nlp-thedeep/humsetbias huggingface dataset:
The applicability of alternative pathways of Ministry of Education  ( distance learning and self learning )  for surveyed projects: Swedish International Developemtn Cooperation Agency Education in Emergencies   No: 41.8%, Yes, 58.2%
Type of Power: 44% of households have access to public electricity and are mainly settled in cities; 40.8% use solar for their power needs, while only 1% percent have generators and 15.2% do not have access to any kind of power.
Data from the Whole of Afghanistan Assessment shows that 81 per cent of vulnerable non displaced households reported not taking any preventative measures to stop the spread of COVID 19.
On 24 August, ARCS  [ Afghan Red Crescent Society ]  assisted 165 households with food, NFI and hygiene in Jalriz district and provided emergency shelter/tents to eight households.
Ongoing needs: While responding to COVID 19, humanitarian partners are also mobilising to respond to needs in southern Afghanistan where tens of thousands of people have been displaced by conflict placing them at greater COVID19 risk and where there has been a surge in trauma cases.
While men engaged in the informal sector are slightly more likely to be covered by health insurance , overall access to health insurance for both men and women is extremely limited/non existent. This is because no large scale insurance schemes are present in the country.
More women than men noted a drop in income from charity, government support and savings. 70% of the female respondent noted a drop in income from properties, investments or savings. 69% of the male respondents noted a drop in income from other family business.
Among refugees and IDPs, more women than men noted that the closures had affected their families. In the wake of the closures, parents have been forced to step up to provide teaching support to their children.
Few comprehensive follow up activities exist for these children beyond family reunification – and currently no programme responds to the specific threats imposed by COVID 19 on deported minors.
As much as 63 per cent of host community respondents working in informal employment have lost their jobs.
Health Cluster:2,742 community health and first aid volunteers across 30 provinces trained in psychosocial first aid and risk communication
Need assessments for 9,590 IDPs are ongoing in Kabul, Kapisa, Khost and Paktya provinces. Approximately 6,685 people received winter assistance in Parwan and Paktya provinces. In addition, 9,653 people were identified by interagency assessment teams to receive winter assistance in Daykundi province.
WASH Cluster:3,123,622 people reached with WASH assistance including through hygiene promotion, hand washing and distribution of hygiene kits.189,802 hygiene kits distributed, reaching 1,144,882 people. More than 5.4m bars of soap distributed in 376 districts across the country.
Health Cluster:3,931 healthcare workers trained in surveillance and risk communication in contested areas.2,000 beds made available for isolation and intensive care. Medical equipment provided for 1,642 isolation beds across all 34 provinces
Health Cluster: 4,731,242 people reached with risk communication and community engagement messages by health partners. 596,252 people traced through Health Cluster surveillance systems since the start of the crisis. IPC training conducted for 4,350 healthcare workers
Health Cluster:34,000 polio surveillance volunteers engaged in surveillance, case identification and contact tracing. 8,954 polio surveillance volunteers trained on raising COVID 19 awareness, clinical diagnosis, case identification and contact tracing.536,363 people screened at points of entry by Health Cluster partners.
Continuation of essential services: Provision of primary care continues through MHTs  ( inclusive of routine vaccinations, treatment and screening services ) , however expansion is required as the number of people seeking health care at static facilities has dropped  ( for fear of COVID 19 transmission ) .
Already, historically high numbers of people have returned from Iran through the Milak and Islam Qala border crossings in 2021 with additional surges anticipated over the Nawroz holiday in March and the Iranian election period in June. These returns will have implications for both COVID 19 transmission and the loss of remittances flowing back into Afghanistan.
Operational support and logistics: The Logistics Working Group  ( LWG )  is supporting on logistics issues during the COVID 19 response. Humanitarian Access group  ( HAG )  is working to resolve access issues on behalf of partners.
Infection prevention and control  ( IPC: Infection Prevention and Control  ( IPC )  training has been provided to 4,350 healthcare workers.
Infection prevention and control  ( IPC ) :• With the support from ECHO, WHO has delivered more than 520,000 PPE items to frontline NGO workers. IOM has supplied more than 88,000 units of PPE across 6 provinces.
In January, the average price of a one year old female sheep  ( alive )  at the national level in 2021 was 12% higher than at the same time last year and 27% above the four year average. At the provincial level, prices were also near average or above average in most provinces except for Wardak where prices were 12% below average.
the COVID 19 relief program by Food Security and Agriculture Cluster provided food items to 12,000 households in the Tirinkot center of Uruzgan province. Each household received the equivalent of 4000 AFN of food items in December 2020.
