COVID-19 WASH response and pre-positioning in WASH Cluster prioritized districts On March 11, 2020, the WHO declared the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic, due to the scale and spread of transmission. Afghanistan is likely to be significantly affected due to its weak health system and limited capacity to prevent the spread of the virus. Furthermore, its close proximity to Iran, a country that has been hard hit by the pandemic, puts it at heightened risk, with tens of thousands of people and commercial movements crossing the border each day. High internal displacement and a weak water and sanitation infrastructure worsen the situation. To support the efforts of the Afghan government to contain the disease and prevent further spread, the Inter-Cluster Coordination Team (ICCT) published on March 24, 2020 the COVID-19 Multi-Sector Country Plan that outlines the strategic response approach and complements wider plans by the Ministry of Public Health/ WHO. 
By implementing the following activities, DACAAR directly contributes to this plan and to the containment of the COVID-19 outbreak. 
a. DACAAR will pre-position key supplies, namely 29,400 COVID-19 Hygiene Kits. The WASH Cluster estimates that the available regular hygiene kit stock in country can last only up to April 2020 and thus there is an urgent need for replenishment. The content of the COVID-19 kits was agreed with the WASH Cluster and the other partners. Hygiene kits are issued per family of 7 members and distributed two times during the project period by WASH Cluster partners, as well as by DACAAR. Therefore the target is 14,700 families (= 102,900) individuals for hygiene kit pre-positioning. Given that this is a stockpiling project and the distribution of the supplies will be undertaken by all WASH partners, the target beneficiaries will not only be assisted by DACAAR but by all partners. DACAAR will report on the beneficiaries based on reports from WASH partners who accessed the stockpiles. In accordance with the COVID-19 Multi-Sector Country Plan on page 35, the hygiene kits will be stocked in the following 7 strategic geographical hubs: Kabul, Jalalabad city, Kandahar city Herat city Mazar-e-Sharif city Kunduz city and in Taluqan city, with the potential of being moved to locations where need is greatest. These locations are central enough to be accessed from the 41 districts that are currently considered by the WASH Cluster to be at highest risk for spreading the virus due to the volume of cross-border movement and other risk factors (see page 8 of the Country Plan). As the pandemic spreads there will be a need for WASH supplies in the entire country. DACAAR will maintain sufficient flexibility to transfer supplies among the warehouses. 
b. DACAAR will install 150 hand washing facilities with functional water systems assisting approximately 22,500 individuals. The initial focus is on concentrated IDP sites, nutritional centers, border entry points, health and isolation centers as needed, schools and temporary learning spaces as soon as they reopen. Furthermore, DACAAR will provide 1,000 metal buckets with taps for handwashing to families who do not have access to functional water systems or in public locations where DACAAR cannot install hand washing facilities. 
c. DACAAR will scale-up messaging of handwashing at the community level, as part of hygiene promotion sessions and distribute 6,000 hygiene kits to 42,000 individuals. 
d. DACAAR will procure 12,500 kg of chlorine and 75 chlorine sprayers and disinfect common equipment, solid waste management areas, water supply and sanitation systems in crowded at-risk public places, institutions and hotspots. If needed, the chlorine can also be used for water treatment purpose.

As agreed with the WASH Cluster, DACAAR will incorporate stocks readily available from the previous AHF stock-piling project and incorporate the items that are not expired into the hygiene kits. Items will be used on a FIFO (first in first out) method to enable supply of materials while the new procurement is ongoing.