Sierra Leone - Proposal for utilisation of savings from emergency humanitarian relief assistance to flood victims project towards emergency covid-19 relief assistance for water, sanitation and hygiene improvement

This emergency assistance project falls in line with the Bank’s Revised Utilization of Savings Policy that permits the use of savings where the project has been completed and the new operation falls within the broad scope of the initial operation. The operation intends to use a savings amounting to USD 234,074 from the Emergency Humanitarian Relief Assistance Project to Flood Victims towards Emergency COVID-19 Relief Assistance for Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Improvement. Given the current global COVID-19 Pandemic, the Government of Sierra Leone is faced with huge challenges in providing WASH services that are critical to containing human-to-human transmission notably WASH services in Health Care Facilities in high risk districts, especially along border areas, including Koinadugu, Bo, Bonthe and Kambia districts. This has prompted support to the Government by the international cooperating partners to provide WASH Services. The proposed Emergency COVID-19 intervention includes the provision of WASH that falls within the broad objectives of the closed project and does not result in in any significant change in the project scope and description. The Bank’s Grant of USD 234,074 complements other efforts in provision of Emergency WASH in Public Health Facilities in High Risk Areas. The interventions include support to the MoHS to strengthen Infection Prevention and Control and WASH services in priority Government Health Care Facilities that are designated or likely to receive cases of COVID-19 in hotspot districts. The project will be implemented over a 7 months period in an integrated and progressive manner using every available funding to ensure full and complete functioning of WASH services in the health facilities. This will prioritise construction/rehabilitation works to improve access to sanitation and hygiene services to complement other efforts on water supply provision in Health Care Facilities.