Emergency Cash for Food assistance to most vulnerable IPC 3 and 4 population in Marawara and Nurgal districts of Kunar province APWDO, through this project, will strengthen food security and build resilience of the vulnerable population of Kunar province affected by the increasing conflict, displacement, droughts, impact of current severe winter , unemployment, and political uncertainty. 
The Afghan government has fallen and the new government structure is not formed yet which has hit the country hard in terms of social, economic, and political aspects. Afghanistan has experienced one of its lethal periods in twenty years, seeing a significant rise in conflict triggered by the withdrawal of foreign forces. The latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) analysis, published in October 2021, shows that over 22 million people (55% of the population) will face acute food insecurity (IPC Phase 3 or worse) between November 2021 and March 2022, including 8.7 million people in emergency and requiring immediate assistance. According to the IPC analysis, Kunar province is facing emergency level of acute food insecurity. The drought conditions driven by La Niña, the current political crisis and the emereging threat of ISIS in southern region conflict further compound the food security situation of a population which was already on the brink of a hunger crisis.
In September and October 2021 (the post-harvest season), nearly 19 million people in Afghanistan experienced high levels of acute food insecurity (IPC Phase 3 or above), an almost 30% increase from the same season last year (14.5 million people). The main drivers of acute food insecurity include drought and its impacts on crops and livestock, the collapse of public services, a severe economic crisis and increasing food prices. Conflict along with COVID-19, unemployment, drought, and uncertain governance, has led the population of Kunar province to severe food insecurity. The recent rises in food and fuel prices and closure of the banking systems will push these people into further need and stress. 
APWDO, through this project, will provide cash assistance to 1,503 HHs (10,526 acutely food insecure individuals) in Kunar province to buy food items/commodities. Based on the cluster standards and the allocation strategy paper, every eligible HH will receive USD 180 (Comparable/equal amount of AFA) over a period of 2 months.
The proposed assistance will help affected and vulnerable households to meet their immediate and long-term food needs. After the re-start of banking systems, an official digital payment institution will be the financial service provider which will help limit the protection risks to beneficiaries and allowing for remote cash delivery. Accessibility support will be provided for heads of households that are not able to reach the distribution sites. If the banks are still not functional, local Money Service Providers MSP” institution mechanism will be used. To ensure security and accountability and for remote top-up, APWDO’s first step will be to propose a digital app where the beneficiary households will have their accounts registered to receive two months of cash where the households will receive notifications about their cash deposit to their accounts who can later withdraw the amount from banks. This may be delivered through the local banks. If this modality doesn’t work (as banks lack enough money) the next step is to deliver the cash through local Money Service Providers MSP” institution..
The proposed project harnesses the current functionality of markets in Kunar, but through regular market assessments prior to distribution, APWDO will ensure the relevance of the model and adjust accordingly if necessary. The market assessment results will feed into the CVWG-supported JMMI. After cash distributions, Post-Distribution Monitoring (PDM) will be conducted to assess the impact of the support and identify areas for better delivery protocols in the future.