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54 DRC / DANISH REFUGEE COUNCILCONCLUSION: What strategic role for DRC in the KIS?Can cash-based approaches work in the Kabul Informal Settlements? The answer is, undoubtedly,yes. Thanks to their urban location, subsequent access to functional markets, and relatively goodsecurity conditions, cash-assistance does not present higher risks than other forms of assistance inthe KIS. However, to be efficient and not engage recipients in further dependency towards assistance,findings from this research showed DRC can engage into two different types of framework,enhancing the outcomes of its existing activities:One directed at relief assistance during the winter, which is also the time when in-kindassistance is the most concentrated – with cash working as an alternative source ofincome for beneficiaries allowing them to address immediate needs – food, but alsohealth) and address the crucial problem of indebtedness. Cash can then be consideredas a complement to in-kind, as supply capacities of traders are lower at this period of theyear, and needs are more acute.The second considering a longer-term approach, building on DRC’s exiting methods ofintervention while going further by assisting transition out of training programmes throughthe provision of grants, and allowing household to plan for their expenses. Targetingwomen in households can prove as an efficient way to diversify household resources bybuilding on their capacity to use their skill to generate income.Such an ambitious dual strategy implies taking into account specific camp situations, engaging withcommunities and making sure that both the DRC staff and the targeted communities themselvesclosely monitor all steps of implementation. Today and tomorrow, the volatile nature of security andthe uncertainties of the economic environment combined with high political and media sensitivitysurrounding intervention in the KIS. It clearly calls for additional caution: assistance needs to beeffective, objectives clear and transparent to limit possible tensions.Our research further showed the close interconnection of vulnerability indicators of KIS inhabitantsacross several sectors, with the problem of health for instance, being highly correlated to that ofindebtedness, housing and food consumption. Engaging in close cooperation between agenciesinvolved in the KIS appears as the most efficient way to provide an adequate response to theproblems faced by IDPs in the KIS. This implies going beyond simple coordination to put in place anintegrated approach with a common monitoring and evaluation system.This study was conducted during winter, a time of the year when IDPs in the KIS are exposed to thehighest risks due to (i) lack of employment opportunities with serious repercussions on the generalwell-being of household members and aggravation of the cycle of debt; (ii) lack of access to basicneeds – with a high focus on food and fuel; and (iii) higher protection concerns for children andwomen. One of the salient features of this research is the structural importance of seasonality,highlighting the importance of having specific frameworks of assistance during the winter period. Assuch, the present section will consider the potential effectiveness of cash-based assistance as:A complementary relief mechanism during the winter,A form of assistance that can effectively assist recipients in progressively escapingdistress coping mechanisms through livelihood interventions.As findings from this survey underlined health and education problems directly impactinglivelihoods in the KIS, ways of addressing those through provision of cash-basedsensitization programmes will be considered I the third section of this chapter.Lastly, given the wide range of agencies involved in providing assistance in the KIS andthe high levels of vulnerabilities of IDPs in the camps, an effective approach todevelopment of Kabul informal settlements needs to take into account the possibility ofinter-agency coordination in the KIS across different sectors.