Ensuring preparedness for timely and effective response to humanitarian needs arising from conflict, natural disasters and other emergencies in Badakhshan, Takhar, and Baghlan provinces, north-eastern Afghanistan The proposed intervention is an emergency preparedness measure intended to ensure timely and effective response to humanitarian needs arising from conflicts, natural disasters and other emergencies in the north-eastern region of Afghanistan. The intervention will help to meet the urgent humanitarian needs of internally displaced people and families within the targeted provinces of Badakhshan, Takhar and Baghlan as well as those fleeing to these provinces to seek shelter from ongoing fighting in adjacent provinces such as Kunduz. Activities proposed under this project are prepositioning and stocking of tents and emergency shelter material in the aforementioned provinces to ensure timely assistance to the families looking for shelter in camps or informal settlements. Besides this, Non-Food Items (NFI) kits, conforming to the specifications of the ESNFI Cluster, will also be prepositioned for use by the families living in camps and informal settlements and with host communities. The intervention will target an estimated total of 1,458 families or about 10,644 people, using requested project funds as well as Mission East’s own in-kind contribution of prepositioned NFI kits.
The stock levels proposed for prepositioning - 35% of NFI gap coverage and 11% of tent gap coverage of expected caseloads in the north-east – have been determined on the basis of the latest Gap Analysis prepared by the ESNFI Cluster. The somewhat low percentage of tent stocks prepositioned will be supplemented in two ways: one, from Mission East’s mainstream programme which has available earmarked resources and the logistical arrangements in place for rapid procurement, stocking and distribution as per need at the time of crisis and two, using its existing relationships with other humanitarian actors in the region such as Concern Afghanistan for a more coordinated response. Based on recent consultations and our past experience of working together in 2016 for the Kunduz IDP crisis in Takhar, Mission East and Concern Afghanistan have agreed to collaborate closely during all assessment and prepositioning activities in Takhar and Badakhshan over the coming six months. Based on organisational capacities and geographic presence, Mission East with take the lead in Badakhshan with the support of Concern and Concern will lead the response in Takhar with the support of Mission East. Mission East will respond individually in Baghlan. 
Mission East has considerable experience of prepositioning relief supplies for unexpected crises, both as part of its long-running Danida-funded mainstream programme and its implementation of the ECHO-funded Emergency Response Mechanism in 2012-2014.It maintains the capacity of running the warehouses even after the proposed project duration with funding support from other donors and drawing upon its well-established relationships of trust with local suppliers, transporters, warehouse owners and local market actors. The prepositioning locations proposed for the intervention are strategically selected to cover the areas where the chances of relocation are high to avoid time wastage and transportation at the time of crisis.  Prepositioning locations are strategically defined based on lessons learnt from previous experience and understanding of needs  and on Mission East’s available infrastructure and resources and its high degree of access to hard-to-reach areas in the region. Mission East’s activities are and will continue to be coordinated closely with local stakeholders such as the Afghan National Disaster Management Authority (ANDMA), the Provincial Disaster Management Committees (PDMC), the Department of Refugees and Repatriation (DoRR), UN OCHA, the Clusters and other humanitarian organizations.