Monthly COVID-19 Report: COVID-19 Emergency Response for Crisis-Affected Persons in the Lake Chad Basin and Burkina Faso

The main challenges faced during this reporting period included decreased adherence to COVID-19 preventive measures by target populations, particularly in Burkina Faso. In Cameroon, the restriction of access to Maroua due to a broken bridge delayed distributions in the area for two weeks. In Chad, the IRC's project team in Diamerom faced challenges while registering final distribution beneficiaries between October 28th and November 2nd when military officials harassed program staff. Despite these challenges, the IRC implemented various activities in October. In Burkina Faso, the IRC distributed 2,500 WASH NFI kits to 7,583 individuals in 2,500 households. The organization also reached 12,931 people with sensitizations on COVID-19 prevention measures and trained 42 members of seven water point management committees on maintenance of the structures, financial management, and COVID-19 prevention measures. In Cameroon, the IRC raised awareness on COVID-19 prevention measures for 56,162 beneficiaries from 8,595 households and began mass sensitization on October 20. The organization also began registering 9,174 households for handwashing kits and distributed kits to 2,807 households. In Chad, the IRC trained 57 community health workers, 209 water point management committee members, and 18 cleaning agents on COVID-19 awareness raising and prevention measures. The organization also installed 140 handwashing stations at six health centers, 21 water points, three public offices, and six cantonal spaces and police and gendarmerie offices. In Niger, the IRC distributed 13,858 NFI kits to households composed of 81,134 individuals. The organization continued training 57 water point management committee managers and provided them with disinfecting kits and IEC materials. The IRC also trained 70 community focal points, who sensitized 18,556 beneficiaries on COVID-19 prevention measures through home visits. Disinfection activities were conducted in 20 schools in Diffa in early October, along with other community places. The IRC's COVID-19 indicator updates for October show significant progress in various sectors. In the health sector, 444 healthcare staff were trained, with 57 trained in Chad and 70 in Niger. In the WASH sector, 583,462 people received WASH NFI assistance through all modalities, with 7,583 people in Burkina Faso, 20,341 in Cameroon, and 81,134 in Niger. For the next month, the IRC plans to distribute WASH NFI kits, train water point management committees, and install handwashing stations in various locations. In Burkina Faso, the IRC will distribute 3,500 WASH NFI kits in Titao and train five water point management committees in Djibo. In Cameroon, the IRC will continue COVID-19 sensitization through household visits, megaphones, and radio messages while distributing handwashing kits in targeted localities. In Chad, the IRC will distribute 20,024 NFI kits, register the final 1,493 households, and train local authorities on coordination and response to COVID-19 and risk communication and community engagement. In Niger, the IRC will distribute the remaining COVID-19 prevention kits and continue to raise awareness about protection and prevention measures through radio broadcasts and home visits.