REACH support to Cluster Assessments and Information Management in Afghanistan The proposed action will aim to collect and disseminate key information on informal settlements (ISETs) and the sector-specific needs and vulnerabilities of their inhabitants (Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), prolonged IDPs, returnees, etc.) in four regions of Afghanistan, as well as education and child protection needs and vulnerabilities of displaced populations across the country.

In accordance with current Cluster priorities, REACH, a joint initiative of ACTED and IMPACT Initiatives, ACTED’s sister organization, will carry out:
1) a food security assessment in ISETs of Faryab, Jawzjan, Saripul, Balkh and Samangan provinces (North region) and Herat, Farah, Ghor and Badghis provinces (Western region) and 
2) a Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) and Shelter assessment in ISETs of Kabul, Kapisa, Logar (Central region), Paktya, Khost and Paktika provinces (South Eastern region) and Nangarhar, Nuristan, Kunar and Laghman provinces (Eastern region) and
3) a nationwide Education in Emergencies (EiE) and Child Protection in Emergencies (CPiE) Joint Needs Assessment (JNA). 

The assessments will be conducted on the basis of Cluster-endorsed Terms of Reference (ToRs), tools and indicators, and will aim to reach most vulnerable populations (e.g. women, female- or elderly-headed households, etc.). Maps, factsheets and assessment reports will be disseminated, and will help inform humanitarian programming. The project will directly benefit the members of the Afghanistan Protection Cluster (APC), WASH, Emergency Shelter and Non-Food Items (ESNFI) and Food Security and Agriculture (FSAC) Clusters, and will indirectly benefit the population of ISETs across 19 provinces and other displaced populations nationwide.

As demonstrated by a number of reports (e.g. REACH’s Food Security Assessment in Kabul and Nangarhar Amnesty International’s “My Children Will Die This Winter” in ISETs, ISETs are home to vulnerable populations whose humanitarian needs are not sufficiently covered. ISETs populations’ vulnerability is compounded by their isolation and legal status, which increases their exposure to vital threats such as food insecurity, severe acute malnutrition, water-borne and infectious diseases, etc. ISETs are often left out of key national surveys, and therefore little is known about their needs. Population groups that are represented in ISETs were identified as populations of concern in the 2017 HNO and HRP. Of particular concern is the creation or rapid expansion of ISETs, fueled by the arrival of returnees or IDPs. In addition, in the context of widespread and large-scale population displacement, access to education and child protection have become major interrelated concerns across the country. As humanitarian resources allocated to EiE and CPiE are limited, the need for comprehensive assessments to inform needs-based decision-making was stressed by the APC and the Ministry of Education (MoE), and discussed amongst EiE and CPiE partners. 

Information collected as part of the action will support the development of life-saving WASH, ESNFI, FSAC and Protection interventions, and will inform the Clusters regarding populations that are not at present sufficiently understood or included in humanitarian planning, supporting the reevaluation of humanitarian thresholds that will serve to determine the eligibility of specific caseloads for specific types of humanitarian assistance and contributing to the development of the next HNO and HRP.

In addition, REACH will provide capacity development to improve the efficiency and impact of the HCT-endorsed Household Emergency Assessment Tool (HEAT) through the development of standard analysis and reporting tools, and 11 trainings, including a Training of Trainers (ToT) aimed at addressing data interpretation and management gaps.