Emergency Food Assistance for Households in Pasaband Vulnerable populations in Ghor face a complex set of needs. Drought, political instability, macroeconomic crisis and the Covid-19 pandemic have led to widespread illness and mortality and starkly reduced income opportunities in these provinces, depleting households’ productive assets and reducing their capacity to cope with shocks and cover basic needs. The latest IPC data highlight widespread food insecurity (Phase 4) in Ghor. Afghanaid’s recent needs assessments found that vulnerable households in Ghor are resorting to negative coping and require urgent assistance to cover their food needs during this crisis.

In line with FSAC priorities for this allocation, Afghanaid proposes to provide crucial food assistance to a total of 1362 selected households in Pasaband district of Ghor, which is line with the cluster’s priorities for this allocation. Based on communities’ preferences and recent market assessments, Afghanaid proposes cash as the modality for this response. Also recent market monitoring data suggests that cash will be an appropriate modality, and a continued market monitoring will be conducted before the modality is finalized.

The intervention will provide vulnerable households with an unconditional cash for food package in line with FSAC’s standards for the allocation, with a value of US$360 per household, to cover the purchase of food for 6 months. In consultation with communities, the assistance will be delivered in three tranches (each with $120) project staff will also consult the communities on any protection risks they foresee. Due to the limited range of financial service providers (FSPs) available currently and for reasons of cost effectiveness, the project team will work with a contracted reliable Hawala service in Ghor to distribute the cash assistance from a central distribution points which is safe and easy accessible for all.

Afghanaid will establish participant selection and distribution committees including representatives from local communities, such as the leaders of Community Development Councils (CDCs) and District Development Assemblies (DDAs) where functional, and Afghanaid staff. Participants will be selected according to FSAC vulnerability criteria to ensure the vulnerable households most acutely in need are targeted, including displaced households, women-headed households and households with a large number of dependent children. 

Afghanaid is well placed to implement this project, with over 20 years of continuous presence in Ghor, current operations in the area and excellent access and strong relationships with communities. Afghanaid has extensive experience in humanitarian programming, with current and recent humanitarian assistance projects in multiple provinces including Ghor funded by AHF, WFP and FAO. Further, Afghanaid has approval from local authorities to deliver its programs in the target areas, and will actively engage local authorities to explain that the project can only proceed if authorities refrain from interfering in participant selection and give permission to employ and target women.

This intervention is expected to provide 1,362 vulnerable households (9,534 men, women, boys and girls) with crucial food assistance, helping target households meet their basic needs, reducing illness and mortality, and increase participants’ capacity to rebuild their livelihoods by avoiding the sale of productive assets so that they are more resilient against future shocks.