Food Security Assistance to the severely acute food insecure families in Zabul Province The project will provide emergency response to the multiple shock affected, severe and acute food insecure, displaced, extremely marginalized and vulnerable populations under IPC Phase 3 and above , in Zabul province to improve their household food security and increase their resilience to upcoming/unexpected shocks during lean season through provision of cash for food assistance. Through the proposed project Children in Crisis will provide cash assistance to a total of 14,910 individuals (2,130 households) in 6 districts (Shinkay, Shimalzai, Shah Joy, Daychopan, Kakar and Nowbahar) of Zabul province. Based on the cluster standards, and the allocation strategy paper every eligible beneficiary household will receive $90 per month for a duration of 2 months. The total amount of $180 equivalent to two months food need of an average size family of seven members would be paid one off by a third-party financial service provider. Children in Crisis will use mix of Hawala and ROSHAN MSDM services for cash transfer. None of the mobile companies had operations in some of the target districts, in those districts CIC will use Hawala agents for cash transfer, while in districts such as Shah Joy and Shinkay, where ROSHAN has network coverage, CIC will use ROSHAN mobile money services.  This amount is based on the CVWG and FSAC cluster recommended food basket (calculated based on 2,100 kcal/person/day food need of an average size family and the market price of food items). Market price monitoring will be done before and after each distribution to verify the feasibility and appropriateness of the cash amount. 

Children in Crisis’ interventions will be guided by the Integrated Food-Security Phase Classification (IPC) and the Whole of Afghanistan Assessment findings, to provide standard assistance to address the need of affected population in a dignified and transparent manner. As per IPC, Zabul province classified at Crisis (IPC3) for the period October to November 2021. During the period November 2021 to March 2022, the food security situation in Zabul would further deteriorate as the provinces is projected to fall under Emergency Phase (IPC phase 4) which means in the fringe of a famine-like situation. Out of the total population of 494,813 people in Zabul 247,406 people are classified at IPC Phase 3 or above out whole 173,184 people are considered to be in crisis (IPC phase 3) and 74,222 persons in Emergency (IPC phase 4). 

Children in Crisis will integrate gender and protection across project cycle by inclusion of women, and girls in each phase of the project cycle. This will be achieved through regular negotiation and engagement with the IEA, religious leaders and the community representatives. The protection will be mainstreamed through analyzing all the potential risk toward program participants and applying appropriate risk mitigation measures. This includes assessment of all the beneficiaries considering do no harm and safe programming principles and approaches, identification and selection of safe and easily accessible distribution points, establishment of complaint and response mechanism and post distribution monitoring. Children in Crisis is committed to beneficiary data protection as per the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The contract wit financial service provider will include clauses on beneficiary data protection. In addition, Children in Crisis will share only password protected list of beneficiaries with only one focal point o the financial service provider. With Hawala agents, Children in Crisis will only share the hard copies of beneficiary list which will be collected back at the end of the distribution each day.