Baseline Survey Report: Self-Reliance Through Access to Basic Services, Nutrition, Cash and Livelihoods (STABLE) Program

The program aims to alleviate the ongoing humanitarian situation and the spread of COVID-19 by increasing access to basic WASH services and nutrition, while strengthening the foundation for future recovery through increased livelihood opportunities. The program supports 46,634 individuals, including 8,570 men, 9,106 women, 14,398 boys, and 14,560 girls. The program's objectives include improving the understanding of constraints and challenges faced by target participants, determining the level of change on impact and outcome indicators between baseline and final evaluation, and establishing the prevailing situation in the targeted villages and households about WASH, Agriculture, and Nutrition. The program's methodology involves both primary and secondary research, including data collection from 362 respondents in four localities of South Kordofan State. Findings from the baseline survey reveal that the average household age is 38.2 years, with 40.6 years for male heads of household and 36.1 years for female household heads. The majority of household heads surveyed are male (62%). Over 70% of respondents reported that there are non-functional hand pumps in their localities that need repair or rehabilitation, with an almost similar majority reporting that no youth from their areas had been trained on hand pump maintenance or repair. The program's implementation is led by Mercy Corps-Sudan's MEL Unit and Programs Teams, with a detailed Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) plan in place to monitor the progress of implementation and its effect on targeted communities, households, and individuals. The program is jointly funded by the USAID Bureau of Humanitarian Affairs (BHA) and has a budget of USD 1,700,000. The program's focus areas include WASH, nutrition, food security, and livelihoods, with a specific emphasis on increasing access to basic WASH services and nutrition, while strengthening the foundation for future recovery through increased livelihood opportunities. The program's implementation is expected to have a positive impact on the humanitarian situation in South Kordofan State, particularly in terms of improving access to basic services and livelihoods for both host communities and Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). The program's baseline survey provides an initial characterization of the conditions related to program interventions and provides initial baseline values of some of the program indicators, which will be used to determine changes and impact at the end of the program. The survey's findings highlight the need for support in the repair of water infrastructure and building of the community's capacity to maintain hand pumps. The program's implementation is expected to be completed by August 2021, with a focus on meeting the urgent needs of households in South Kordofan State and increasing their access to basic WASH services and nutrition, while strengthening the foundation for future recovery through increased livelihood opportunities. The program's success will be monitored and evaluated through the M&E plan, which will provide data to inform decision-makers and optimize the program's implementation.