WASH Humanitarian Response to Natural Disasters (Earthquake and Drought) Affected Communities in Khost and Farah Provinces The proposed project will target vulnerable and underserved communities, including earthquakes and drought-affected communities in areas of highest need in the Spera district of Khost and Pushtrod district of Farah provinces. The project, implemented directly by the OCHR, continuing recent and long-standing interventions in these areas, is aligned with the AHF 3rd RA Strategy Priorities and Afghanistan ICCT Winter Prioritization Plan (Issued 29 August 2022) and has been coordinated through relevant fora, notably the WASH Cluster. Targeting 3,883 vulnerable Households-HHs (1348 Khost amp 2535 Farah) consisting of 28,740 individuals(9,435 Khost amp 19,305 Farah) under the WASH humanitarian assistance, OCHR proposes to provide a combination of water, sanitation, and hygiene promotion activities in targeted areas. 
Based on ICCT winter Prioritization Plan, Farah is one of the 14 high-priority provinces affected by drought and will face water scarcity during the upcoming winter period. Furthermore, as per the 2022 WoA mid-year report findings, Khost is one of the 14 high-priority provinces affected by AWD, in particular, the children under 60 months. 
The activities will revolve around the priorities indicated in ICCT Winter Prioritization Plan, including 1. Pre-position critical WASH supplies in existing and additional remote area warehouses, 2. 
Distribution of water quality testers, chlorine tablets or sachets, hygiene kits, and culturally appropriate menstrual supplies, 3. Safe water supply rehabilitation, construction, and chlorination, 4. Hygiene promotion focusing on the continuity of proper water-efficient handwashing with soap at critical times, 5. Rehabilitation of their sanitation facilities(In-kind). 
It is critical in this moment in time to provide immediate support to underserved and vulnerable communities that are affected by AWD and drought: 
- To prevent further displacement: a significant number of communities are leaving their homes to search for water. 
- To prevent AWD cases: a surge in AWD and cholera have been reported recently. It is expected to reach its peak during the winter season due to a lack of access to sufficient WASH facilities. 
- To prevent communities from falling into deeper poverty. And to ensure that the conditions of women and girls do not degenerate deep poverty and deprivation have a heavy toll on women and girls, often more vulnerable and more exposed to risks, especially GBV.
To meet the need for critical WASH supplies, 858 Hygiene kits will be supplied from AHF stock and distributed to the most vulnerable AWD-affected HHs. In addition, each hygiene kit will contain 300 Aqua tabs (each tab 67mg). Furthermore, OCHR will equip 10 trained WASH committees with 10 water quality testers, including consumables from UNICEF/AHF pre-position stocks. Furthermore, to fulfill the unmet sufficient and safe water needs of 28,740 individuals, OCHR has proposed the construction of 10 solar-powered piped schemes (four Khost amp six Farah), the Rehabilitation of 15 existing wells (Khost), and the Chlorination of 110 existing wells (45 Khost amp 65 Farah) will be constructed. Placement of water points within the communities will reduce the burden on women and girls, who currently spend, on average more than 20 minutes one-way to reach a water point. To rehabilitate sanitation facilities, OCHR will be provided in-kind support to 478 affected HHs to repair existing sanitation facilities. 335 hygiene and sanitation promotion sessions will focus on diarrhea prevention strategies, discouraging open defecation, critical times to wash hands with soap, menstrual hygiene management, COVID-19 prevention, and safe HH water treatment.