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：

The project was launched on October 1, 2023.

Implementation Progress：

To the end of December 2023, the following activities have been carried out:

1. Signed the project MoU with the Garissa County Health Department, confirming responsibilities and the project work plan.

2. Conducted a project inception meeting with the Garissa County Steering Group (CSG), whose members include Garissa County’s health, water, and agricultural departments; UN organizations like UNICEF and WHO; and other INGOs, and participated in the monthly CSG meeting.

3. Joined monthly national-level and quarterly county-level WASH forums to develop a broad understanding of WASH needs in Kenya and Garissa County.

4. Procured a water testing kit and water filters to repair or improve WASH infrastructure in healthcare facilities.

Project Contact：Yu-Chien Chang

Phone：+886-2-2888-6068

E-mail：yu.c.chang@icdf.org.tw