Delivering lifesaving winter assistance to displaced families in Ghor Province
TYPE: Emergency Relief under the DERF Rapid Response Mechanism
IMPLEMENTATION PERIOD: 25 October 2021 – 24 April 2022
GEOGRAPHICAL FOCUS: Ghor Province, Afghanistan
DONOR: Danish Emergency Relief Fund (DERF)
GRANT HOLDER: Rebuild Aid Forening, Denmark
LOCAL IMPLEMENTING ORGANIZATION: Saifrood Unity and Aid Organization (SUAO)
TARGET GROUP: 300 internally displaced families facing acute humanitarian needs following political upheaval, conflict and widespread displacement
Project Overview
The project “Assisting Internally Displaced Families to Prevent a Humanitarian Catastrophe” was implemented in Ghor Province during one of the most difficult periods in Afghanistan’s recent history.
Following the political transition of August 2021, public institutions and essential services were severely disrupted. Economic activity declined, banking systems became difficult to access, public salaries were interrupted and thousands of families were displaced from their homes.
Many internally displaced families arrived in Ghor without food, adequate clothing, blankets, cooking materials, hygiene supplies or safe shelter. As winter approached, rapidly falling temperatures created an immediate danger for households living in tents, temporary structures and overcrowded accommodation.
Women, children, older persons, persons with disabilities and families without reliable income were particularly exposed to hunger, illness, hypothermia and further displacement.
In response, Rebuild Aid Forening, with financial support from the Danish Emergency Relief Fund and local implementation through Saifrood Unity and Aid Organization, launched a rapid humanitarian intervention to help vulnerable families survive the winter and stabilise their immediate living conditions.
Humanitarian Context
Ghor is one of Afghanistan’s most geographically isolated and economically vulnerable provinces. Its mountainous terrain, harsh winter climate, limited road access and weak public infrastructure make emergency response particularly difficult.
Displaced families faced several overlapping risks:
- Lack of food and clean drinking water
- Insufficient winter clothing and blankets
- Inadequate shelter
- Limited access to healthcare and medicine
- Loss of income and productive assets
- Poor sanitation and hygiene conditions
- Increased protection risks for women and children
- Limited access to formal humanitarian assistance
For many households, the emergency support provided through the project was the only assistance available during the most severe winter months.
Target Population
The project supported 300 internally displaced families assessed as facing the highest levels of humanitarian vulnerability.
Priority was given to:
- Female-headed households
- Families with young children
- Older persons without adequate family support
- Persons with disabilities
- Households without regular income
- Families living in tents or unsafe temporary shelters
- Households with urgent medical or nutritional needs
- Families that had received little or no other humanitarian assistance
Beneficiaries were identified through field assessments, community consultation and verification of household vulnerability.
Rapid Needs Assessment
SUAO’s field teams conducted rapid assessments to understand the living conditions and priority needs of displaced families.
The assessment process examined:
- Household size and composition
- Shelter conditions
- Access to food and drinking water
- Availability of blankets and winter clothing
- Health and hygiene concerns
- Income and livelihood status
- Presence of children, older persons or persons with disabilities
- Access to other forms of assistance
- Immediate protection concerns
Assessment findings showed that many households lacked the basic items required to survive the winter safely.
Emergency Relief Assistance
Each selected family received an emergency relief package designed to meet urgent household needs.
Assistance included:
- Essential food supplies
- Warm blankets
- Winter support items
- Kitchen utensils and basic cooking equipment
- Hygiene materials
- Other essential household supplies
The contents of the assistance were selected based on identified needs and the severe winter conditions in Ghor Province.
The intervention helped families prepare food, maintain minimum hygiene standards, protect children and older persons from the cold and reduce immediate pressure on already limited household resources.
Key Project Activities
The project included:
- Rapid humanitarian needs assessments
- Registration and verification of displaced households
- Vulnerability-based beneficiary selection
- Procurement and preparation of emergency relief packages
- Distribution of food and essential household items
- Winter assistance for highly vulnerable families
- Coordination with local councils and relevant authorities
- Community information and engagement
- Monitoring of distributions
- Beneficiary follow-up
- Collection of feedback and operational learning
- Documentation and reporting to the donor
Community Engagement and Coordination
The project was implemented in coordination with local councils, community elders and relevant authorities in Ghor Province.
Community engagement supported:
- Identification of displacement-affected locations
- Verification of household information
- Communication of selection criteria
- Organisation of safe distribution arrangements
- Inclusion of families that could otherwise have been overlooked
- Reduction of misunderstandings and community tensions
- Follow-up after distributions
Community representatives contributed local knowledge, while the implementing team remained responsible for applying humanitarian vulnerability criteria and verifying final beneficiary lists.
Protection and Safeguarding
Protection considerations were integrated throughout assessment, registration and distribution.
Particular attention was given to women, children, older persons, persons with disabilities and households living in unsafe conditions.
The project sought to ensure that:
- Assistance was delivered impartially and respectfully
- Beneficiaries received clear information about the process
- No payment or personal favour was required to receive assistance
- Personal household information was handled confidentially
- Distribution sites were organised to reduce overcrowding and exposure
- Vulnerable individuals received appropriate support during collection
- Community concerns could be raised through established channels
Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning
Although the project was implemented during a highly unstable period, monitoring and accountability were essential to ensuring that assistance reached the intended households.
Monitoring activities included:
- Verification of beneficiary lists
- Observation of distributions
- Checking that families received the intended assistance
- Review of distribution records
- Beneficiary interviews and household follow-up
- Documentation of implementation challenges
- Coordination meetings with local stakeholders
- Review of community feedback
Information collected through monitoring supported operational adjustments and helped identify lessons for later emergency interventions.
