Food Security and Livelihood Assistance to the extreme vulnerable returnees and local communities in West Anbar, in Iraq Anbar governorate is in western Iraq and shares borders with Syria, Jordan and Saudi Arabia. In early 2014 Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) took control of part of its territory, including Falluja. By the end of June, ISIL expanded their control to 70 percent of Anbar governorate. As of November 2015, to date, Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) managed to retake Ramadi, Falluja, Heet, Rutba and Ana districts leaving only two main cities in western Anbar under ISIL control: Ru'ua and Ka'im. In December 2017, Iraqi Prime Minister has announced liberation of Iraq from ISIL, however the settings of displacement and encouraging IDPs to go back to their origin remains a challenge.  
IDPs in camps and non-camp settings are subject to forced evictions/returns to their areas of origin where they face ongoing insecurity, lack of basic services, lack of income sources, and food insecurity, tribal disputes and explosive hazard contamination, and often end up re-displaced. Consequently, return movements must be monitored to ensure that they are safe, having basic and essential food and livelihood assistance, informed and sustainable. 
 
In response, this project aims to provide food security and livelihood assistance to the extreme vulnerable returnees and local communities in AlQaim and Anna districts in West Anbar. The overall objective of this project is to contribute to decrease the vulnerability of the targeted returnees and local communities in AlQaim and Anna in West Anbar governorate in Iraq. 
The six months project will target 3000 severely food insecure households in the targeted districts in West Anbar under the food security and livelihood intervention (80% will be targeted among the extreme vulnerable returnees and 20% among the most vulnerable local communities). A total of 2500 households equivalent to 15000 (3830 men, 3817 women, 3540 girls, and 3813 boys) will be provided with a food baskets contains (25 kg Wheat Flour, 10 kg Lentil, 10 Kg Bulgur Wheat, 5 kg Sugar,  5 kg Rice, 5 Liter Oil, 5 Kg Macaroni, 2 kg Black tea, 2 Kg Salt, and 1.5 Kg canned cheese).
The food package has been designed through a participatory approach in which beneficiaries have been able to indicate their needs in terms of food item. In addition to that, the designed food basket has been tested on the “NutVal Ration Calculator” and has confirmed that the designed food basket is providing 1888 food calories/person/day for 30 days. (please see annex 1, breakdown of food basket)    

Moreover, 500 HHs will be economically supported through livelihood intervention in the sectors of agriculture and livestock, 250 HHs will be supported through distribution of seeds, fertilizers, and fuel for agriculture farmers and 250 HHs will be supported with livestock inputs (2 female sheep and 1 Male sheep per family) and fodders for animal breeders. (Please see annex 2, detailed BoQs of the items), this will ensure the alleviation of suffering of the targeted beneficiaries through the provision of qualitative assistance to the targeted  families which will enable them to secure income that will help in supporting their family members and children to provide them with nutritional values and improve daily food intake of the family members and children.   
The project will also form community committees among men and women in the targeted area to act as a link between the project and targeted beneficiaries, represent the beneficiaries, and be part of the service delivery monitoring process. The formed committees will be part of the rapid assessment to identify the most vulnerable beneficiaries among the returnees and local communities.