Integrated Water, Sanitation and Education Intervention for Internal Displaced People in Settlements of Baidoa Town, South-Central Somalia

Somalia has been in a state of conflict since the 1990s with a collective impact on families, communities, and societies that widely affects their members.

It has been estimated that around 30,000 people continue to live in extremely dire conditions in densely populated scattered Internal Displaced People (IDP) settlements in Baidoa town with no or inadequate access to basic services.

The activities proposed by INTERSOS are designed to be part of a broader integrated programming between Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) and Education, to improve the well-being and protection of the camp population specifically among children and women.

An impact evaluation was designed to measure changes due to the intervention through a number of indicators of program effect, including learning outcomes, exposure to abuses and violence, and prevalence of water-borne diseases.

The preliminary results show the relative importance of access to basic services like education, health and WASH as social protection factors for the well-being of women and children. Despite the difficult living conditions, violence and abuses reported were low. However, women surveyed reported high level of anxiety and depression as manifested through physical health. The design of a sound integrated programming approach aiming to provide a “safe” zone for women and children living in IDP settings is pertinent to provide the needed social and protection measures in place.