Provision of emergency winterisation assistance to vulnerable households in hard-to-reach areas in Kharkivska, Dnipropetrovska and Donetska ltpgtIn line with the 2023-2024 Winter Response Plan and in coordination with the NFI/Shelter cluster and government stakeholders, the proposed project will meet the basic emergency Shelter needs of the most vulnerable, conflict-affected people living in rural and hard to reach areas in Kharkivska, Dnipropetrovska and Donestska. INTERSOS is proposing an evidence-based approach, drawing upon its expertise developed during the winter 2022-2023 (Annex A). Based on Protection Cluster definitions of vulnerabilities and priorities, the project with target: 1) Elderly individuals, as they are more susceptible to cold-related health problems, have limited mobility or health issues that make them more vulnerable, have limited source of income that prevent them from purchasing winterization items as well as paying for transportation from hard-to-reach areas to main urban settlements to access services and the market 2) People with disabilities as they may face challenges in accessing appropriate shelter, winterization items and transportation during winter. People with physical disabilities have limited access to services and the market 3) Low-income families: those with limited financial resources struggle to afford heating, energy supplies and NFI 4) Large-size families which are families with 5 or more family members that face financial constraints to afford heating, energy supplies and NFI and are often living in houses where the living conditions are poor and in situation of overcrowding 5) Communities in hard-to-reach and remote areas: access to resources, services and emergency assistance during winter may be limited for such communities due to the road conditions, the distance from the main urban settlements, the unavailability on the local market of winterization items and the consequent need to reach far locations to procure such items.ltbrgtThis six-month intervention will target 2,981 individuals through four local partners INTERSOS has selected to operate in areas that are hard-to-reach due to logistical challenges such as limited road access (Kharkiv raion and Kriviy Rih raion) and conflict-affected areas (Kupyansk and Donetsk). The Action will provide winter heating, NFIs, support to winter energy needs and provide capacity strengthening to local partners in line with INTERSOS’ Localisation approach. INTERSOS streamlines capacity strengthening into all projects, working in collaboration with local partners to identify programmatic, technical or institutional areas for improvements and creating an action plan in line with their priorities. ltbrgtINTERSOS has selected to operate through four local partners across the three oblasts, who have previously signed MoU under separate Actions. ltbrgtThe proposal has been developed using a holistic approach to provide comprehensive assistance to communities in the project areas. INTERSOS has experience in distributing NFIs in both Kharkiv and Donetsk oblasts, both as a part of its Rapid Response Mechanism (RRM) and regular programming. The complementarity of projects and the coordination of actions also ensures that protection principles are mainstreamed throughout the entire action. The planned intervention has been designed to complement governmental winterization activities focusing on filling gaps where state agencies cannot reach, such as areas with difficult access, limited basic services and insecure locations closer to the frontlines or not sufficiently covered by humanitarian assistance. As part of its exit strategy, INTERSOS aims at strengthening the capacity of its local partners and at supporting the sustainability of their operations through the provision of training and capacity building on protection principles, monitoring, and data management. Furthermore, INTERSOS and its partners will ensure continuous coordination with the existing State services at national level and guaranteeing a direct link for all activities, especially referrals. ltbrgtlt/pgt