Quarterly Report: Emergency Shelter and WASH Assistance for IDPs affected by conflict in Iraq

The project aimed to provide shelter and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) assistance to internally displaced persons (IDPs) affected by conflict in Iraq. The project was funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) through a cooperative agreement worth 2,321,286 USD. The project's target area was initially Ninewa Governorate, but NRC requested to change the target area to Dohuk Governorate, which was agreed upon by USAID in September 2014. The project's main objective was to support IDPs living in inadequate shelter conditions, particularly in unfinished and abandoned buildings, to ensure their survival during the winter season. During the reporting period, NRC made significant progress in recruiting project staff, locating beneficiary families, and assessing shelter and WASH needs. The organization deployed an international Emergency Response Team to Dohuk, which comprised a Team Leader, Emergency Shelter/WASH expert, and Logistician. NRC also received USAID winter non-food items (NFIs) in kind at Erbil airport, warehoused them in Erbil, and forwarded them to NRC's warehouse in Dohuk. Assessments were conducted to identify abandoned and unfinished buildings requiring shelter and WASH support. A total of 17 unfinished and abandoned buildings, as well as several complexes of single-unit houses, were identified and assessed for WASH and shelter needs. Meetings were held with local authorities to discuss the works required and identify buildings containing IDPs living in inadequate shelters. The procurement process for heaters started within the reporting period, and heaters for all 1,000 beneficiaries were purchased during the first week of October. However, no services were delivered to beneficiaries until October, as the project was still in the evaluation, recruitment, and procurement stage. NRC participated in the NFI/Shelter and WASH cluster meetings and established a technical working group for shelter actors working outside camps. Bilateral discussions were held with ACTED and CRS to standardize methodologies and agree upon geographical areas for a coordinated response. The major challenges confronting NRC were the high numbers of IDPs living in inadequate shelter conditions outside camps, the scattering of beneficiaries, and the lack of an overview of where all IDPs were living. IOM/CCCM/REACH was conducting an assessment to identify these locations, but it was not scheduled to start until October, and results would not become available until November. The project's indicators showed progress in logistics support and relief commodities, with the procurement process started for the purchase of heaters and USAID winter NFIs in kind stored safely at NRC warehouses in Dohuk. However, the distribution of these items would begin in the next reporting period. In the shelter and settlements sector, assessments were carried out to identify households and technical assessments started. In the water, sanitation, and health sector, assessments were carried out to identify households and technical assessments started, but no direct hygiene promotion or sanitation infrastructure activities were implemented during the reporting period.