Supporting drought affected host communities and IDPs to meet their emergency food and WASH needs in Kandahar  and Helmand Provinces of Afghanistan through immediate cash transfer modality and WASH interventions By implementation of the proposed multi-sector project Under priority 1, CoAR intended to ensure that 608 drought affected food insecure households- in Kandahar (243 in Maiwand and 365 in Zheray district) and 948 HH in Helmand (656 in Nadali and 292 in Nawa-e- Barakzai districts) have covered their basic food needs for three months. 
According to CoAR past experience and CoAR recent food security project funded by CHF- second allocation 2017, a three-month, cluster-recommended basic food basket will be provided in the form of cash to cover food needs of most vulnerable and affected food insecure households through immediate cash transfer modality. CoAR assessment report indicates that according to context analysis, markets functionality and availability of food items in local markets food assistance in form of cash is the most appropriate model. Immediate cash transfer is monetary assistance and will be in form of physical cash to targeted households that enables direct access to food from marketplace. Beneficiaries will receive life-saving assistance in form of cash in three distributions, as there is a risk of purchasing other items if distributed in one distribution. This will also help to keep prices stable in the local markets and will allow beneficiaries to purchase food before the food prices increase.
Based on WFP food ration, food basket for one month will be worth (90 USD or equaling AFN @ the rate of market). This is in line with WFP strategy and covers approximately 100% of the monthly food needs of an average afghan family (7 members). Therefore, female-headed households, households with chronically ill, disabled, elderly, lactating or pregnant women, and children under five affected by drought, will receive cash grant in three instalments to cover their food needs for three months. 
CoAR will locally identify shops to offer food items to beneficiaries on reasonable prices. To equip beneficiaries with proper use of cash granted, CoAR will hold separate brain storming sessions for male and female beneficiaries, so beneficiary better understand the nutrition values of different food items, good food storage practices, dietary diversity, good cooking practices and they will purchase food items, which could appropriately satisfy their family’s nutrition needs. 
A market monitoring system will be put in place throughout the duration of the project in all targeted
areas to ensure that project does not disturb markets systems.

Under priority 3 (WASH), CoAR rapid assessment indicates that lack of accesses to safe drinking water in drought affected communities, lack of hand washing facilities, latrines and bathing facilities, lack of awareness on importance of hand washing and use of latrine, poor understanding of hygiene practices and using unsafe water, these all together lead to increase water borne diseases. Above mentioned challenges are main deficits of drought affected people and IDPs in target villages. During the survey, these factors were identified by more than 88% of the respondent as major challenges of the affected population. It was also found that households consume less than 9.3 liters’ water per person per day below Sphere indicator of 15 liters per person per day. Thus CoAR targets 73,220 individuals (19,769 men, 24,163 women, 19,447 boys and 16,841  girls) in Kandahar province through access to sufficient safe drinking water, construction of adequate gender sensitive sanitation facilities, motorized piped schemes at communities, health centers and schools, drilling of 13 new wells, Drilling of 4 wells with solar system and reservoir at health centers and Schools, Providing water trucking, providing hand washing, sanitation facilities at target communities and providing drinking water at health centers and schools. Promotion activities will be accompanied by the distribution of hygiene Kits just for displaced people and hygiene promotion session.