Garissa County government.

4. Printed and distributed simplified biomedical waste management and environmental cleaning SOPs to the 10 HCFs. Provided training to 50 health facility staff (31 male and 19 female) responsible for managing biomedical waste and environmental cleaning, covering their roles and responsibilities, as well as personal protective guidelines and procedures.

5. Procured water testing kits and water filters to improve WASH facilities at the HCFs. Conducted training sessions to capacitate the Tdh team and county staff on using the water testing kits, and continued performing water quality assessments.

6. Distributed biomedical waste management kits (including PPE, biohazard waste bins, and related items), environmental cleaning kits, and 15 handwashing stations to the 10 HCFs.

7. Conducted a technical assessment of WASH infrastructure (including water supply, sanitation, biomedical waste management, and handwashing facilities) at the 10 HCFs, and initiated tenders for WASH infrastructure construction and installation works.

8. Participated in the monthly County Steering Group meetings and WASH forums in Garissa County, where issues and challenges related to WASH faced by the HCFs were discussed. Additionally, participated in the WASH FIT assessment planning meeting for Garissa County. The Garissa government has established a team to verify whether HCFs are adhering to their WASH improvement plans, as per the WASH FIT assessment.

Project Contact：Yu-Chien Chang

Phone：+886-2-2888-6068

E-mail：yu.c.chang@icdf.org.tw