According to the nutrition SMART survey conducted by Action Against Hunger  ( AAH )  in November to December 2020 in Ghor province, the prevalence of GAM  ( WHZ )  in children aged 6 to 59 months was 10.4%  ( 7.8 – 13.8 95% C.I. )  and SAM prevalence  ( WHZ )  in children aged 6 to 59 months was 1.9%  ( 1.1 – 3.1 95% CI ) . According to WHO/UNICEF classifications, this is indicating a “high' nutrition situation and according to IPC protocols this is classified as a “serious' nutrition situation. According to the survey, the crude death rate was 0.50  ( 0.29 – 0.85 95% C.I. )  and under five death rate was 0.77  ( 0.38 – 1.56 95% C.I. ) . Both death rates are below WHO emergency thresholds  ( 1 per 10,000 per day and 2 per 10,000 per day for Child Mortality Rate and Under 5 Mortality Rate respectively ) .
The main driver of acute food insecurity in Uruzgan province is conflict between Afghan national security forces and armed groups mobilized in this area.
58,498  ( 25,452 boys and 33,046 girls )  have been provided with adequate hygiene kits  ( like soap, handwashing liquid )  when the school/CBE  [ Community Based Education ]  are opened
798,182  ( 455,033 boys and 343,149 girls )  have been reached with access to distance learning messages through radio/TVs
There are 30 provinces with 23 EiEWG  [ Education in Emergencies Working Group ]  partners implementing EiE  [ Education in Emergencies ]  programs
Similarly, according to OCHA, 13,731 individuals were displaced due to conflict in 2020. This is a 52% increase in displacements relative to 2019.
According to the UNAMA ( United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan )  2020 annual report, 270 causalities  ( 59 killed and 211 injured )  were reported in Ghor province in 2020. This was 251% more than in 2019. The leading causes for civilian causalities in 2020 were non suicide IEDs, ground engagements, and threats/intimidation/harassment.
The security situation remained unstable with continued military operations in Badghis, Hirat, Farah and Ghor provinces. On 7 February, a child was reportedly killed by crossfire in Bala Buluk district, Farah province. On 8 February, another child reportedly was wounded by a mortar in Chaghcharan district, Ghor province. On 6 February, a woman and a child were reportedly wounded by a mortar in a residential area in Qala e Naw city, Badghis province
WHO warns that widespread complacency and failure to follow public health advice in Afghanistan is creating grave risks in the community with people generally not observing physical distancing or mask wearing protocols
According to Integrated Management of Acute Malnutrition  ( IMAM )  data from the Public Nutrition Department  ( PND )  of the Ministry of Public Health  ( MOPH ) , 928,881 children with acute malnutrition were admitted into the IMAM program in all 34 provinces of Afghanistan during 2020. Of these, 314,043 children with severe acute malnutrition  ( SAM )  were admitted in IPD and OPD severe acute malnutrition programs, while 614,838 children with moderate acute malnutrition were admitted in the OPD MAM  ( TSFP )  program.
As of January 2021, terms of trade were best in Khost, Zabul, and Nimroz provinces  ( more than 40% above average ) , while terms of trade were worst in Uruzgan, Wardak, and Kabul provinces  ( more than 20% below average ) . Though higher livestock prices have generally benefited rural communities, urban communities have been adversely affected because of higher meat prices.
Worst affected were Nimroz and Khost provinces where terms of trade were more than 40% below average in 2020.
purchasing power in January as measured by the terms of trade between casual labor wages against wheat flour prices was around 25% below average at the national level and below average in every province
prices of rice, the second most important staple food, mostly remained stable throughout 2020 and similar to last year and the average, mainly because of above average domestic production and stable imports from Pakistan.
average prices of vegetable oil for cooking increased 8% between December and January and remained 34% above average.
The higher food prices are also partly associated with the government's ongoing Dester khawan e Mili COVID 19 relief program. Under this program, communities buy food such as wheat flour, cooking oil, rice, and beans in bulk quantities from local markets and distribute packages to households. This additional demand has put pressure on food prices in some markets, including in Nangarhar, Laghman, and Kunar markets in the eastern region.
Fighting between Afghan National Security Forces ( ANSF )  and an non state armed group ( NSAG )  intensified with reported target killings, abductions and illegal checkpoints in Badakhshan, Baghlan, Kunduz and Takhar provinces. In Kunduz province, the main road connecting KunduzImam Sahib to Kunduz Aliabad closed to public movements due to ongoing clashes.
Nutrition Cluster partners report delayed arrival of imported nutrition supplies due to prolonged customs clearances at border crossing sites.
A global La Niña event has been declared and regional climate outlooks suggests below average rain and above average temperatures are expected over the coming months. The event is likely to have an impact on the 2021 cultivation cycle, in particular rain fed crops for the first cycle and availability of water for second cycle irrigated crops. The situation is being closely monitored.
During the reporting period, WFP distributed $2.6m to 258,538 COVID 19 affected people in Kabul, Khost, Daykundi, Samangan, Balkh, Kandahar, Hirat and Badghis provinces.
Follow Afghanistan Gender Based Violence Sub Cluster “GBV Guidance Note for COVID 19 Response'. Prioritize testing for survivors of violence and their children, particularly residents of Women Protection Centers. If testing is not available, ensure self isolation/quarantine for any person who has been in close contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID 19.
