Whole of Afghanistan - Multi-Sector Needs Assessment REACH, a joint initiative of ACTED and IMPACT Initiatives, aims to increase humanitarian organizations’ understanding of the multi-sector needs and vulnerabilities of different population groups across Afghanistan by providing multi-sector baseline information for the 2019 HNO and for any subsequent adjustments in programming required to the current Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) (2018-2021). More specifically, REACH will undertake a Whole of Afghanistan Assessment  (WoAA) Multi-Sector Needs Assessment (MSNA) in close accordance with all Clusters and in line with CHF priorities to provide comprehensive, quantifiable data for all relevant population groups and provinces throughout Afghanistan in accessible areas and provide indicative information for Hard To Reach (HTR) districts. 

The WoAA/MSNA is part of an effort to encourage a rolling needs identification process in Afghanistan and instill a system-wide and collective approach to data collection and analysis. In so doing, it is envisaged that Clusters will be able to move beyond the current analysis of needs which is limited to the presentation of a situational overview, to one which adequately captures the needs and vulnerabilities of Afghan people and analyses the impact this has had on their lives. Each quantitative and qualitative indicator of the WoAA/MSNA will be designed to inform a critical component of the HNO and incorporate cross-cutting themes and vulnerabilities to ensure a truly inter-sectoral approach to needs analysis. Through the conduction of the WoAA/MSNA, REACH will be able to consolidate information about People in Need (PiN) and establish needs severity across Afghanistan as well as how they interplay and aggravate one another. Said information will complement already available sector-specific information in terms of affected population groups, geographical coverage, or both, and will rationalize divergent approaches to identify and categorize needs. 
The assessments will be conducted in coordination with the Humanitarian Coordinated Assessment Working Group (HCAWG), supported by Cluster-endorsed Terms of Reference ToRs as well as jointly designed indicators, tools and analysis workshops. These previous stages of the assessment cycle will be used to inform the HNO, with findings directly integrated into the chapeau and Cluster narratives of the HNO, capturing key cluster needs as well as multi-sectoral analysis findings. In addition, REACH will use findings to develop an assessment report, after the primary focus on the HNO, which integrates further exploratory findings designed to support Cluster Strategy development for the upcoming year ahead. The assessment report, maps and factsheets produced as part of the WOAA/MSNA, will be available to all humanitarian stakeholders and inform humanitarian decision making and programming. 

The project will benefit the strategic and programmatic planning of the entire humanitarian community, predominantly inclusive of OCHA, the Clusters and Cluster partners. Most specifically, the findings will direct benefit members of the HCAWG the APC, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), Emergency Shelter and Non-Food Items (ESNFI), Food Security and Agriculture (FSAC) Clusters, Health Cluster, Nutrition Cluster, as well as the Education in Emergency Working Groups (EiEWG), and the Humanitarian Access Group (HAG), inclusive of their members and partner organizations. Information collected as part of the action will support the development of life-saving FSAC, Education, ESNFI, FSAC, Health, Protection, Nutrition and WASH interventions. The project will indirectly benefit the most acutely affected members of the Afghan population across the 34 provinces in need of humanitarian assistance. In so doing, it will also reach the most vulnerable populations (e.g. female, disabled or elderly-headed households, etc.) by ensuring that their voices and specific vulnerabilities are captured.