Emergency Health, Protection  WASH Response for Afghanistan Afghanistan is expected to face higher levels of violence and displacement in 2020. It is already considered the deadliest conflict in the world, and the generator of the second largest displaced and refugee population. 
	
In 2019, countrywide trauma needs increased by 28% in comparison to the previous year. Yet, essential surgical care fall outside of Afghanistan’s basic health service package (BPHS). Women and girls disproportionately lack access to basic services and trauma care, and face higher levels of morbidity and mortality, especially in rural areas. 

Where trauma care does exist, survivors are usually treated for physical injuries, and rarely referred to or treated by mental health counsellors. Countrywide, there is a scarcity of community-based support, social services, and mental health counselling. Despite the GBV prevalence in Afghanistan, access to formal services or support for GBV is limited.

With already poor WASH conditions, conflict and disaster-induced internally displaced persons and host communities are at a much higher risk of morbidity and mortality due to lack of access to clean water sources, and poor sanitation and hygiene, contributing to higher malnutrition rates among children, and women.

To address these unmet needs, Relief International’s proposed 12-month integrated health, protection, and WASH program will target conflict-affected internally displaced persons (IDPs) and host communities in hard to reach districts Nimroz, Farah, Paktya (Paktia), Paktika, and Nangarhar. In line with the HRP and cluster priorities, RI’s response will: deploy five mobile health teams to underserved, conflict affected areas and ‘white areas’ where services are located more than two hours away establish 12 FATPs, renovate emergency rooms, support expanded ambulatory services to increase access to first aid and trauma services and provide additional supplies and training to build health capacity in emergency/trauma management. 

GBV prevention and response will be integrated into RI’s health programming: in line with Afghanistan’s HRP and the APC’s approach and prioritization, RI will focus on preventing, mitigating and responding to GBV, particularly early/forced child marriage, exploitation, and abuse through community engagement. Additionally, RI will build capacity of ‘duty carers’ and mainstream protection principles through targeted training to female healthcare workers, and the establishment of women friendly health spaces (WFHS). 

Finally, RI’s proposed WASH intervention will expand access to adequate and safe water and sanitation facilities ensure basic hygiene and dignity needs are met, in response to the actual needs in the target areas. RI will apply different approaches, including basic rehabilitation of ground water catchment systems to rehabilitation of broken down water systems. The sanitation component will include rehabilitation of sanitation facilities in public facilities hosting IDPs such as in public schools, temporary learning centers, health facilities and nutrition centers. Lastly, hygiene promotion will be an essential component of RI’s intervention and supported by distribution of family hygiene kits through the cash and voucher approach where markets are functional.

In total, RI plans to directly reach 82,516 individuals in the targeted locations.