Emergency Shelter & NFI Cluster:  771 religious leaders received COVID 19 awareness raising training to disseminate key messages to the community.  10 family tents, 4 multi purpose tents and 81 refugee housing units  ( RHUs )  distributed across 5 provinces for screening, admission, outpatient treatment, storage, accommodation/duty stations for doctors and other medical personnel, as well as registration spaces for Afghanistan nationals newly returning from Iran.
Prioritize and ensure that all essential services for survivors of violence remain safely available and accessible, including health care and justice, police and social services.
With some staff working from home, consider the safest ways to store documentation without putting anyone at risk.  [ support to survivors of violence ]
it is critical to ensure safe storage of sensitive documentation including client data.  [ support to survivors of violence ]
It is, however, essential to indicate that the overall number of access constraints resulting from military operations and kinetic activity in Q1 2021 is likely to rise by a margin of five to 15 per cent due to late reporting from partners.
In a crisis, safety planning is particularly critical. A safety plan is a personalized, practical plan that includes ways to remain safe while in a relationship, planning to leave a relationship, or after a survivor has left. It is important to prioritize early safety planning and regular follow up with particularly vulnerable clients. Survivors of violence should be supported to prepare for situations of quarantine, lockdown, or “shelter in place'.
The COVID 19 pandemic and the preventive measures in place may affect the mental health and well being of staff and clients, especially the use of personal protection equipment and restriction of contact, group activities and visitors. Clients and staff should be encouraged to voice their concerns, needs and fears, and to access psycho social counselling.
It is critical that service providers are able to listen to their  [ survivors ]  concerns and fears and provide support, as well as information about COVID 19.
In the midst of this crisis, survivors need care and support more than ever.
A survivor centered approach places the needs and wishes of survivors at the centre of the response. It ensures that support is provided to respond to their multiple needs in an empowering and safe way, and that they are treated with dignity and respect.
UN Women, in partnership with Colombo Plan has developed guidelines for Women Protection Centers and, in partnership with UNFPA and UNICEF, guidelines for Family Protection Centers, Family Guidance Centers and Women and Girls Safe Spaces. The guidelines are available online: • Guidelines for Women Protection Centers operating during the COVID 19 pandemic • Guidelines for Family Protection Centers, Family Guidance Centers and Women and Girl Safe Spaces operating during the COVID 19 pandemic
The provinces forecast as most affected by the dry spell are all areas that are experiencing high food insecurity and malnutrition. All IPC 4 provinces will be impacted by the dry conditions to varying degrees. While reduced production of food will not be felt immediately given that Afghanistan's import pipeline from neighbouring countries still remains strong, speculative price hikes that make food less affordable are expected to be the biggest challenge in the immediate term
Services to prevent and respond to violence against women need to be expanded and adapted to these new circumstances. Such services should not close at the first sign of COVID 19 as they facilitate life saving interventions. Rather, they should remain open as long as possible and activities should be adjusted to the emerging risks and leveraged to promote information sharing on COVID 19 among women and girls.
Life saving care and support to VAWG survivors may be disrupted when front line service providers and systems, such as health, policing and social welfare, are overburdened and focused on handling COVID 19 cases
According to WFP's market monitoring, the average wheat flour price  ( low price and high price )  increased by 11 per cent between 14 March and 2 December, while the cost of pulses, sugar, cooking oil and rice  ( low quality )  increased by 21 per cent, 19 per cent, 36 per cent, and 21 per cent, respectively, over the same period. This price increase is accompanied by a declining purchasing power of casual labourers and pastoralists – which have deteriorated by over 13 per cent and 16 per cent respectively  ( compared to 14 March ) . These factors, combined with COVID 19 related interruptions to informal employment, are driving people into crippling debt. Data from the Whole of Afghanistan Assessment shows that household debt is rapidly escalating. For displaced households in debt, the primary reason for taking on this debt was to pay for food  ( 53 per cent ) .
The socio economic impacts of COVID 19 are translating into a dramatic impact on food insecurity with levels now similar to those seen during the 2018 drought. An estimated 16.9 million people are in crisis or emergency food insecurity from November to March, 5.5 million of whom are in ‘emergency' level food insecurity  ( IPC 4 ) .
Education achievements as of 31 August 2020: 200 returnees/IDPs children received English language trainings
Warning given by Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Civil Aviation Authority Meteorological Department: Possibility Snow of rain and flash flood forecasted for Badakshan, Takhar, Kunduz, Samangan, Balkh, Sar e pul, Ghor, Bamyan, Parwan, Panjsher, Kapisa, Nuristan, Kunar, Laghman, Nangarhar,Paktya, Paktika, Logar, Khost including Salangs and some part of Kabul the amount of rainfall is between  ( 10 25 ) mm in different area.
