Provision of emergency winterization response for conflict-affected displaced and host families in Kunduz and Badakhshan The confluence of conflict and COVID-19 has left thousands of people unable to face Afghanistan’s freezing winter temperatures. Over a quarter of a million people have become displaced since last winter and now lack essential NFIs for winter survival. Additionally, the economic devastation of the pandemic has left highly vulnerable communities in the mountains without access to heating and fuel, especially in mountainous areas where temperatures reach as low as minus 17 degrees. This shock risks pushing families into adopting negative coping mechanisms.
To respond to this crisis, Concern Worldwide is proposing urgent winterization support for 690 IDPs in Kunduz city as well as 200 returnees or host communities in some of the most frigid and underserved areas of Badakhshan – 100 households in Kohistan and 100 households in Tagab districts. In addition to being areas of acute, unmet need prioritized by the cluster, these are also areas where Concern has experience with similar projects, either last year or ongoing, and therefore has the access and organizational capacity to respond, as well as strong relationships with other humanitarian actors there.
Concern aims to respond to the winterization needs of IDPs and other vulnerable communities in Kunduz and Badakhshan provinces through providing in-kind winter clothes and blankets for 690 IDPs in Kunduz city and at risk returnees and host communities of 100 households in Kohistan and 100 households in Tagab districts coupled with cash assistance for heating apparatuses (gas cylinder/ Bukhari stove) to the value of $20 and fuel for three months (180Kg of either firewood or LPG) to the value of $180, for a total package of $200 in accordance with cluster standards. The use of cash for heating and fuel support for 680 families in Kunduz city, 100 families in Tagab and 100 families in Kohistan will provide the flexibility to select their most appropriate appliances for their specific shelter type and is backed by recent market assessments and PDMs, while also being in line with cluster standards. To maximize efficiency, all support will be delivered in a single instalment, and while it is intended that the packages will be delivered jointly, households who do not meet the criteria for winterization packages in the district will receive only the relevant assistance.
During assessments and distributions, Concern will mainstream COVID-19 risk communication and awareness messaging and materials―including COVID-19 kits and hygiene promotion ―as well as gender-sensitive behavioral change messaging to positively influence expenditure choices and coping strategies. Since the distribution is conducted in an enclosed space during winter, Concern will limit the number of beneficiaries per distribution and will provide masks to beneficiaries as well as project staff. Sanitizers will be procured for use by beneficiaries and staff during the distribution. Gender, age, and disability considerations will be integrated as much as possible to ensure the response is inclusive to all segments of a community, particularly People with Specific Needs (PSNs). The winterization response will pay special attention to children, the elderly, chronically ill, or those with limited mobility to deliver lifesaving insulation support to the most at-risk groups.