Provision of heating assistance, blankets and winter cloth packages to 549 Pregnant and Lactating Women (PLW) and their families in Balkh and Paktika Provinces The project is designed to support Nutrition Cluster in its winterization objectives in the provision of heating assistance, blankets, and winter cloth packages to 549 Pregnant and Lactating Women (PLWs) and their families in two districts of Balkh province i.e. Balkh (334 PLWs), Zari (122 PLWs), and one district of Paktika province i.e. Yosuf Khel (93 PLWs)

This project will be a response to complex emergency, whereas, The UN cites the ongoing macroeconomic crisis, limited access to basic services, and continued decline in the rights of women and girls as major challenges facing Afghans one year after the Taliban takeover of the country. As outlined in the HRP 2022. The primary cluster for this intervention is the ES/NFI cluster extending support to Nutrition Cluster through winterization to PLWs. Thus, this     response is a unique support extended by ES/NFI Cluster concerning additional risks of health and protection for upcoming harsh winter 2022-2023 (expose to -5 and below in coming months). In the said targeted areas there are the high vulnerability level for PLWs and need support in order to increase the coping mechanism and reduce suffering in the upcoming winter 2022-23. beneficiaries identified by Nutrition Clusters are severely vulnerable to the upcoming winter especially children, Pregnant and Lactating Women-PLWs, and people with disability and people with poor economic condition i.e. due to the limited resources, remoteness and accessibility, most people live in dire poverty.

The project is aligned with the strategic objectives of the HRP 2022 focusing on: 
Strategic Objective 1: Timely, multisectoral, lifesaving, equitable and safe assistance is provided to crisis-affected people of all genders and diversities to reduce mortality and morbidity. 

Based on the AHF Third Reserve Allocation and ES/NFI cluster proposed project list, OCHR is endorsed to provide emergency response to provide of heating assistance, blankets and winter cloth packages to 1,089 Pregnant and Lactating Women (PLW) and their families, Faryab province. the project activities are thus formulated as 1) Heaters and fuel support - $200 per family 2) Blankets - $ 57 per family 3) Winter Clothing – $ 74 per family
    The packages will be distributed in three installments with well-defined modality elaborated in logframe section i.e. inline with CVWG guidelines. the beneficiaries will be motivated during the awareness session to utilize the amount for intendent purposes. The distribution of the cash will take place through First Microfinance Bank (FMFB) soon after the PLWs selection is completed by OCHR. A final list of PLWs will be compiled and attested by the relevant staff and authorities, OCHR will issue a beneficiary card to each PLW. This card will include beneficiary details such as name and identification number, date of distribution and entitled amount. The final attested list of PLWs will be provided to FMFB which will help them to identify the PLWs holding specific voucher issued by OCHR and distribute the amount to PLWs. Both OCHR and FMFB staff will be present at the distribution site for verification of beneficiaries, track the right beneficiaries as per the attested lists and ensure proper documentation for record keeping and audit. The modality of cash delivery will be ‘cash in hand’.
As per the ES/NFI guidelines the packages are designed for family size of 7 and a period of one season, however in context of Afghanistan NFI kits are used by the HHs for up coming 2-3 three seasons (i.e. in case of winter clothing and blanket, while heater/fuel only suffice for a particular one season only). The guidelines elaborates the modality as ‘Unconditional and Unrestricted’ and the ‘Frequency of Distribution’ as one-off which will be safe for this project and the project duration will be five months.