Since the start of March, partners have medically screened 536,363 people at points of entry, provided 310,026 people with psychosocial support to cope with the mental health effects of COVID 19 and distributed more than 5.4 million bars of soap in 376 districts across the country
While the official numbers across the country are not yet at the same level as the May/June peak, when taken together with reports of increased hospitalisations for COVID 19 like symptoms, the need for vigilance should be reinforced. The rollout of the annual influenza vaccination across Afghanistan will be more important than ever to help the health system manage the rise in COVID 19 cases. Increasing influenza vaccine coverage can reduce the strain on the health care system and free up limited health resources to focus on treating more severe cases of COVID 19. Public health experts strongly urge the public to follow health advice on physical distancing, mask wearing, good hygiene, hand washing and other proven strategies that mitigate the risk of COVID 19 transmission amid this second wave.
The health of winter wheat   especially in the southern and southwestern parts of the country   remains highly vulnerable to temperature and moisture stresses. Further, rainfed crop production and rangeland vegetation conditions are likely to be affected by the forecast belowaverage precipitation and above average temperatures anticipated during the April to June period.
Likewise, the results indicating the languages spoken at home versus those spoken at school allow SC and its partners to identify which communities may require more support if no family member speaks the language of instruction in which distance and self learning materials will be delivered. More analysis and comparison are required to make concrete recommendations from this data set.
Both these modalities are meant to support and reinforce distance and self learning rather than stand alone as a formal and measurable means of home based learning. However, the results did indicate that mothers are most often home during the day and brothers/sisters regularly provide support to their siblings on homework during the regular academic year
The National Hydrometeorology Department, warns of torrential rainfall and flash floods in 24 of 34 provinces in the coming days. 'Heavy snowfall and rainfall followed by flash floods are likely to happen in the provinces of Kabul, Ghor, Badghis, Faryab, Sar e Pol, Daikundi, Balkh, Samangan, Badakhshan, Bamyan, Wardak, Baghlan, Kunduz, Takhar, Panjshir and Parwan including the Salang pass. The rainfall level will reach to 30 millimeters at most,' said Mohammad Nasim Moradi, head of the department's forecast section. He said that the provinces of Kunar, Nangarhar, Paktia, Khost, Kapisa, Nooristan, Logar and Laghman are also on the list of rainfall forecast.
In particular, category 1 provinces  ( Faryab, Kandahar, and Kunduz )  had less access to the MoE prescribed distance learning modalities than category 3 provinces  ( Balkh, Jawzjan, and Kabul ) , indicating that provinces with higher levels of insecurity, AOG control, and IDP movement experience greater barriers to accessing technology that would enable home based distance learning.
The Support Platform for the Solutions Strategy for Afghan Refugees must prioritize childfocused durable solutions that protect the rights of all children regardless of status including access to education, health care, access to clean drinking water and other essential services;
Ensure social protection measures are in place for the most vulnerable, providing families with cash and food assistance to meet their children's immediate basic needs, and supporting parents to identify positive coping mechanisms cognisant of protection risks for children;
The interruption of agricultural income generating activities threatens not only income but food insecurity as crop cycles are missed, yields are low, supply systems are interrupted and inflation occurs.
Due to the negative impacts of the outbreak, the vulnerability of the households further increased which leads to negative coping mechanisms such as child labor, child marriage, school dropouts and decrease in food consumption, all negatively affecting girls and boys.
Poverty and household vulnerability leading to increased early child forced marriage will inevitably lead to further intergenerational cycles of poverty and violence.
Things may never return to ‘normal', and millions of girls and boys will stay trapped in cycles of violence and stressful lives, limiting their potential.
With the economic distress caused by the pandemic early child forced marriage in Afghanistan is only on the rise.
The combination of COVID 19, the long years of conflict, the deep rooted and worsening poverty and hunger will also increase the incidence of child marriages as families increasingly see dowries as a source of income.
Many girls are even more trapped at home now due to the lockdown which in turn is increasing their exposure to violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation.
COVID 19 is proving to be a serious exacerbating factor in further limiting girls from possible social support, services or information which could address longstanding gender discrimination.
Girls and boys interviewed during the assessment said that a pandemic like this presents unique challenges that can increase the number of child marriages.
Being a young girl in Afghanistan is especially hard as girls and young women face numerous challenges and have restricted access to essential services, information, support and safety8
Equally concerning is that as the lockdown continues and families become increasingly poorer, there is a risk that some of the children who were going to school prior to the pandemic will be unable to continue to pursue an education. This increase in the probability of permanent drop outs will significantly affect children's wellbeing and future.
According to interviewed girls and boys, the COVID 19 pandemic increased financial insecurity for families and resulted in losses of household income which intensified the expectations that girls and boys can contribute financially to support the family income.
Before COVID 19, four decades of conflict had impoverished families to the point that child labour in Afghanistan is part of the livelihood coping strategy for many families, with income from a child's work considered crucial to survival for thousands of households.
At the start of 2020, it was estimated that about a quarter of Afghan children between the ages of five and 14 were engaged in work and some 3.7 million children were already out of school. These numbers have now peaked6 with more children being forced into daily labour or begging on the streets to supplement household income and if that fails, with 49 % of interviewed households reporting that they deal with reduced income by sending children to work.
