Emergency cash support for shelters to vulnerable population groups in Kabul In 2021, the Afghan people endured increased conflict, the withdrawal of Western forces, and the Taliban's seizure of the country in August following four decades of conflict and an already severe state of increased hunger, economic collapse, food and other basic necessities price increases, and rising poverty in recent years. The resulting political, social, and economic shocks have resonated throughout the country, with the humanitarian and protection situation deteriorating dramatically in the fourth quarter of 2021 and the outlook for 2022 being extremely uncertain (HRP, 2022).

Population growth, internal displacement, and higher-than-usual rates of cross-border return are contributing to increased strain on limited resources, livelihood opportunities, and basic services, as well as an increase in protection risks, especially for most at-risk groups. It is estimated that there are more than 2.6 million registered Afghan refugees worldwide, which makes Afghans the third-largest refugee population in the world. Additionally, there are more than 5.8 million people internally displaced by armed conflict, generalized violence, human rights violations, as well as natural and human-made disasters since 2012. Some 4.4 million of these (76 percent) were displaced due to conflict, whereas close to 1.4 million (24 percent) were displaced due to natural disasters. In 2021 alone, some 1.3 million people were newly displaced as a result of both conflict and natural disasters (HRP, 2022).
 
The proposed project aims to provide shelter support (Shelter repair/upgrade and transitional shelter) assistance to address the shelter needs of 715 households (5,005 participants) in the Doge Tarakhil area of Kabul Province. The participants (beneficiaries) will be prioritized based on the level of need for the three pre-determined areas of the intervention (Transitional shelter average-sized, shelter repair minor, and shelter repair major) by the Rapid Assessment Mechanism (RAM) data that is conducted by the cluster (ES/NFI cluster). The majority of the population in this area is facing shelter damaged by natural disasters which increase morbidity and mortality of vulnerable people, both directly and due to impacts on shelter, WASH, and livelihoods. Homes are often destroyed, and basic household items are lost or damaged. Considering the high cost of shelter repairs, and the already negative net income of households, reconstruction comes at a high cost that may not be affordable for most people. Most Afghan households must choose between meeting basic needs and repairing their shelters and are therefore unable to sustain any major shock that severely damages or destroys their shelter.

The chosen modality for this assistance will be through direct conditional cash transfers to the neediest HHs,   which will enable target participants to access essential shelter repair and transitional shelter support. The cash will be distributed in three installments (1st installment 40%, 2nd installment 40%, and 3rd installment 20%) after monitoring the progress of the work as per ES/NFI standard. This project aligns with NAC’s current programs to add emergency assistance to existing responses in “emergency cash assistance” to ensure that families and their children have access to shelter materials to cope with the harsh summer/winter season. NAC will ensure a gender-sensitive selection process and accessible accountability mechanisms, and the gender-balanced field team will ensure easy access by both genders.
  
All project participants will be eligible to receive cash assistance through the direct cash transfer modality by a Financial Service Provider (FSP)/ local hawala dealers.  Based on the ES/NFI cluster guidance on shelter and Non-food Items (NFIs) assistance the value of the transfer per HH   will be USD. 1,472 for Average sized transitional shelter, USD 330 for Minor shelter repair, and USD 550 for Major shelter repairs.