People in the Muna Dalti community in Maiduguri, northeast Nigeria, collect clean water from tapstands constructed by Catholic Relief Services (CRS).

Poor sanitation and hygiene practices are among the biggest challenges affecting the health of those who fled their homes because of violence, as well as those in communities hosting them.

With funding from USAID’s Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA), CRS is addressing problems caused by ongoing disruption of basic services such as clean water and sanitation facilities.

Poor drainage and stagnant water increases incidents of malaria and the likelihood of waterborne disease such as cholera.

Background:

An estimated 10.7 million people in one of the world’s poorest, most drought-prone regions, have been affected by the Lake Chad Basin humanitarian crisis, sparked by Boko Haram extremists. Now in its seventh year, it is impacting Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria. Having re-established its presence in Nigeria in 2000, CRS works with its local partners—leveraging their extensive grassroots networks and capacity to reach the rural poor—in 32 of the country’s 36 states.

Working in 10 local government areas of Yobe State, CRS has been providing a multisectoral emergency response since 2014, including water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), polio and routine immunization, and emergency food assistance for conflict-affected communities. In July 2016, CRS launched operations in Borno State, providing vulnerable households with immediate relief through integrated programming aimed at meeting families’ need for food, living supplies, WASH and shelter.