193 healthcare workers trained in medical laboratory testing by health cluster partners.
• Infection Prevention and Control training conducted for 4,350 healthcare workers by health cluster partners.
3,931 healthcare workers trained in surveillance and risk communication in contested areas by health cluster partners.
Women now have limited opportunities to find privacy away from their abusers and seek help from friends, family, service providers or women's organisations.
In contexts where movement is restricted, people are confined, poverty and unemployment are increasing, and protection and health systems are weak, women and girls are at greater risk of experiencing gender based violence.
Reports indicate that violence against women and girls  ( VAWG ) , particularly domestic violence, has increased during COVID 19
WV must ensure social protection measures are in place for the most vulnerable, providing families with cash and food assistance to meet their children's immediate basic needs, and supporting parents to identify positive coping mechanisms cognisant of protection risks for children.
The Mobile Health and Nutrition Team should identify and clinically support children and care givers that require a more specialized mental health response.
If distress is not mitigated or is managed through negative coping strategies, children and caregivers can develop long lasting severe mental health conditions.
WVA and other education actors should coordinate with provincial  ( DoLSA ) , education  ( PED ) , municipality and Haj departments to support local community agents of change. This includes working with Mullahs who talk with people in Friday's prayer at Mosques, small business and industries associations and Gozar representatives to inform populations about the importance of education and the rights of the child.
Education actors must provide children and parents with awareness materials related to COVID 19 plus updated information related to school timelines to enhance transparency and reduce stress caused by uncertainty. For example, most students believe that school during the pandemic has moved to a mandatory offline modality which they are excluded from, however in fact online learning is a offered as a additional support.
In response to the reported increased in child violence along with an increase in household work demand, WVA and other education actors should utilize their regular monthly meeting with School Management Committees/Shuras  ( SMC ) , Community Development Committees  ( CDCs )  and Parent Teachers Meetings  ( PTA )  to provide relevant information related to child rights and child protection during the outbreak.
At the same time, limited existing or accessible healthcare is a high risk in the affected provinces.
Those who cannot afford to purchase water through private vendors may de prioritise water for sanitation and hygiene, which in turn will increase risk of infectious and waterborne diseases, including COVID 19 and AWD.
Based on the findings, the majority of interviewed children cannot use offered mechanisms and approach of online teaching via TV and radio, with just 7% of respondents regularly attending such programmes. To balance equal access, inclusive and quality education; schools, CBE, ECD and EiE classes should be provided with complementary classes by the time of school reopening
When asked about service availability during the outbreak, Children said that a hotline for children to report and get help was not available  ( 65% )  while 59.5% said that sessions for parents to help them interact constructively with their children during this time of lockdown were available.
When children are exposed to different stressors 88.6% of them reached out to their parents for support. 30% reached out for siblings, 42.5% reached out to the teacher or the school counsellor, 15% to other family members and 7.5% to grandparents. 8.8% of children do not seek support from anyone when exposed to different stressors.
Some girls and boys mentioned other severe forms of violence in the streets such as kidnapping girls and boys by child trafficking groups and being hit intentionally by cars.
In Afghanistan, interviewed girls and boys who are street workers talked about excessive violence in the streets exacerbated during the pandemic time. They said that they are sometimes bullied, mistreated and yelled at.
Twenty percent most often are humiliated, 17.7% of children said that someone called them names or sworn at them and finally, 10.1% were most often threatened and finally 5.1% felt uncomfortable or scared by an adult standing close to them  ( Table 6 ) .
Some children reported that most often someone made them feel unimportant or without proper attention  ( 23.8% ) .
Just over 230,000 undocumented and refugee returnees are expected to cross Afghanistan's borders during this time and will require humanitarian assistance.
Approximately the third of surveyed children  ( 27.5% )  said that most often someone screamed or shouted at them.
With regards to emotional violence, 46 surveyed children  ( 57.5% )  reported at least one case of emotional violence.
28,6% and 26.5% respectively do not have any connection to TV at home or any TV device to follow up on the coursework and 24.5% are concerned about being isolated from their classmates during the distance learning.
Out of the 68 surveyed children enrolled in formal education, 72.1%  ( n=49 )  said that their school shifted to distance learning during the 21 outbreak through regular media mainly broadcasting lessons on TV channels while 27.9% were completely deprived from continuing any learning for this school year.
During the COVID 19 outbreak 28 surveyed children  ( 35% )  reported at least one case of physical violence. 15.2% of children  ( n=12 )  said that sometimes they were hit, slapped or kicked while 8.9%  ( n=7 )  said that the aforementioned physical violence happened often with them.
Living with abuse is very hard for girls and boys who are experiencing a great deal of stress every day. They said they feel trapped or like there's nowhere to turn. They do not know whom they can trust. For some of them things have been rough at home for a long time before the pandemic and they are accepting it as just another part of the day.
