Provision of winterization assistance to vulnerable households in Ferozkoh district of Ghor province According to the Joint Winterization Strategy (dated July 2020), 799,000 people in Ghor will be exposed to harsh winter weather in the coming winter season. Local communities already experience the devastating effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, which has led to widespread illness and mortality, a deep economic recession, and starkly reduced income opportunities. The pandemic has depleted productive assets and reduced communities’ capacity to cope with shocks. This situation is expected to continue through 2020, as vulnerable households are exposed to further shocks including loss of employment, reduced income, and rising prices over the lean season. Afghanaid’s needs assessment (attached as Annex A), conducted in September 2020 in Ferozkoh district of Ghor, found that the vast majority of households in the district are unable to cover their basic needs and resort to negative coping strategies. In response to this crisis, Afghanaid proposes to provide 300 IDP households in Ferozkoh with lifesaving shelter assistance and a total of 1,300 households with critical heating assistance. Based on a unanimous community preference for cash transfers and a recent market assessment (attached as Annex B) confirming community access to well-functioning markets, Afghanaid proposes cash as the assistance modality.

In line with Emergency Shelter and Non-Food Items Cluster priorities as detailed in the Joint Winterization Strategy, Afghanaid proposes to provide 300 vulnerable households in Ferozkoh district with a standard rent assistance package for three months, or US$225 per household. Those same households and 1000 additional households (500 IDP and 500 host community) will receive a standard heating assistance package for 4 months through a cash transfer of US$260 per household. A beneficiary selection and distribution committee will be established which will include representatives from local communities (e.g. CDC and DDA heads), Government departments (e.g. ANDMA and DoRR), IoM and Afghanaid staff. Beneficiaries will be selected according to ESNFI vulnerability criteria to ensure the most acutely in need and vulnerable are targeted, including displaced people, women-headed households and households with a large number of dependent children.

To carry out the cash distribution, contracts will be established with a reliable saraf. The cash will then be distributed at central distribution points in two tranches. Rent assistance recipients will be required to present a copy of their rental agreement, or will be supported to set up a rental contract where such a document is not yet in place. They will receive US$75 as a first tranche, and after submission of their rental invoice, the second tranche of US$150. Heating assistance recipients will receive their assistance in a US$20 first tranche to purchase a heater, and a US$240 second tranche for fuel which will require the recipient to show proof of purchase of the heater. Beneficiaries with limited mobility will be brought to the distribution point or will receive the assistance at their homes. 

Afghanaid is well placed to implement this project, with 19 years of continuous presence in Ghor, current operations in the target district and excellent access and strong relationships with communities as well as district and provincial authorities. Afghanaid has extensive experience in humanitarian programming, with current and recent humanitarian assistance projects in multiple provinces including Ghor, funded by AHF, WFP, FAO, and ECHO. The projects include emergency food, livelihoods, winterization, and shelter assistance, using both in-kind and cash modalities.

This intervention will provide 9,100 vulnerable men, women, boys and girls with lifesaving shelter and heating, reducing illness and mortality as a result of exposure to the cold and increasing the beneficiaries’ capacity to build up their households’ financial buffers so that they are more resilient against future shocks.