The proposed action builds on the improvements already made through the ACCEND project. The overall objective of the ACCEND project is to contribute towards the improvement of the health, nutrition, hygiene and sanitation of the rural and estate communities in the Uva and Central Provinces. The main outcome of the ACCEND project is to strengthen communities and public institutions towards an integrated mutually accountable service delivery system in the WASH and health sector. This will be achieved by the following intermediate outcomes:

1). Vulnerable rural and estate communities with increased access to WASH facilities, improved personal hygiene and sanitation practices, and community driven services managed in collaboration with strengthened public authorities;

2). Improved health and nutritional status within the estate and rural communities through increased access to proper healthcare, knowledge and practices.

Sri Lanka has been making good progress towards the SDGs and the ACCEND project has been contributing towards that progress. But the pandemic and the consecutive economic crisis has threatened the work that has been done towards reaching these goals. The project aims to first minimize the regression of the progress made and then work with communities and public institutions to increase their resilience to face such situations in the future.

With the above in mind, the team proposes the below Outcomes for the new action with the explicit purpose of addressing the immediate and medium-term needs of the communities that have arisen due to the COVID-19 outbreak and the resulting economic crisis in the country. They are:

1). Institutional capacity to address epidemics, outbreaks or pandemics increased.

2). Communities at large are resilient to face uncertainties.