The experience contributed to strengthening local systems for beneficiary registration, relief distribution, community coordination and humanitarian reporting.
Post-Distribution Follow-Up
Following distributions, field teams conducted follow-up with beneficiary households to understand whether the assistance had addressed their immediate needs.
The follow-up process considered:
- Whether families received the complete relief package
- Whether the items were useful and appropriate
- How the assistance affected household food security
- Whether blankets and winter items reduced exposure to cold
- Whether hygiene materials supported safer living conditions
- Remaining unmet needs
- Beneficiary satisfaction with the distribution process
- Any concerns relating to access, fairness or staff conduct
The findings helped the implementing team assess the relevance of the assistance and improve the design of subsequent humanitarian responses.
Accountability to Affected Communities
Families received information about:
- The purpose of the project
- Eligibility and vulnerability criteria
- The content of the assistance package
- Distribution schedules and locations
- Their right to receive support free of charge
- Available channels for questions, complaints and feedback
Feedback from beneficiaries and community representatives was used to address implementation concerns and strengthen transparency.
Sensitive concerns relating to fraud, exploitation, abuse or staff misconduct were expected to be handled confidentially through authorised referral procedures.
Main Results
The project reported the following results:
- 300 internally displaced families received emergency relief assistance.
- Families obtained food, blankets, kitchen equipment, hygiene materials and winter support.
- Immediate risks of hunger, illness and exposure to cold were reduced.
- Women, children, older persons and other highly vulnerable household members received protection during a critical period.
- Families living in temporary and unsafe conditions gained greater stability.
- The intervention reduced pressure for further displacement during winter.
- Community coordination supported transparent and locally accepted delivery.
- SUAO strengthened its experience in emergency assessment, relief distribution, monitoring and community-based response.
Humanitarian Impact
The project provided immediate protection and stability to families facing severe hardship.
For households living without sufficient food, blankets or cooking equipment, the relief packages addressed basic daily needs that could not be postponed. Warm blankets and winter supplies reduced exposure to freezing temperatures, particularly for children, older persons and people with existing health conditions.
Food assistance helped families avoid reducing meals or taking on additional debt. Kitchen equipment enabled households to prepare food safely, while hygiene items supported dignity and reduced preventable health risks.
The intervention also reduced psychological pressure on families who had lost their homes, livelihoods and sense of security. Receiving practical support during a period of extreme uncertainty allowed households to focus on protecting their family members and gradually rebuilding their daily routines.
Locally Led Humanitarian Response
Local implementation was essential in a province characterised by difficult terrain, limited infrastructure and restricted humanitarian access.
SUAO’s field role included:
- Identifying affected communities
- Conducting household assessments
- Registering and verifying beneficiaries
- Coordinating with local councils and authorities
- Organising distributions
- Monitoring delivery
- Following up with supported families
- Gathering community feedback
- Documenting results and challenges
Local knowledge and established relationships helped the response reach vulnerable households more quickly and appropriately.
Partnership
The project combined the complementary strengths of the partners involved.
Saifrood Unity and Aid Organization provided local access, field implementation, community coordination and direct engagement with affected families.
Rebuild Aid Forening managed the DERF grant, donor compliance, financial oversight, technical coordination and reporting.
The Danish Emergency Relief Fund provided rapid financing during a period when immediate humanitarian resources were urgently needed.
The partnership demonstrated how diaspora-led organisations, local humanitarian actors and flexible emergency funding can work together to reach vulnerable communities in difficult circumstances.
Sustainability and Longer-Term Contribution
The project was designed as a short-term emergency response, but it contributed to longer-term resilience in several ways.
By providing essential assistance before household conditions deteriorated further, the intervention helped families avoid harmful coping mechanisms such as:
- Selling remaining productive assets
- Taking on unsustainable debt
- Reducing food consumption
- Moving again under unsafe conditions
- Withdrawing children from essential activities
- Neglecting healthcare needs
The project also strengthened local emergency-response experience and contributed to the development of systems later used in subsequent humanitarian interventions.
Key Lessons Learned
Rapid local assessments are essential
In a fast-changing displacement crisis, local field access enables humanitarian actors to identify urgent needs and changing vulnerabilities quickly.
Winter assistance must be delivered early
Blankets, food and shelter-related support are most effective when provided before severe weather reaches its peak.
Community coordination improves access
Engagement with councils and community representatives supports identification of vulnerable families and strengthens confidence in the response.
Vulnerability criteria must remain transparent
Clear and documented selection procedures reduce the risk of favouritism, exclusion and community tension.
Monitoring should continue after distribution
Post-distribution follow-up is necessary to understand whether assistance was useful and whether households continue to face serious unmet needs.
Local capacity creates future value
Experience gained through emergency implementation strengthens preparedness for later crises and supports more efficient future responses.
Conclusion
The project “Assisting Internally Displaced Families to Prevent a Humanitarian Catastrophe” provided urgent support during a period of political instability, mass displacement and severe winter conditions.
Through the provision of food, blankets, kitchen equipment, hygiene materials and winter assistance, the intervention helped vulnerable families survive one of the most difficult periods in Afghanistan’s recent history.
The response also demonstrated the importance of combining rapid international financing, diaspora engagement and locally led implementation to reach communities in remote and underserved areas.
Once the correct number of assisted families and the identity of the local implementing partner are verified against the official records, this project page can be finalised for publication on Saifrood’s website.