Shelter assistance to households affected by conflict and natural disasters in Jawzjan, Sar-E-Pul and Farah provinces Recurrent natural disasters, particularly seasonal floods from April to June, increase morbidity and mortality of vulnerable people, both directly and due to impacts on shelter, WASH and livelihoods. Homes are often destroyed, and basic household items lost or damaged. Considering the high cost of shelter repairs, and the already negative net income of households, reconstruction comes at a high cost that may not be affordable for most people. Most Afghan households must choose between meeting basic needs and repairing their shelters and are therefore unable to sustain any major shock that severely damages or destroys their shelter.

Through this project, UNHCR will target 3,755 households for transitional shelter and shelter repair assistance. Cash will be provided in three and two instalments respectively, following progress of the construction work and in line with the UNHCR Cash Based Intervention (CBI) guidelines. 
For the transitional shelter assistance: 341 households will be assisted with $1,472 for an average sized household each as recommended by the Emergency Shelter and Non-Food Items (ESNFIs) Cluster, conditional on completing set percentage of construction work agreed as per the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and in line with the project set criteria. In Jawzjan, 204 transitional shelters will be constructed in Qaraey and Sardara settlements while in Sar-e-Pul, 137 transitional shelters will be built.
Cash for Shelter Repair (Major Repairs): 1,024 households will be targeted under this component. Based on the Bill of Quantity (BOQ), $550 will be disbursed to each household conditional on completing set percentage of construction work agreed with through an MoU and in line with the project set criteria. In Jawzjan Province, 613 major shelter repairs will be supported in Qaraey and Sardara settlements while in Sar-e-Pul, 411 major shelter repairs will be undertaken.

Cash for minor shelter repairs: 3,755 households will be targeted under this component. $330 will be disbursed to each household in line with project set criteria. In Jawzjan, 2,249 minor shelter repairs in Qaraey and Sardara settlements. In Sar-e-Pul, 1,506 minor shelter repairs assistance will be provided. The project targets a total 49,523 individuals in the areas to be covered during the implementation of this project.

This project will be carried out by a multi-functional team consisting of UNHCR staff, partner Women for Afghan Women (WAW), local authorities and community members themselves in Jawzjan and Sar-e-Pul. 

UNHCR has adopted for these shelter programmes delivery through unrestricted cash grants and the modality has proved suitable and effective since 2019 with households spending the cash grant on intended construction materials/labour as outlined in the BOQs. Site visits, monitoring, engagement with recipients and post distribution monitoring (PDM) exercises continue to support this implementation modality as it affords recipients the choice of when and where to purchase construction materials (from local markets) that meet the quantity and quality specifications accompanying the programme. Cash is preferred by recipients and it’s a cost-effective approach for delivering this programme. The construction materials and services are easily available in local markets and a cash transfer affords recipients the dignity of choice. Cash in transit (CIT) is the preferred modality as per post distribution monitoring findings in the first quarter of 2022 for all shelter projects in Afghanistan.