Emergency Food Assistance for IPC Phase 3 and 4 Households in Ghor and Daykundi Vulnerable populations in Ghor and Daykundi face a complex set of needs. Drought, political instability, and the Covid-19 pandemic have led to widespread illness and mortality and starkly reduced income opportunities in these provinces, depleting households’ productive assets and reducing their capacity to cope with shocks and cover basic needs. The latest SFSA and IPC data highlight widespread food insecurity (Phase 4) and negative coping in both provinces. Afghanaid’s recent needs assessment (attached as an annex) found that numerous households in Ghor and Daykundi require urgent assistance to cover their food needs through the long and harsh winter in these provinces.

In line with FSAC priorities for this allocation, Afghanaid proposes to provide crucial food assistance to a total of 2550 vulnerable households in Dawlatyar (500 HHs) and Dolayna (500 HHs) districts of Ghor, and Shahristan (520 HHs), Khedir (520 HHs) and Miramor (510 HHs) districts of Daykundi, all of which have harsh winter climates and are noted as priority locations for this allocation in the Joint Winterization Plan and the cluster’s priorities for this allocation. The latest IPC report classified both provinces as IPC Phase 4, indicating emergency-level food insecurity in the target locations. Based on communities’ preferences and a market assessment, Afghanaid proposes cash as the modality for this response.

The intervention will provide vulnerable households with a FSAC standard cash for food package with a value of US$180 per household, to cover the purchase of food for two months. In consultation with communities, the assistance will be delivered in a single tranche project staff will also consult the communities on any protection risks they foresee. Due to the limited range of financial service providers (FSPs) available currently and for reasons of cost effectiveness, the project team will work with a reliable Hawala service in both provinces to distribute the cash assistance from central distribution points.

Afghanaid will establish participant selection and distribution committees including representatives from local communities, such as the leaders of Community Development Councils (CDCs) and District Development Assemblies (DDAs), and Afghanaid staff. Participants will be selected according to FSAC vulnerability criteria to ensure the vulnerable households most acutely in need are targeted, including displaced households, women-headed households and households with a large number of dependent children. 

Afghanaid is well placed to implement this project, with over 20 years of continuous presence in Ghor and 5 years in Daykundi, current operations in all target districts and excellent access and strong relationships with communities. Afghanaid has extensive experience in humanitarian programming, with current and recent humanitarian assistance projects in multiple provinces including Ghor and Daykundi funded by AHF, WFP and FAO. The proposed food assistance forms part of a planned multi-sectoral response complemented by Afghanaid’s FSAC-funded agricultural assistance project in the same districts Afghanaid is also developing a proposal for ESNFI to provide winterization assistance to these districts, ensuring that target communities’ needs are met comprehensively. Further, Afghanaid has approval from local authorities to deliver its programs in the target areas, and will actively engage local IEA actors to explain that the project can only proceed if authorities refrain from interfering in participant selection and give permission to employ and target women.

This intervention is expected to provide 2550 vulnerable households (17850 men, women, boys and girls) with crucial food assistance, helping target households meet their basic needs, reducing illness and mortality, and increase participants’ capacity to rebuild their livelihoods by avoiding the sale of productive assets so that they are more resilient against future shocks.