UNOPS and the Government of Japan handed over constructed water supply and sanitation facilities in Qoloji camp

The handover ceremony was held at the Qoloji IDP camp on 12 December 2023. In attendance were H.E. Mustafa Mohamed, the Somali Regional President of Ethiopia; Ms. Worknesh Mekonnen, the Director of the UNOPS Multi Country Office and Representative to the AU; and Ms. Satsuki Fukai, a representative of the Japanese government.

To enable IDPs at the Qoloji IDP Camp in the Somali National Regional State have better access to water supplies and sanitary facilities, the Japanese government has donated more than USD $1 million. The initiative additionally backs the Ethiopian government's initiatives to resettle internally displaced individuals in an environmentally conscious manner.

Public health concerns are persistent in the Qoloji IDPs Camp in the Somali Regional State of Ethiopia because of the development of cholera and other epidemics. UNOPS has improved the sanitary facilities and water supply infrastructure with financing from the Government of Japan in the Qoloji IDPs Camp. Through the project, UNOPS, has constructed two boreholes, put in place two water reservoirs, each with a 400 m3 capacity, put in place 16 water points and constructed 10 new improved pit latrines benefiting 80,000 Internally Displaced Persons, mainly women and children.