COVID-19 Emergency Response through Health Support for the People at risk in Kabul, Herat, Kandahar, Balkh and Nangarhar provinces in Afghanistan The proposed project is aiming contribute to the lifesaving efforts including reducing the impact of COVID-19 in in Kabul, Heat, Kandahar, Balkh and Nangarhar provinces in Afghanistan through community engagement, identifying the COVID-19 cases and referral to existing health facilities, mass awareness raising through different communication channel, and production and dissemination of Information Education Communication (IEC) materials for raising public awareness. The project is designed as per the needs and gaps identified by the health cluster for the AHF 3rd Reserved Allocation 2020. The project will reach out to 60,000 direct beneficiaries at risk (women-21,000, men-18,000, girls-10,800, boys-10,200) and 100,000 indirect beneficiaries in targeted districts in in Kabul, Herat, Kandahar, Balkh and Nangarhar provinces. The project focuses on providing support to the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) to better respond to the unprecedented health situation. The project will also equip MoPH with COVID-19 dedicated ambulances at each province to be used for transfer of COVID patients/suspects from/to house, hospitals, and quarantine centers to help provide standard service and avoid its spread. The project also aims to raise awareness of people at large particularly those in high risk areas about how to protect themselves from COVID-19 and its spread to others.

The project will use it Faith Driven Approach (FDA) to mobilize people and make them aware why and how to protect from the pandemic from the religious perspective, Afghanistan being a strong conservative and religious society. Women and men Community leaders, religious leader and community health workers and members of CDCs will be actively engaged while using FM radio, TV and other communication tools. MoPH approved messages on COVID-19 will be disseminated, safe and sustained communications channels will be followed through engagement of local community. RCCE WG will be communicated regular basis for setting the communication methodologies and tools. IRW will ensure coordination with RCCE WG to ensure mode of risk communication and community engagement, and rumor tracking.

This six-month project will arrange community outreach and awareness raising activities. The project will disseminate COVID-19 awareness messages through local FM radios, TV Channels, and Cable TV Networks. The project will also interact with the Faith Leaders (Imam), community leaders, and women leaders through engaging them to motivate people individually so that the COVID-19 awareness messages can be reached in the remote rural areas. The project will also provide precautionary and protection measures on COVID-19 to the project staff to ensure their safety and avoid the transmission of the virus to the project beneficiaries. The project will distribute COVID-19 specific health items to the highly vulnerable families in the targeted areas so that they can protect themselves from COVID19 and from further spreading. The project team will help with referral of cases to MoPH/DoPHs through gathering information about any person with symptoms of COVID19 via mobile call by local elders or community leaders or CDC. Regarding the logistic support, the project will pay cost for ambulance for bringing the suspected patient to hospital. 

IRW in Afghanistan has field offices and strong presence in the proposed provinces including community acceptance and government trust. IRW is already implementing projects from donors like UNOCHA and our other partners in these areas. IR Afghanistan has already started COVID-19 response through distributing health kits, PPEs, N95 Masks, continued awareness raising through local FM radios, distributing leaflets, maintaining close collaboration with the relevant Health and other Clusters including Ministry of Public Health (MoPH). The project will be implemented in close coordination with the MoPH, UNOCHA, Health Cluster and other stakeholders.