Girls and boys said that added family stresses related to the COVID 19 crisis – including job loss, isolation, excessive confinement, and anxieties over health and finances – heighten the risk of physical and emotional violence in the home, including both between partners  ( domestic and gender based violence )  and by caregivers against girls and boys.
Due to the pandemic and the imposed restrictions some children were obliged to change the work they do usually and search for another one.
Some girls and boys kept going to work even during the imposed lockdown with no preventive measures while others stopped working. Those who lost their old jobs are forced to search for a new, often more hazardous one.
Finally, 35.3% of children who were previously enrolled in formal education  ( n=68 )  said that the COVID 19 outbreak has been very stressful on their usual school experience while 30.9% said it was not stressful at all.
Moreover, given the lack of access to TV, electricity, and educational resources paired with illiteracy of parents, some girls and boys have been left without any distance learning opportunities at all.
Given the unavailability of internet connection, some schools and teachers in Afghanistan scrambled to get coursework through media channels such as TV, some other schools did not shift to distance learning and many children were deprived from their education.
Interviewed girls and boys said that spending quality time with family did help in coping with boredom, and dealing with a sense of loss, instils a feeling of security, inculcates family values, and much more.
Surveyed children showed also signs of resilience with 86.3% who are most often still optimistic about the future, 82.1% who are most often dealing well with problem, 73% who are most often thinking clearly and 76% who are most often able to make their own mind about things.
Positive emotions such as feeling close to other people is never or rarely experienced by 43.8% of children, Moreover, 31.6% of children never or rarely felt useful and 25.1% never or rarely felt relaxed.
As a consequence, surveyed children most often expressed negative emotions. Worrying, scare, confusion, stress, sadness, boredom and loneliness are all mentioned by children since the start of the outbreak with 51.4% who said they are most often worried, 41.3% most often scared, 37.5% most often confused, 48.9% most often stressed, 51.4% most often sad, 64.5% most often bored at home and 26.3% most often lonely
COVID 19 amplified social isolation and contributed to fading friendships, to lifetime losses, to physical contact starvation with grandparents, relative and friends, to disrupted education and to challenging family relationships.
Approximately 250,000 people are projected to be displaced due to conflict from March to June, which represents 50 per cent of those projected for all of 2021.
Surveillance, rapid response teams, and case investigation:To enhance the reporting and data management capacity of the Provincial Public Health Directors  ( PPHD ) , IOM has deployed over 300 staff as well as donated IT equipment to PPHDs in Hirat, Nangarhar, Nimroz and Kandahar provinces.
In fact, 43.9% of girls versus 7.7% of boys said that they are doing more physical activity than before COVID 19. 92.5% of girls are spending less time outside home in 17 comparison to 64.1% of boys and finally, 75.6% of girls are spending more time with family in comparison to 43.6% of boys.
Only 35.6% of surveyed children are spending more time on watching TV for educational purposes in comparison to before COVID 19 while 57.8% are spending less time on watching TV for educational purpose. Additionally, 62.5% are spending less time on watching TV for leisure purposes.
This was reflected by 53.2% of surveyed children who said they are more eating alone and 51.2% of children who said they are less sharing meals with family members in comparison to the time before COVID 19.
Moreover, 82.5% of girls versus only 54.1% of boys are largely stressed by falling into poverty  ( p=0.04 ) .
Parents confirmed that all  ( 100% )  of them have radios in their households; however none of them  ( 0% )  report being able to afford the purchase of batteries for these radios, specifically in supporting educational delivery.
In fact, 70.3% of girls versus only 50% of boys are stressed to a large extent for not being able to join school in the last fall due to financial problems  ( p=0.04 ) .
Surveyed children are also stressed over the health of their beloved ones  ( 61.3% )  and stressed also about their own health and worried to catch the virus  ( 65% )
Moreover, 41.3% of surveyed children said that they are stressed to a large extent because they felt isolated from their friends during the outbreak
In a country relying on a highly informal economy, most of the interviewed girls and boys said that shops, public transportation and wedding venues were closed leading to high unemployment among parents and also among working girls and boys as they used to legally work on the street to earn money for their families.
67.9% who are stressed over their parents losing their jobs and not being able to meet their needs
Surveyed girls and boys also raised fears as consequence to economic hardships with 68.8% who said that they are stressed to a large extent from falling into poverty,
Economic difficulties have resulted in families being unable to pay rents or to feed their children.
Girls' and boys' lives in Afghanistan have been turned upside down by this pandemic. Between schools being closed, jobs being lost, gathering with friends being cancelled and high rise in COVID 19 cases, girls' and boys' routines are anything but routine. This change in routine is causing widespread concern, fears and stress, all of which are reactions to the changing and uncertain situation that girls and boys find themselves in.
Before the COVID 19 outbreak 98.8% of surveyed children  ( n=79 )  used to have a paid job. While girls used to work mainly in cracking pistachios, cleaning vegetables and fruits alongside with domestic work and knitting, boys are more likely to shine shoes in the street and do various apprenticeships in different shops to learn the industry/ vocation.
