Increasing and strengthening emergency preparedness and response of Rafah community, through NFI prepositioning and community empowerment The proposed action is aligned with the 2018-2020 HRP priorities in the Shelter/NFI sector for Gaza Strip (specifically Objectives 2 and 3). The Action responds to objective 2 of the 2019 HF Allocation Paper for the Gaza Strip, “Preparations for possible future escalations in hostilities will be improved, through prepositioning of stocks and provision of other soft/consumable components for DES and host-community emergency responses”. The intervention proposes to support Objective 3 of the 2019 HF for the Shelter/NFI cluster: “capacity to respond to natural or manmade hazards in a timely, efficient and effective manner is increased”. The proposed project will increase preparedness and response capacity of Rafah communities in case of future escalations of hostilities, specifically through: prepositioning of Emergency NFI kits for Internally Displaced People (IDPs) in Designated Emergency Shelters (DES) and Host Communities (hosting IDPs) establishment and capacity-building of a Community-based Emergency Response Network (CERN), based on existing community-based associations, to provide Emergency assistance (including NFI distribution and protection mainstreaming) to IDPs and to Host Communities during escalations of hostilities. Based on assessments of the international community since 2014, and extensive consultation with key stakeholders, ie Shelter Cluster and Palestinian Authority in charge of 22 DES in the GS (1 of them in Rafah), the project will focus on Rafah governorate. ACTED has been implementing projects in Rafah since 2016 and has already established two Community-based Protection Communities (CBPCs) which contributed to build trustworthy links with the targeted community. In case of hostilities’ escalation, it is expected that large-scale movement of individuals will occur from North East to Mid and South West Rafah (based on past 2014 trends). In total, the project will benefit 8338 people in Rafah governorate: a minimum of 1,353 IDPs and Host-community HH are expected to be assisted by 1,353 Emergency NFI lots under Output 2 (for a total of 6,643 NFI kits) prepositioned during the project and distributed to affected households in case of crisis. Based on a standard calculation using as reference the average of 1 NFI Lot/HH, a minimum of 7,576 IDPs and Host individuals will benefit from NFIs (output 2), based on Palestine’s standard average of 5,6 members/HH in GS). ACTED Project team expects to reach a higher target since some beneficiary HHs will not receive the full NFI Lot including 6 NFIs kits, but part of it, based on HHs’ profile and vulnerability identified during rapid needs assessment following ACTED trigger for the deployment of Emergency Response and 90 community volunteers (including CBOs, CBPCs and community volunteers) will be engaged under the Community-based Emergency Response Network (CERN) and trained in Emergency Response. The project is supported by the mainstreaming of an Integrated Protection Approach, with specific focus on women and vulnerable groups, and a strong Accountability to Affected Populations. Gender principles will be mainstreamed, CERN will be trained on referral mechanisms of protection cases with a particular focus to women and children issues ie GBV. ACTED protection officer will be focal point of the committees to receive and follow-up on cases. During and after the project, ACTED will remain the first Emergency Responder for Rafah governorate to trigger and supervise the Emergency Response plan to be deployed by CERN members. This project builds on ACTED experience in Emergency Response management worldwide and in the region. ACTED is recognized for its capacity in emergency distributions and acknowledged as one of the first Emergency responders, in particular in the Middle East (76 multi-sectorial emergency response projects o IDPs and refugees in Middle East since 2015)