Emergency cash-based support to food insecure households in Mazar-e-Sharif, Balkh province Nearly 20 million Afghans, representing half of the country's population, face acute levels of food insecurity as a result of collapsed economy after the Taliban takeover and severe draught. The situation is further exacerbated by high prices and reduced incomes that have negatively affected purchasing power of people. Estimated 6.6 million people are classified in Emergency (IPC Phase 4), characterized by large food gaps and/or employing emergency coping strategies to access food (IPC, May 2022). 

Balkh province is one of the five most affected according to agricultural data as it suffers from draught, hunger and reduction of agricultural harvest (SFSA 2021, FAO 2021). IPC report estimates 50% of Balkh population is food insecure (20% IPC 4 + 30% IPC 3). According to WoAA (Aug-Sep 2022), 93% of surveyed households cited food being among their top three priority needs. 58% households reported to struggle to obtain food or did not have enough resources to obtain food in the past 30 days and 34% of households reported there was even no food to eat of any kind at times. For 38% of households, high prices are the main reason behind not being able to afford food items at the market, though markets are generally functional and accessible. 89% of households declared to implement at least one emergency coping strategy to meet their immediate food security needs (eating less, borrowing food/relying on relatives, reduced portion etc.). 

The proposed project seeks to help vulnerable IPC 3 and IPC 4 households in underserved areas of Mazar-e-Sharif (PD 6,8,9 and 11) by meeting their immediate food security needs and prevent further deterioration of their situation with the winter season in full swing. PIN will provide continuous 6 months long emergency Cash for food assistance to 1,600 most vulnerable IPC 3 and IPC 4 households (approx. 11,191 people, incl. 5,931 women and girls and 201 PWDs) to support them in improving their food consumption and complement their depleted food stocks. Cash distributions will take place in 6 rounds: each family will receive Afghani equivalent of 72 USD per month/round (75% of the cash-based food basket as recommended by FSAC Cluster), i.e. in total each household will receive 432 USD over the priod of 6 months. Distributions will be complemented with nutrition and Covid-19 awareness sessions to help beneficiary households making informed decision on how to spend the cash support in the most effective way and protect themselves from C-19 by following simple precautions. 

With local markets being functional, stocked and accessible, cash assistance enables the quickest roll-out, considering the urgency of needs, compared to other modalities. It is also cost-effective, attracts less visibility than other modalities, and gives households the choice and flexibility to react to regional/district variation of item prices, reducing their dependency and offering choice, flexibility and dignity in securing their food and other preferred needs. 

PIN has been present in Balkh province including Mazar since 2001. PIN has strong access and consent at the provincial, district and local level, and has an established operational set-up allowing to operate in a safe, efficient and effective manner that does not risk causing harm to communities or staff. PIN has gender balanced filed teams as local authorities authorized women participation in implementation incl. field activities. PIN has been implementing several interventions using cash-based food support modality funded from AHF, Czech MFA and Emergency fund of Alliance2015 targeting nearly 5,400 households in Balkh province (Balkh, Mazar and Dawlatabad districts). Currently, PIN is implementing another project targeting additional 1,121 food insecure families in Chemtal district.