Provision of Life-Saving Cash Assistance to Meet Displacement and Winter Needs of Acutely Vulnerable Populations in Idleb and Aleppo governorates. The proposed cash-based approach will ensure increased access to essential winter Non Food Items (NFIs) and shelter for 3,800 newly displaced households in Ariha and Atareb sub-districts. This will be achieved through targeted one-off cash-based winter assistance (budgeted at $120 p/hh) to protect thermal comfort and support household well-being through increasing capacity to meet essential winter and shelter needs. The cash-based approach is informed by BH beneficiary feedback on 2018/19 winterization and emergency assistance and will benefit from our extensive, emergency cash-based programming experience. Areas have been identified in coordination with other members pre-selected for the S/NFI component of this emergency allocation. During the coordination meeting held in Gaziantep on 30 Dec, it was agreed that BH will target Ariha sub-district and coordinate closely with Shafak to respond to the emergency winter-NFI and shelter needs of new arrivals in Atareb sub-district. As detailed under Section 1 below, the proposed action is evidence-based. Project design responds to the priorities identified by the S/NFI cluster and OCHA for this allocation and confirmed by Rapid Need Assessments completed by BH during Nov and Dec 2019, recent Distribution Monitoring with new arrivals and BHs detailed understanding of needs on the ground and displacement patterns within our areas of operation. Critically, the action leverages BHs proven capacity to successfully access more insecure areas, closer to frontlines and correspondingly under-served by other actors.  

The cash assistance proposed is budgeted at $120 per household in line with cluster guidance and aligned with S/NFI cluster guidance (August 2019) in terms of increasing access to essential shelter and winter NFIs including fuel, stoves, thermal blankets and winter clothing. The approach complements ECHO funding already distributed to upwards of 2,000 newly displaced households served by BH during Dec 2019. BH will endeavor to provide complementary food security assistance to targeted beneficiaries to ensure cash is used for winter and shelter needs, either through complementary BH FFP and ECHO funding, or through coordination with other FSL members. 

Using operating procedures designed for and proven effective to the current context, BHs experienced emergency response field teams will provide rapid, cash-based assistance benefiting 3,800 households / approx. 22,800 newly displaced people (newly displaced within 30 days). In line with our standard operating practices, BH staff will aim to complete 100% beneficiary verification (for all potential beneficiary households) to ensure households assisted have been displaced by the recent conflict escalations. The verification process is conducted through house-to-house visits to each household on the initial beneficiary long-list. Distributions will follow BHs Standard Operating Procedures for Cash-Based Assistance, included under the Documents section. In line with BHs targeting approach for emergency response, BH will seek to assist all new arrivals in targeted communities. This will be supported by complementary emergency response supplies funded by ECHO and DfID as needed. Should need exceed the assistance available, BH will coordinate with other partners to address gaps, adjust the intervention area to focus only on communities hosting IDPs in greatest need or apply weighted vulnerability criteria to target the most vulnerable new arrivals. Weighting would focus on households in greatest need of shelter assistance (e.g. living in collective centers or in the open) and at greater risk of protection concerns, including female-/child-headed households, households with large numbers of dependents or members living with disability and / or chronic illness.  Please see Beneficiary Targeting Approach under Documents section for more details.