Provision of immediate assistance to drought-affected people in areas of high needs in Afghanistan. ltpgtWar Child (WC) is proposing provision of immediate assistance to vulnerable returnee and drought-affected people in areas of high needs of Badghis, Jawzjan and Balkh provinces in Afghanistan for a period of ten months. This project will build on the learnings from previously successfully implemented OCHA-funded Child Protection projects in the North-west (Balkh  Jawzjan) and western (Badghis) regions of Afghanistan. The proposed project will support vulnerable returnees from Pakistan and drought-affected population in underserved districts of Khanaga, Shiberghan, Chemtal, Ab Kamari, Bala Murghab, Ghormach and Mugur in areas of high needs based on OCHA-AHF  prioritization in accessing specialized protection services, as well as reduce reliance on negative coping strategies such as family separation, illegal/unsafe cross-border migration, early and forced marriage among others, caused by the impact of drought. People in project locations face challenges like a surge in food insecurity due to declining water sources for farming and livestock, despite community initiatives such as mulching systems and solar powered irrigation. These difficulties are causing significant economic hardships severely affecting children and pregnant women leading to increased protection needs. ltbrgtTo address this, the proposed project will collaborate with existing community structures and NGOs to identify and address protection needs within the community, fostering ownership and ensuring the sustainability of the intervention. The project will facilitate Family reunification and strengthen Community Based Child protection mechanisms through capacity building training, coaching, and mentoring. Additionally, the project will conduct awareness-raising campaigns, and strengthen coordination, referrals, and linkages between CBCPCs and multi-sectorial actors including education, health, food, livelihood, shelter, and water sanitation to foster sustainability for long-term services beyond the project period. Also, psychosocial support services (PSS) will be provided to improve psychosocial wellbeing of the children. through structured and unstructured PSS activities in mobile child friendly spaces. ltbrgtWC will recruit, train, and equip caseworkers and supervisors to provide Case Management to returnees and drought -affected people including unaccompanied and separated children with protection needs and at high risk of abuse, violence, neglect, and exploitation. The War Child, inter-agency case management Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and Child protection minimum standards will be deployed and adhered to, to guide the team in providing quality case management services. The standard case ratio of 1 caseworker to 75 cases per year, and 5 caseworkers to 1 supervisor for effective supervision will be adopted and applied throughout the implementation of case management intervention. Also, a weekly case supervision session between supervisor and caseworkers to facilitate learnings, stress management and quality will be conducted. CPIMS + will be used throughout the case management process. This project will also support the provision of cash for protection through case management for the most at-risk girls and boys with protection concerns to reduce the risk of adopting negative coping mechanisms in the short term. The modality of cash delivery will be through one off cash in hand and the value is USD 200 as per the CPAoR –HNRP 2024 activity costing. ltbrgtlt/pgtltpgtThe project will be implemented in close coordination with and collaboration established community-based child protection committees, the child protection in emergency sub-clusters in respective provinces, and other humanitarian actors working in the same locations to efficiently fill the gap, link with the other ongoing programs, and strengthen the local capacity to respond to the child protection needs in emergencies in the long term.  ltbrgtlt/pgt