Responding the immediate need of highly food insecure population through cash for food intervention  in Deh-Yak and Andar districts of Ghazni province, Afghanistan. The project target vulnerable population situated in IPC phases 3+. The targeted areas are Deh-Yak and Andar districts of Ghazni province jointly identified with FSAC as most vulnerable and highly food insecure areas in the province. The project targets 13160 persons including children, women, PWDs, elderly, women headed families to secure their immediate food needs for two months through cash for food programming and the total number of targeted households are 1880 Hhs who might be equally covered in the two targeted districts in close coordination of WFP specifically at household and village level to avoid duplication in assistance and bring complementation to the early started WFP operation across all districts of Ghazni province. AREP will facilitate the project following the below phases (1)- Community Mobilization/sensitization and beneficiary’s selection. (2)- Market Assessment (3)- Cash distribution (4)- Post Distribution Monitoring.
Selected households will receive the FSA cluster standard of AFN cash equivalent of two months of complete food basket 90 USD a month, totaling 180 USD for two months, totally 1880 household will receive the assistance. The transfers will be made through a contracted Hawala, depending on on the rate of recovery of the banking sector. The cash assistance will be unconditional and unrestricted. Given the uncertainty of the context, and the scale of the need, this modality is deemed to be most effective and efficient at this time and provide recipients with greater agency in how they use their assistance to support their food security. Distribution will take place on sites accessible to all beneficiaries, including those with access challenges. Specific distribution points and/or times will be organized for women to ensure they have safe and culturally sensitive access to the support. So far AREP has assurance of acceptance of women project staff involvement in implementation. However, the situation is fluid and the humanitarian community, including AREP, is taking an iterative approach to ascertain the impact of IEA rule of law on engagement and protection of women in their receipt of humanitarian assistance. AREPs senior management will engage with UNOCHA and other actors to ensure women’s engagement in the project, maintaining the JOPs and Engagement Strategy, up to a point where it does not cause harm. Distribution will be conducted under observance of Covid-19 distribution protocols established by AREP and recognized by the humanitarian community, including the distribution and use of facemasks, hand washing facilities provided, limited sizes of groups and enforced social distancing. AREP has also developed a package MOPH approved Covid-19 precaution and prevention communication materials, that are aligned to RCCE standards. These will be rolled out during this project and the dedicated Community Health Worker will lead small and socially distanced dialogues with communities and beneficiaries. To minimize protection risks, supported households will be informed of the location, day and time of the distribution a day before. Where protection risks are greater, such as in the case of child headed households or mobility is lower such as in the case of elderly-headed households or beneficiaries with disabilities.
AREP has been a leading humanitarian responder for crises and development interventions since 1996 and have been served many Afghan communities of similar vulnerability throughout the country. Currently AREP is implementing three emergency projects, one in Ghazni funded by Unicef and two in Paktia province, funded by FAO through FSAC.