Winterization support to vulnerable people including PLWs and their households in Takhar, Nimroz and Zabul The humanitarian situation in Afghanistan has deteriorated dramatically, with collapse of government and recent natural disasters across the country, for instance, floods, drought, restriction on women educations and working,  hike of unemployment, over 1 million people left the country and still crisis is on process and the uncertainty of future for some, Due to monetary restrictions  and imposed sanctions on Afghanistan banking system it has negatively affected multiple development activities were closed and people lost employment.as per the WFP 4.7 million children, and pregnant and lactating women are at risk of acute malnutrition in 2022 3.9 million children are acutely malnourished, moreover poverty has been increased and the people are suffering as consequence of insufficient income are not able to afford Food and other essential materials for the upcoming winter, they required to have blankets, cloths and Heating materials in order to protect themselves. In addressing the following challenges precisely and accurately for AHF 3rd  allocation OHW proposes to provide winterization assistance in priority 1 areas Takhar, Zabul, and Nimroz while adhering to the standard winterization modalities recommended by ESNFI. To increase the project's effectiveness, two modalities—cash and in-kind contributions—are proposed. based on the market assessment findings that winter materials and winter clothing are available in local market within the required capacity but blankets are not available in local market therefore OHW would support project household in cash for winter materials and winter clothing and in-kind for blankets.

Through the use of particular ESNFI assessment tools, OHW in Takhar (Namak Ab, Farkhar, and Warsaj districts) will target 915 recently displaced due to conflict, affected by natural disasters, and vulnerable host community House Holds. Each HH will receive a one-time payment of $200 in cash through Boloro (FSP) for heating supplies, 57 US dollars in cash for blankets, and 74 US dollars in cash for winter clothing. In Nimroz (Chakhansor district) 69 PLW households will be assisted with cash for heating materials @ US$200 and 74 US dollars in cash for winter clothing and blankets as locally procured 4 single size and 1 double size in kind. In Zabul (Daychopan district) 131 households PLWs will be assisted with cash for heating materials @ US$200, 74 US dollars cash for winter clothing and locally procured 4 single size and 1 double size blankets in kind.

In Zabul and Nimroz, assessments revealed that half of the responding HH were displaced, with lack of access to basic needs and unemployment as the main reason for their displacement, further increasing their vulnerabilities and exposure to freezing. Because of high coping strategies (82% of the respondents are resorting to negative coping mechanisms) combined with the majority of the people (83%) having a poor food consumption score and 99% having no food stocks at all, people in the assessed districts are severely and acute food insecure. With winter arriving soon, the respondents raised the need for heating materials (69% of the respondents), warm clothes (87%) and blankets (49%). With reduced income, increase in cost of living and limited job opportunities (71%, 44% and 70% is unemployed in Nimroz, Takhar and Zabul respectively) people lack the means to protect themselves against winter and are likely to resort to negative coping strategies to keep themselves warm this winter.

The cash will be provided for heating materials and winter clothing because of market functionality. The blanket will be delivering to the beneficiary because of the bulk procurement and will cost us lower the then local markets.