Ghor-Taywarah Life-Saving Food Assistance (GTLFA) CRS will support 8729 individuals (approximately 1247 families) in Taywarah district of Ghor province with food assistance through three tranches of cash distributions. As access to Taywarah communities is season-dependent and the current food assistance needs are urgent, CRS will hold three cash distributions valued at USD 120 (in Local Currency equivalent) per family in October 2022, a second one in December 2022 and a third one in February 2022 with this AHF funding that will be equivalent to 6 months 75% of ration per July 2022 FSAC guidelines. 

This food assistance is demanded by the current context and will minimize households’ negative coping strategies, such as reducing meals, selling off productive assets, or migration out of the community. The proposed intervention will target all vulnerable households (blanket coverage) in several valleys of Taywarah, a highly food insecure district of Ghor, with a IPC score of 4 according to May 2022 IPC analysis. 

CRS will use an unconditional cash transfer modality to distribute as high a ratio of the project award amount as possible to target beneficiaries. Details of the cash distribution are described below:

 Ration: Per 2022 FSAC Guidance, a cash-based food basket that covers 2,100Kcal/ person/ day for a family of seven for one month is valued at $80USD.  In line AHF allocation strategy, cash assistance will cover 75% of the cash-based food basket ($60 USD/month) for 6 months, for a total of $360 USD. CRS intends to make the support more precise by ensuring that families under this cash distribution will receive $51.43 per individual in the family (per 6-month period), which means we will ask for family member counts before mention of the cash distribution, and then verify a subset of the counts with community leaders. CRS is currently using this method in Ghor province with great results.

 Money Service Providers: In the absence of banking facilities, CRS Afghanistan uses Money Service Providers (MSP) to facilitate cash transfers from CRS HQ office to Afghanistan to supply cash as demanded by its programs in the country. Cash has been successfully transferred this way to districts in Ghor. CRS has carried out MSP-supported cash payments for projects funded by USAID, United Nations, FCDO, private foundations, and CRS private resources. To select an MSP, CRS announced a tender and asks potential MSPs to participate in a competitive process to provide cash transfer services within the geography of operation. CRS selected an MSP, Hawala, based on the MSP’s competitiveness, financial capacity, and presence in the area of operation. All MSP are vetted through Bridger checks and via USAID’s vetting process. CRS ensures the MSP holds a valid license to perform money services in Afghanistan and is registered with the local government. 

 Distribution Day (three tranches): Cash amounts (based on the number of individuals in the family) will be distributed to an assigned representative of each family. This ensures that large families, which often face the most food insecurity, receive the support they need. CRS staff, community shura, and MSP representatives are all present when each family receives their cash allotment. Cash payments are made in the community, through Hawala, to avoid putting families at risk. Token cards are given to each family in advance so they can present these cards as their identification on distribution day. 

 Monitoring: CRS monitoring staff carry out randomized exit interviews to immediately check-in on and document beneficiary concerns on distribution day. Post-distribution monitoring (PDM) is carried out in-person or by phone 3 to 4 weeks following the distribution to verify the total amount paid to households and gauge their satisfaction level with the activity, and monitor participants perspective on safety, accountability, accessibility, and participation considerations incorporated into the activity.