Enhancing Food Security, WASH and Protection support for Hard to Reach prolonged IDPs in northern Afghanistan This multi-sector Action addresses the food assistance/WASH needs of the most vulnerable/severely food insecure prolonged internally displaced person (PIDP) households and host community households in Faryab, Kunduz and Takhar provinces. The intervention also responds to beneficiaries’ protection needs through promoting improved awareness of mines/explosive remnants of war (ERWs). 

The lead partner ACTED, along with project partners DACAAR and the Halo Trust, will carry out the following interventions:

1) ACTED will provide cash for food assistance to 2,000 prolonged IDP households in the following provinces/districts: (1) Faryab: Almar and Pashtunkot (2) Kunduz: Chahar Dara Dashte Archi, Imam Sahib, Khanabad, and Qala-i-Zal, and (3) Takhar: Khwaja Ghar. Those identified as highly food insecure will receive USD 90 cash-for-food for a period of two months. ACTED’s initial needs assessment (Annex IV – 2017) shows that currently over half of surveyed PIDP households reported having no food stocks, hence, the Action is urgently needed to ensure the food security of the most vulnerable target PIDPs does not worsen to crisis levels in the hunger season.   

2) DACAAR will conduct a 12-month WASH intervention targeting 17,500 IDPs in Kunduz. To improve access to safe drinking water, DACAAR will establish 70 new water points and rehabilitate a further 50 pre-existing water points, and provide water trucking for up to a maximum of 60 days, based on the cluster standard provision of 15 liters per person per day. DACAAR will also provide 600 hand washing facilities and distribute bio-sand filters (350 households). In addition, DACAAR will target 2,500 families for hygiene promotion trainings. 

3) The Halo Trust will carry out a 12-month intervention across five districts of Kunduz, providing Mine Risk Education sessions to 15,398 individuals. These sessions are designed to increase knowledge of the risks of ERWs and promote communication between communities and the organizations which carry out mine/ERW clearance. In addition, Halo will execute a Mine and ERW Impact Free Community Survey (MEIFCS). Subsequent surveys will be executed throughout the project as new sites are identified through local intelligence. Halo will also execute Spot Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) of dangerous items.

There is significant complementarity between partners’ interventions in a number of areas. The partners established areas of access/programming are shared across the provinces, for instance Halo benefits from ACTED’s infrastructure, access/acceptance in and knowledge of Kunduz province. Initial needs assessments (Annex IV) show that caseloads identified as the most food insecure also lack access to safe drinking water. ACTED and DACAAR’s joint beneficiary selection will mean that all IDPs/host community members who demonstrate both FSAC and WASH needs will receive both forms of assistance. Additionally, cash-for-food/WASH assistance have been shown to lower the incentive for vulnerable communities to enter ERW contaminated areas to look for food/water. 

This Action features a number of integrated protection measures designed to address both generalized protection risks (such as through ACTED’s Complaints Response Mechanism), as well as component-specific measures relating to each of the sectors. This Action integrates protection principles in the following ways: 1) During all partners’ needs assessments, data on vulnerable groups, such as female/disabled headed households will be collected. ACTED will ensure that locations for distributions are safe/accessible to all, with women receiving their assistance separately and 2) Through surveying/clearing mines and ERWs, this initiative expands the scope of Action for other life-saving actions, improving access to aid for neglected communities through allowing both field staff/beneficiaries to live/operate more safely within post-conflict environments.