The current phase of the project started in February 2018 and focuses on advocacy for children's rights, provision of basic health service, remedial education, life skills and counseling programs for street working children. These basic comprehensive approaches are designed in collaboration with the Department of Public Health  ( DoPH )  and Education  ( PED )  to complement their gaps and enable the children to engage with peers for psycho social support while improving their academic performance and wellbeing.
Participants shared the ways in which the pandemic, and the subsequent measures put in place to quell the spread of the virus, have exposed them to multiple stressors and have affected their daily life, their education, their psycho social well being and put them at greater risk of experiencing and witnessing violence and abuse in their families and in their communities.
Surveillance, rapid response teams, and case investigation: • 3,931 healthcare workers have been trained by Health Cluster partners in surveillance and risk communication to carry out activities in contested areas. • IOM MHTs have trained more than 800 Community Health Workers  ( CHWs )  and 100 school teachers on COVID19 awareness, prevention, identification and referrals.
In this consultation 10 girls and boys were interviewed and shared their views and experiences of the outbreak of COVID 19. Additionally, 6 80 girls and boys were surveyed to understand the impact of the pandemic on their lives.
WVA is committed to listening to girls and boys, include them in decision making processes and empower them to contribute to change in public decision making. As part of this mandate, a consultation with girls and boys supported within the Street Working Children Enrichment Center  ( SWCEC )  Project in Herat was conducted.
Surveillance, rapid response teams, and case investigation: • Health Cluster partners' surveillance systems have traced 596,252 people since the start of the crisis. • 34,000 polio surveillance volunteers have been engaged in surveillance, case identification and community contact tracing activities. 8,954 polio surveillance volunteers have been trained on raising COVID 19 awareness, clinical diagnosis, case identification and contact tracing. With the re starting of polio campaigns, some of these staff are now returning to their core activities while continuing COVID 19 related community engagement.
Risk communication and community engagement  ( RCCE   accountability to affected populations ) : • IOM has set up 199 billboards, printed 263,100 brochures, 47,023 banners and posters in border provinces with Pakistan and Iran. • IOM has reached 316,366  ( 204,099 men and 112,267 women )  people with awareness raising sessions on hygiene practices and COVID 19 prevention.
The Cluster estimates that some 120,000 people are likely be affected primarily by flash/stormrelated flooding – below the overall disaster impact forecast of 200,000 people projected in the 2021 HRP. The highest numbers of people are expected to be affected by flooding in the West and North, followed by the North East, East and South.
Risk communication and community engagement  ( RCCE   accountability to affected populations ) : The RCCE Working Group has produced a rumour tracking sheet that has been disseminated through MoPH and UN/NGO partners. It has also carried out an assessment showing communication preferences and the most trusted information sources by geographical area, down to the district level. The RCCE Working Group has also developed Self Isolation at Home Guidance Messages which are available in English, Dari, Pashto. More than 4.73m people have been reached with RCCE messages by health partners.
The Cluster estimates that almost 2 million people will need ES NFI assistance across the 25 provinces.
Country‐level coordination and response planning: •Health partners continue to support Government led response to COVID 19. • Humanitarian partners are currently implementing a Humanitarian Response Plan  ( HRP )  which integrates COVID19 needs into the overall response. Of the 14 million people in need of humanitarian assistance, humanitarian partners have prioritised 11.1 million to receive support in 2020, for which US$1.1 billion is required. In the first three quarters of the year, humanitarians were able to reach 7.6 million people with some form of assistance despite a desperate lack of funding. The HRP remains significantly underfunded at just 48.6 per cent of requirements, leaving a gap of $581m.
133 Gender Based Violence  ( GBV )  cases across 5 provinces were identified and referred to Family Protection Centres  ( FPCs )  for case management. 2,602 dignity kits were distributed to women and girls across Hirat, Faryab and Kunduz provinces. As part of its regular programming, WFP distributed 2,211 metric tons  ( mt )  of food between 10 and 16 December.
Moreover, given the large number of out of school children enrolled through CBE programmes, engaging children in learning while classes are closed will increase the likelihood that these children will return to school once it is safe for classes to resume, as continuously reinforcing the value of education remains critical in EiE settings.
Winterisation support: Afghanistan is facing a grim winter ahead as people struggle to keep themselves warm amid soaring poverty driven by the economic shock of COVID 19. Given this situation, there is an urgent need for additional funding for winterisation support from both the Government and donors to help struggling households survive the harsh weather ahead. The ICCT's $138m winterisation plan aims to reach 2.5m people over the winter months with a range of life saving support including cash and in kind heating assistance for households and classrooms, warm clothes, seasonal food support, nutrition treatment, and health services for winter sickness. To date, about half of the funds needed have been committed by donors and the Government  ( $67m ) , leaving a gap of $71m.
