Emergency survival support to the prolonged IDPs affected by conflict disaster displaced in Ghor and Helmand provinces. The proposed intervention seeks to provide food security survival assistance to vulnerable prolonged IDPs households of Ghor province and Helmand province affected by conflict disaster enduring prolonged periods of displacement (6 months to 2 years) and with it, enhanced vulnerability. Having lost their assets, and their source of livelihoods (agricultural lands and livestock abandoned during displacement), these families heavily relies on external support to provide for their essential needs, including food, non-food items, and health care. Yet, due to low presence of humanitarian actors in Ghor and Helmand  provinces, and stretched coping capacities of host communities to support them, they have received so far no to little assistance, and are in dire need of assistance to cope during lean season of 2017. 

To this end, ACF will be undertaking unconditional cash distribution for 1700 vulnerable prolonged   conflicted induced IDPs households  of Ghor and Helmand provinces, amongst which a large share of prolonged conflict IDPs who have been assisted by ACF (as part of its ERM project). The cash distribution will be based on guideline on FSAC cluster food basket and the FSAC Cluster HRP guidance. 

Modality selected by ACF for all the targeted households it will be assisting in Ghor and Helmand provinces is DIRECT CASH, after identifying the vulnerable prolonged IDPs, ACF will issue voucher and disburse the cash in two months covering their immediate food needs of two months based on FSAC standard package of 2100 Kcal/person/day. 

The market systems continue to function in targeted areas of Helmand and Ghor provinces. According to the HEAT assessment  findings all the IDPs have physical access to Markets, the access have never been limited by security threats or physical constraints. ACF has been conducting market surveillance under ERM project in Ghor and Helmand provinces with regards to supply and price conditions which has confirmed the availability of food and NFIs. All items were found to be available in sufficient quantity and at affordable prices. Ferozkoh and Laskhkargah, being the province capitals, host a major market that continues to function even during harsh winter in Ferozkoh city and massive conflict around Laskhkargah city. This led to the adoption of a Cash Based Intervention approach for the IDPs against in-kind assistance. The HEAT assessment evidenced that all the IDPs can reach to the nearest functional market within 42 minutes.

Delivery of cash to the beneficiaries will be through the existing Hawala system (with presence of ACF staffs), an informal remittance system, prevalent and effective in the country and in Ghor and Helmand provinces. ACF has been using the Hawala system since 2008  with successful results. A distribution plan will be developed to include the scheduling, cash distribution points taking careful consideration on security, mitigate risks, and not  to disrupt market prices. 

Technologies such as mobile phone networks are vulnerable to ongoing conflicts in Ghor and Helmand provinces (mobile communication companies are routinely requested by both sides to the conflict to temporarily shut-down network coverage) therefore it seems that mobile money transfer is not relevant. Banks are usually less accessible to vulnerable IDPs, according to HEAT assessment 13% of IDPs have no national ID card, while the rest holding either Tazkira (National ID card) or election card which hamper access to mobile money or bank transfer. 
The challenges of National ID With IDPs, availability of banks in project area, coverage of mobile networks,  the choice of delivery mechanism through Hawala remains the most efficient and appropriate transfer mechanism. Targeting conflict affected prolonged IDPs families, the project is expected to directly contribute to the Strategic Priority 2017 HRP SO3 “The impact of shock induced acute vulnerability is mitigated in the medium term”