Food Assistance for Food Insecure Households in Ashtarlay, Khadir, Miramor and Sang-e-Takht districts of Daykundi Vulnerable populations in Daykundi face a complex set of needs. Drought, political instability, macroeconomic crisis and the Covid-19 pandemic have led to widespread illness and mortality and starkly reduced income opportunities in these provinces, depleting households’ productive assets and reducing their capacity to cope with shocks and cover basic needs. The latest IPC data highlight widespread food insecurity (Phase 4) in Daykundi. Recent assessments show that vulnerable households in Daykundi are resorting to negative coping and require urgent assistance to cover their food needs during this crisis.

To address these urgent needs, Afghanaid proposes to provide crucial food assistance to a total of 1,566 selected households in Ashtarlay (390 households), Khadir (390 households), Miramor (390 households), and Sang-e-Takht (396 households) districts of Daykundi, in line with the cluster’s priorities for this allocation and the ICCT Winterization Prioritisation Plan for 2022. Based on communities’ preferences and recent market assessments, Afghanaid proposes cash as the modality for this response. Afghanaid will conduct continued market monitoring during implementation, and may change the assistance modality to (partly) in-kind assistance where market functioning and access declines and/or key food basket commodities become unavailable locally.

The intervention will provide vulnerable households with an unconditional cash for food package in line with FSAC’s standards and guidance for the allocation. The assistance provided will cover 75% of households’ food needs for 6 months, with a value of US$432 per household. In line with cluster guidance, the assistance is planned to be delivered in three tranches (of US$144 per tranche) where communities are likely to be isolated by heavy snowfall, Afghanaid may provide local households with a larger portion of the assistance upfront so that they can bulk buy food staples before access roads are closed off. Project staff will also consult the communities on any protection risks they foresee. Due to the limited range of financial service providers (FSPs) available currently and for reasons of cost effectiveness, the project team will work with a contracted reliable Hawala service in Daykundi to distribute the cash assistance from a central distribution points which is safe and easy accessible for all.

Afghanaid will establish participant selection and distribution committees including representatives from local communities, such as CDCs and DDAs members, representative of persons with disabilities, and OPDs where functional, and Afghanaid staff. Participants will be selected according to FSAC vulnerability criteria to ensure the vulnerable households most acutely in need are targeted, including displaced households, women-headed households, households with a large number of children, Persons with Disabilities.

Afghanaid is well placed to implement this project, with over 5 years of continuous presence in Daykundi, current operations in the area and excellent access and strong relationships with communities. Afghanaid has extensive experience in humanitarian programming, with current and recent humanitarian assistance projects in multiple provinces including Daykundi funded by AHF, WFP and FAO. Further, Afghanaid has approval from local authorities to deliver its programs in the target areas, and will actively engage local authorities to explain that the project can only proceed if authorities refrain from interfering in participant selection and give permission to employ and target women.

This intervention is expected to provide 1,566 vulnerable households (10,962 men, women, boys and girls) with crucial food assistance, helping target households meet their basic needs, reducing illness and mortality, and increase participants’ capacity to rebuild their livelihoods by avoiding the sale of productive assets so that they are more resilient against future shocks.