Prepping for Water Infrastructure Initiatives in target localities

Rain fed subsistence agriculture continues to provide the main source of livelihoods for forcibly displaced and host communities in Southern States of Sudan. Yet, due to climate change, rainfalls have become less predictable, leading to prolonged periods of draught as well as severe flooding during the rainy season, often destroying existing water-infrastructure like submersible water pumps. The 2020 floods alone have claimed at least 120 lives and damaged or destroyed more than 110,000 homes in the country, mainly in Khartoum and Darfur States. Furthermore, during initial community-based consultations in early 2020 “access to water” was cited as the main input to value chain development in all intervention areas of the PROSPECTS project Sudan. Finally, the Covid-19 crisis increases the need for water sanitation and hygiene (WASH) infrastructure.

In close collaboration with engineering counterparts at UNHCR, ILO engineers went on extended missions to West Kordofan and East Darfur to prioritize among different potential water infrastructure projects.

Confirming community needs gathered in early 2020, the inter-agency team of engineers was able to plan for and cost key interventions. In West Kordofan, the project will commit itself to rehabilitating Water Boreholes and rehabilitating Keilak rural hospital to improve community access to essential services. In East Darfur infrastructure investments will focus on the rehabilitation of seasonal lakes (hafirs).

In July- August 2020, an assessment was conducted on the impact of Covid19 on the labour markets in Garissa County. The story of Fatuma below illustrates how small businesses have been impacted by the pandemic, and provides critical information on key areas that the ILO will use to provide appropriate interventions to support enterprises to recover and grow.