Attachments
This weekly update is produced by UNDP in collaboration with the UN Resident Coordinator’s Office in Sierra Leone, liaising with the Office of National Security and development partners.
Situation overview
Following the landslides and floods that hit Freetown and surrounding areas on 14 August 2017, the UN system in Sierra Leone continues to support national recovery.
In addition to addressing the urgent needs of those most affected, medium and long term assessments and action plans have been put in place under national leadership to ensure risk mitigation and protect the people of Sierra Leone from future tragedy.
HEALTH
WHO
- Round two of the OCV campaign started on 5 October and is scheduled to end on 10 October, after a five-day campaign in areas affected by floods and landslides. The first round of the campaign reached its target and administered the first dose of the vaccine to over half a million people. The second dose will extend the duration of protection against the disease.
The campaign is being led by the Ministry of Health and Sanitation with support from GAVI through WHO, with assistance from UNICEF, UKAid, MSF, IFRC and other health partners.
- Routine surveillance continues in all districts alongside enhanced surveillance for epidemic prone diseases in the affected districts.
UNFPA
- UNFPA continues to seek out pregnant women affected by the flooding and landslides to support access to quality maternal health services. On 3 October, UNFPA organized the transportation of 28 pregnant women from Culvert, Dwazark and Don Bosco communities to the Planned Parenthood Association of Sierra Leone (PPASL) clinic for comprehensive antenatal check-ups including ultrasound scanning. To date, UNFPA has provided this service to 143 pregnant women. So far, 127 mama and baby kits were also distributed to the pregnant women who received the antenatal check-ups.
WASH
Save the Children
- Completed the distribution of 79 baby kits to HHs with children aged 0-3 years in Juba Camp, directly benefitting 66 children aged 0-3 years (32 boys, 34 girls). Earlier in the week, door-to-door sensitization was also completed.
CARE International
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Distributed Aquatabs to 176 households (at 10 Aquatabs per household) in the communities of Kaningo (distributed to 81 households from 27-28 September) and Kamayama (distributed to 95 households from 29 September and 2-3 October).
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Installed ten 10,000-liter water tanks, including one newly-installed water tank in Juba Barracks to serve Juba community (October 5) and one in Juba IDP Camp (15September). However, CARE distributes water to thirteen 10,000-liter capacity water tanks located in Kamayama, Kaningo, Pentagon and Juba. From 29 September to 5 October, CARE distributed a total of 330,000 liters of water to these four affected communities and also monitored the water’s free chlorine residual (FCR).
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Promoting good hygiene practices to reduce the risk of disease outbreaks, CARE conducted a one-day training (30 September) for 40 participants (13 male and 27 female) with the aim of capacitating and enabling the participants from three affected communities of Kamayama (10 participants), Pentagon (7 participants) and Kaningo (10 participants) to take an active role in their communities towards promoting handwashing and best hygiene practices, water storage and handling, basic water treatment methods and use of Aquatabs, maintenance and management of water facilities, and safe disposal of wastes. The training was conducted in partnership with two trainers from the Ministry of Health and Sanitation.
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From 2-6 October, CARE continued its support to Juba IDP Camp by ensuring its solid and liquid waste management. There are currently 8 small bins, 2 gravel bins and 5 mobile toilets or portable toilets that CARE manages, to be collected and disposed of properly on a regular and daily basis.
Concern Worldwide
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Water trucking – 19 trips were performed in Kaningo and Kamayama (totalling 171,000 litres trucked). Water trucking ended on the 5 October and discussions with community stakeholders were facilitated to inform them accordingly.
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Hygiene promotion – A door-to-door campaign is being carried out by 30 DMVs (Disaster Management Volunteers) in Kamayama and Kaningo. 1,249 households (6,634 people) have received hygiene messages and IEC materials. The activity will continue until 19 October.
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Latrine rehabilitation – A technical assessment was carried out for latrine blocks located at Chief Kabay Compound in Kamayama and Services Secondary School in Juba. BoQs were prepared for the rehabilitation of these latrines.
Red Cross
- 22 Sierra Leone Red Cross Society WASH volunteers continued to carry out sensitization sessions in three sites of Regent, Culvert and Juba on hygiene promotion, reaching 3,889 (1,018 men, 1348 women and 1523 children) with messages on hand washing, latrine cleaning, waste management, Oral Rehydration Salts solutions and personal Hygiene. Red Cross volunteers continued to manage the hand washing points at Juba camp, educating all people entering the camp on proper hand washing with soap and clean water.
UNICEF
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Continues to support displaced persons with potable water services. Over 1,300,000 litres of potable water has been provided to affected communities in holding centres at Regent, Kaningo and Pentagon communities. UNICEF provided sanitation services (emergency toilets, desludging of waste water, solid waste management), hygiene education and distribution of hygiene kits and provision of handwashing stations to an estimated 7,300 beneficiaries.
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Supported the installation of household rain water harvesting systems (RWHS) in Regent, Kaningo and Pentagon, Kamayama Jah Kingdom, Gbamgbayilla communities. A total of 1,980 household RWHS have been installed to date. The target is to install RWHS in 2,700 households.
Christian Aid
Christian Aid have a new stream of funding totalling £51,178 from their digital appeal. It will be implemented over three months (Oct-Dec), and will focus support on the following objectives:
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Improve hand washing facilities in the selected schools – supplies of hand washing items.
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Train local community health workers to disseminate health and hygiene messages in the local languages in the affected schools and communities.
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Raising awareness on good health and hygiene practices to prevent the spread of disease.
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Support hygiene campaigns in the affected schools and communities.
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Address gap areas in the support to PLHIVs by the National Aids Secretariat and provided food items to meet the nutritional requirements of 110 PLHIVs.