Assistance to persons with specific needs and vulnerable persons in Afghanistan with cash, in-kind assistance and referrals to other service providers and provision of Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) Under this project, UNHCR will respond to the needs of persons under the 2022 HRP (prioritizing those with heightened protection risks, and persons with specific needs (PSN) based on the PSN identified codes (10% of the individuals will be assisted based on the 2021 baseline). UNHCR’s PSN programme is an integral part of Afghanistan multi-year plan (2022-2024) that aims to strengthen the protection environment for PSNs and persons with protection risks applying a whole-of-community approach. Assistance is provided on an individual basis to people assessed as having acute vulnerabilities and protection risks. Activities will be implemented in Badghis, Helmand, Kandahar, Lashkargah, Balkh, Daykundi, Farah, Faryab, Ghor, Herat, Jawzjan, Paktika, Samangan, and Nimroz. The proposed activities include:
 Provision of Cash Assistance: 2,500 individuals
UNHCR systematically identifies individuals and families with vulnerabilities and heightened protection risks or require an early intervention to mitigate against harmful coping mechanisms caused by the socio economic crisis as well the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. UNHCR will provide multipurpose cash PSNs based on identified vulnerabilities to mitigate and respond to their protection risks and to avoid adopting harmful coping mechanisms. 
 Provision of in-kind assistance and referrals: 100 individuals 
UNHCR provides in-kind assistance for protection needs to vulnerable individuals such as PSNs including non-food items and referrals to other services internally and externally, for instance to address medical needs. UNHCR in-kind assistance will also target those cases whose access is limited to the market due to freedom of movement, such as women at risk, elder people at risk or people with disability, just to ensure that no one is left behind. 
 Provision of Psycho-Social Services 1,000 individuals
The Whole of Afghanistan Assessment 2021 conducted by REACH in the context of the 2021 Humanitarian Programme Cycle, shows a high level of needs for MHPSS services. 66% of men and 61% of women in assessed households reported at least one behavioral change in the past year, including aggressive or violent conduct by men and crying by women, boys and girls with poverty and financial stress mentioned as reasons. UNHCR’s Community-Based Protection monitoring in 2021 shows that 43% of households assessed since 15 August 2021 indicated that at least one member of the family was exhibiting signs of psychological distress. To respond to this need, UNHCR will provide counselling through individual sessions, separately for men and women, and boys and girls as appropriate in addition to family counselling and groups sessions to community members. These sessions will be provided in different locations based on the preferences of clients, which include but not limited to community centres, clients homes, partners, office and on-site during field missions. Although UNHCR MHPSS services will be focusing on counselling and social aspect, but the cases identified having severe mental disorder will be referred for receiving specialized services though exiting mental health facilities.  
For the implementation of this project, UNHCR Sections - Programme, Project Control, Cash-Based Intervention (CBI) and Protection – will be involved for oversight and monitoring while oversight will be conducted by implementing partners. UNHCR staff receive standard salaries and work on requested projects during the duration of their contracts. UNHCR staff salaries are provided by other sources. Further implementation support will be provided by partners namely ORD, AABRAR, WADAN, CHA, WASSA, WAW. Implementing partners are not provided with 7% PSC because the support costs have been provided within partner budget lines as laid out in the project budget document under the documents tab.