The Rapid Assessment for Alternative Education Pathways allows Save the Children and its partners to understand the accessibility of television, radio, and internet as remote learning modalities and therefore to assess the feasibility of successfully implementing these modalities to achieve continuity of learning for CBE students in six provinces of Afghanistan.
While implementing activities to mitigate the spread of COVID 19, humanitarian partners also continue to respond to other ongoing and emerging humanitarian needs. During the reporting period, 10,236 women received antenatal and postnatal care through midwives deployed in Mobile Health Teams  ( MHTs ) . 2,353 people were treated for trauma care and 1,634 children under the age of 5 years received routine immunisation through MHTs. 672 children aged 6 59 months received treatment for Severe Acute Malnutrition  ( SAM )  and 1,187 children aged 6 59 months received treatment for Moderate Acute Malnutrition  ( MAM ) .
CBE projects are being implemented in different provinces of Afghanistan, therefore, beneficiaries of these projects are from different ethnicities. 45% of students speak Pashto, 20.3% speak Dari, 28.6% speak Uzbeki, 5.8% speak Turkmani and 0.2% speak Pashayee language at home.
While 15 laboratories are now operating in Afghanistan, the capacity of these facilities remains limited and stocks of supplies have periodically run out. National capacity for COVID 19 testing has topped at 5,800 a day. Humanitarian partners urge the Government to ensure laboratories are appropriately equipped, staff receive timely renumeration and that procured supplies go to under resourced health centres in a transparent manner so that life saving support can be delivered to those most in need.
More than 8 per cent of the total confirmed COVID 19 cases are among healthcare staff. Health facilities across the country continue to report shortfalls in PPE, medical supplies and equipment, further challenging their capacity to treat COVID 19 patients. With a second wave of the gathering pace globally, there is an urgent need to ensure a rapid distribution of medical and protective equipment to all corners of the country
Afghanistan now has a test positivity rate – positive tests as a percentage of total tests – of 28 per cent, suggesting overall under testing of potential cases.
The MoPH has confirmed that Afghanistan is in a second wave of the COVID 19 pandemic. Following two months of consistently lower confirmed COVID 19 cases, MoPH tracking data is starting to reflect an uptick in cases, with 141 new COVID 19 cases recorded in the last 24 hours. Furthermore, suspected and confirmed cases of COVID 19 are again rising in the western part of the country in particular.
Children in CBE classes are being supervised regularly by their parents, as according to the data, a cumulative 93.3% of parents  ( 63.20% mothers and 30.10% fathers )  report being home during the day. Respondents reported that they ask their children what they have learnt and if they have completed their homework. The remaining percentage of children were reportedly supervised by their elder brother and sister, cousins, uncles, or grandparents.
225 teachers  ( 120 males, 105 females )  received training on safe school's protocols between 9 November and 13 December. A total of 1,460 teachers  ( 352 males, 1,108 females )  across the country have been trained on safe school's protocols since the start of the COVID 19 pandemic.
4,161 children  ( 1,805 boys, 2,356 girls )  have been reached with EiE developed home based learning materials during the reporting period. Since the start of the pandemic, a total of 123,656 children  ( 58,008 boys, 65,648 girls )  across 15 provinces have been reached with home based support.
Only 0.2% reported sufficient access to internet to pursue remote learning. 1.6% of students can learn by literate parents2 and 9.9% think that teachers should support learning at home, which indicates that 11.5% can benefit from self learning materials, while 45.8% would prefer attending reduced size classes.
A global La Niña event has been declared and regional climate outlooks are indicating ‘rainfall departure' from Afghanistan, Iran and other Central Asian countries. This suggests below average rain and above average temperatures should be expected between October 2020 and February 2021. If realised, this means it is likely that there will be a reduction in water availability for the winter wheat crop cycle  ( cultivation in spring ) ; a reduction in rangeland production negatively affecting livestock; and risk of avalanches  ( in the highlands )  and other types of winter hazards associated with warmer temperatures during winter.
The food insecurity situation is most pronounced in the areas with fragile livelihoods and remote access issues such as the central highlands and the highlands of the northeast. The upcoming winter/lean season is expected to further exacerbate the situation in these provinces as food stocks and household savings are further depleted.
Besides, World Vision disseminated behavioural change messages about prevention of COVID 19 through faith leaders and existing community networks. A number of preventive actions are implemented across Herat, Badghis and Ghor provinces of Afghanistan and reached approximately 40,000 people, including 16,000 the most vulnerable children.
On 11 February 2021, the Taliban attacked the DPS escort of an IO road mission traveling from Jalalabad to Kabul with small arms fire. One escort vehicle lost control due to multiple bullets impacting and the attack resulted in the killing of five escort personnel, while no IO staff member was impacted.
Kabul registered the highest number of IED  ( Improvised Explosive Devices )  incidents, logging also most Magnetic improvised explosive device  ( MIED )  incidents  ( 45 )   ( see figure 7 ) . Arghandab registered the highest number of IED related casualties, with at least 295 military and civilian casualties in Q1 2021.