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CASH PROGRAMME REVIEW FOR IDPs IN KABUL INFORMAL SETTLEMENTS 5EXECUTIVE SUMMARYAlthough much has been done to better understand the profiles and needs of internally displacedpersons (IDPs) in Afghanistan1, in 2013, at a time of growing forced internal displacement and ofupcoming political and military transition, key questions remain. With internal displacement being oneof the key humanitarian priorities in Afghanistan, and with numbers exceeding half a millionindividuals displaced from their homes, the question is whether stakeholders have envisaged allavailable options of assistance. This is particularly true of the case of urban settings, home togrowing numbers of IDPs living in informal settlements. Donors express scepticism on continuedhumanitarian interventions in these urban settings, and the overall political stance on internaldisplacement and informal settlements prevents structural interventions to alleviate protection needswith IDPs living, often illegally and informally, on government or private-owned land. However, withthe development of the first National IDP Policy, it may well be the time for stakeholders to thinkconstructively about breaking the cycle of poverty and indebtedness of IDPs living in the KabulInformal Settlements (KIS) and to ask:What types of interventions are the most appropriate, relevant and effective, in an urban contextwhere displaced households live in informal settlements, without deeds to their land or shelter, oftensquatting private or government land? What opportunities exist, if any, for cash-based assistance torespond to the needs of internally displaced populations (IDPs) living in the Kabul InformalSettlements?With these questions in mind and with an expanding livelihoods programme, the Danish RefugeeCouncil (DRC) commissioned Samuel Hall Consulting to undertake a research study and review ofthe relevance and applicability of cash-based programming options in the KIS. As media reports fromthe winter 2012 have illustrated, illness and death among the elderly and children were commonoccurrences in the harsh winter conditions. As a result, the humanitarian community – along with theGovernment of Afghanistan – have stepped up coordination efforts to ensure increased emergencyassistance capacity to cope in the winter. DRC and Samuel Hall researchers have focused thisresearch on identifying the risks and protection issues for a cash approach, and assessing theviability of a cash approach for IDPs living in the KIS.A total of 310 respondents were interviewed in 8 KIS sites relevant to DRC’s programming. Theintention was not to have a representative sample of IDPs in all KIS, but to collect such informationthat is relevant to DRC’s work. The sampling was limited to 8 sites where DRC is currently active andcomparison between camps is made there where data was available. In each site, an average of 40households was surveyed randomly (except for 30 households covered in the last location),comprising a total of 72 female respondents (23% of respondents) and 238 male respondents (77%).The study was conducted during the winter months of 2012, a time of the year when IDPs in the KISare exposed to higher protection risks. One of the salient features of this research is the structuralimportance of seasonality, highlighting the importance of having specific frameworks of assistanceduring the winter period, as developed in the recommendations section of this report.Assessing vulnerabilitiesThis study confirmed the existence of displacement-induced vulnerabilities. The lack of marketableskills adapted to urban settings, the strong reliance on the head of household and hence highdependency rations, unstable and low income sources and an over-reliance on debts, define the1MAJIDI, N. (2011), Urban Returnees and Internally Displaced Persons in Afghanistan, in 2011 Responding to Conflict-InducedDisplacement in Protracted Refugee Situations: Middle East Institute (MEI) and the Foundation pour la Recherche Stratégique(FRS), “Pathways to Enhancing Transatlantic Cooperation”. NRC/IDMC/JIPS/SAMUEL HALL CONSULTING (2012), Challengesof IDP protection in Afghanistan: Research study on the protection of internally displaced persons in Afghanistan.SAMUEL HALL CONSULTING (2012), Sustaining the Working Poor in the Kabul Informal Settlements, Solidarités International.METCALFE, V., HAYSOM, S. and MARTIN, E. (2012), Sanctuary in the City? Urban Displacement and Vulnerability in Kabul,HPG Working Paper; WB/UNHCR (2011), A research study on IDPs in urban settings, Afghanistan.