Interventions under this project have been designed, and will be implemented, in collaboration with key stakeholders and within existing government structures to ensure alignment, compliance to national strategic and response plans, and integration into broader response programs to avoid an abrupt end to services once the project is completed. Due to the pressing needs in Ethiopia, and in Oromia Region specifically, Plan will, as part of its strategic plan for the country, remain active in Oromia beyond the duration of this project and will keep itself informed on the changing Water and Sanitation and Food Security Livelihoods needs. To ensure sustainability of the interventions, the project will build the capacities of existing structures and put in place systems for monitoring and follow up. It builds on existing capacities and structures within the beneficiary population to strengthen ownership of the process and recognize meaningful participation of the beneficiaries in the planning, monitoring and evaluation process. The intervention will encourage the participation of the beneficiary community at large and relevant government and other partners to contribute towards emergency needs as well as resilience building of the affected people. Building the capacity of communities as well as government partners is an integral part of the project activity that pave the way for transferring the responsibilities to the primary duty bearer.

Livelihood = total 15,205 (male 9,092 and female 6113) Water and Sanitation = total 10,707 (male 5,684 and female 5,023) Nutrition = total 8657 (4352 beneficiaries received food via the Targeted Supplementary Feeding Programme and 4305 beneficiaries were trained in health education)

SUMMARY The project aims to achieve enhanced well-being of drought affected people and vulnerable IDPs by means of supporting them in keeping their livestock healthy and offering Cash for Work opportunities to most vulnerable households. The second aspect of this project aims to provide schools and students with clean drinking water and basic sanitation.

Supplementary livestock feeding and vouchers for veterinary services will be distributed to vulnerable rural households, particularly female and child headed households and households with adolescent girls. Veterinary facilities will be equipped with supplies and equipment to provide veterinary services. Vet technicians and community livestock health workers will be trained on improved livestock health management. Kebele/District DDR task force members and sector offices will be trained on gender and child protection integrated Early Warning Signal (EWS), Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) concept and Drought Cycle Management (DCM). Community managed pasture enclosures (Kallos) will be managed. Schools and their students will be supplied with safe water through water trucking. Schools will be equipped with a water tanker. School Water and Sanitation committees trained on school Water and Sanitation. Schools will be supplied with bathing soap for hand washing practices. Targeted Supplementary Feeding Program (TSFP) programming will support food insecure beneficiaries. This programme will include a one day training of 70 female Food Distribution Agents (FDAs). Health education will be given to 4305 (155 Males and 4,150 Females) caretakers of under five children and PLWs.

The livelihood of the communities in the project areas, mainly depend on pastoralists and semi-sedentary pastoralists mode of production, with cattle rearing that constitutes the larger portion of the household herd. Agro-pastoralists mainly grow minor crops. The recurrent drought in previous consecutive seasons, have resulted in crop failure, loss of livestock and deteriorated livestock productivity, exacerbated degradation of natural resources and depleted water sources and pastures. This further leads to chronic food insecurity at household and community levels. The significant yield failure in targeted districts has been linked to poor and erratic rain patterns in 2015 fuelled by El Niño and IOD and has negatively impacted the food security of the target population, increasing malnutrition among children under five and pregnant and lactating women. PLWs and children are the most affected segments of the community. The drought has directly affected the employability and household income of the target population. Vulnerable households have employed negative coping strategies that include distressed asset sales, consumption of immature seeds, indebtedness, tree sales, labour migration, withdrawal of children from school and increased firewood and charcoal collection and sales. Withdrawal of children from school has resulted in high increase of child labour and make the children face lack of protection from any harm that affect their lives. According to school Water and Sanitation assessment of Dec. 2016. about 76% of schools in emergency affected areas are without water. Continuing with school in a drought situation without access to save water is very difficult as children get thirsty, become tired and lose concentration. This forces them to miss classes and drop out the school. Another problem is that schools close, whenever mass migration takes place to areas with access to water, leaving the poorest people who can't afford to migrate without access to schools

Through fodder provision, vet facility and veterinary drug provision to vulnerable households through vet clinics, will improve the availability of fodder and health condition of livestock and reduces deaths of livestock due to drought-induced livestock diseases. The promotion of traditional community managed pasture enclosures through cash for work has two main positive outcomes: the participating households will generate an income and be enabled to protect their assets and community assets will be created to enhance pasture and livestock productivity. Government sector staff in charge of Disaster Risk Reduction will be trained to strengthen their services, in order to improve the Early Warning Signs and enable communities to better prepare for disasters like the current drought. Schools in the targeted areas will be provided with safe water and children will be trained in hygiene and sanitation practices, which will prevent them from contracting potential Water and Sanitation related diseases like diarrhoea. The Water and Sanitation intervention will be complemented by building the capacity of local government and community institutions in order to build resilience and sustainability of the local population. With regards to the nutrition component, malnourished children and pregnant and lactating women (PLW) will receive food via a Targeted Supplementary Food Programme (TSFP) and health education will be provided to caretakers of under five children and PLWs.