Provision of winterisation assistance to most vulnerable IDPs and host community households in Kharkivska Oblast in Ukraine In line with the 2022-2023 Winterization plan and in close coordination with the NFI/Shelter cluster and government stakeholders, the intervention will address the needs of the 3,200 most vulnerable IDP and host community households in remote and hard to reach areas in Kharkivska Oblast. The proposed action will provide core winter items and insulation and winterization repairs of individual sub-standard and damaged homes in Kharkivska Oblast. The project will be implemented with INTERSOS’ local partners Studrespublika and Myrne Nebo: heir vast network of staff and volunteers will ensure outreach to most hard-to-reach areas in Kharakivska Oblast, and to most vulnerable and marginalized people. Bbased on protection cluster definitions of vulnerability and prioritization, the project assumes key vulnerability factors: 1) LOCATION OF HOUSEHOLD: conflict-affected areas at the frontlines or close to frontlines in Kharkiv Oblast, area with no presence of humanitarian actor, remote area with no or limited access to markets. 2) PERSONAL FACTORS: Household composition (large families with children single-headed households), older people (especially single or with mobility difficulties), children. Specific needs of family members. 3) SOCIO-ECONOMIC FACTORS: Level of poverty, loss of livelihoods, assets, seasonality, vulnerability, etc. 4) DOCUMENTATION: availability of documents to register as IDPs and access services
 Since the proposed intervention targets remote areas with difficult, dangerous, or restraint access to markets, in-kind assistance is the selected modality for this activity: 750 vulnerable households in remote or hard to reach areas with limited mobility and access to markets will be targeted through the distribution of heating appliances (stoves, heaters, radiators etc.) and/or solid fuel. 
In addition to distribution of winter relief items, the project will also provide insulation and winterization repairs for 50 IDP households or families hosting IDPs, who are living in remote areas in sub-substandard dwelling and with family members who are People with Special Needs (elderly, children, disabilities) or protection concerns such as women headed households. The selection will also consider safety of the area and risk of destruction due to shelling. Considering the limits of gas systems due to escalating prices and frequent service disruption in conflict affected areas, shelter insulation represents a cost-effective long-term solution for more energy-efficient homes and for reducing the cost of utilities over time.
The proposal has been developed using a holistic approach to provide comprehensive assistance to communities in the project areas. In Kharkivska Oblast INTERSOS, as a part of its Rapid Response Mechanism (RRM), and in collaboration with the local partner Studrespublika, has already been present in Kharkiv City in June and July to distribute urgently needed HKs and NFIs while providing mobile protection assistance and protection monitoring. The complementarity of projects and the coordination of actions also ensures that protection principles are mainstreamed throughout the entire action.
The planned intervention has been designed to complement governmental winterization activities focusing on filling gaps where state agencies cannot reach, such as areas with difficult access, limited basic services and insecure locations closer to the frontlines or not sufficiently covered by humanitarian assistance.
As part of its exit strategy, INTERSOS aims at strengthening the capacity of its local partners and at supporting the sustainability of their operations through the provision of training and capacity building on protection principles, monitoring, and data management. Furthermore, INTERSOS and its partners will ensure continuous coordination with the existing state services at national and guaranteeing a direct link for all activities, especially referrals.