Khost & Paktika: 1 Year On Achievements & Gaps ©UNHCR/J. Sobral start in 2016 aligned with the BACKGROUND AN EVOLVING CONTEXT Government of Pakistan Following military operations mid- As of December 2014, the number programme for the return of IDPs June 2014 in Pakistan’s North of displaced families crossing into to North Waziristan. Waziristan Agency, families began Afghanistan in search of crossing into southeastern protection had almost increased A summary of the key sectors one Afghanistan. Within the first ten fourfold, from approximately year on: days, an estimated 10,000 families 10,000 families to more than arrived in Khost and Paktika 38,900 (291,800 individuals). With Shelter: Initial response efforts provinces. Families left suddenly, the onset of cold weather, a focused on providing tents to Khost & Paktika & Paktika Khost with few belongings and settled number of families moved out of quickly house and protect people spontaneously in Gulan Camp in remote mountainous communities from the elements. However as Gurboz district of Khost province, in Spera and Tani and into Gulan the situation stretched into winter, or in host communities. UNHCR Camp and the Khost provincial agencies had to respond with and partners have been on the capital. The population of Gulan supplies to help winterize and ground since the beginning, Camp grew from 4,000 families in weather-proof the tents during conducting assessments, October to over 6,000 at the end delivering assistance and of December. By 30 May 2015 THANK YOU coordinating response efforts with there were 32,576 families with provincial officials and refugees. over 205,000 individuals, with UNHCR appreciates the 23,006 families in Khost including generous support of the Central At the initial stages of the 10,000 families in Gulan camp and Emergency Response Fund emergency, immediate life-saving 9,570 families in Paktika. (CERF), donors to the Common support was critical and Humanitarian Fund (CHF), organizations responding were As the situation stabilized, European Commission focused on delivering food, water response has shifted from Humanitarian Aid and Civil and sanitation, shelter, NFIs, and emergency to community-based, Protection department (ECHO) basic health services, including solution-oriented interventions. It the People of Japan, the vaccines. Mine clearance activities reflects the likelihood that Republic of South Korea, and the were also prioritized, as it was refugees will remain in United States of America. realized that the self-settled camp Afghanistan, in anticipation of the was mined. gradual voluntary repatriation to colder temperatures and some tents needed to be replaced malnutrition could be a serious following harsh weather. Shelter concern, results are being interventions aim to support analyzed but will help identify efforts, already underway in where nutrition treatments and UNHCR Mid camps and host communities, to interventions are required. construct semi-durable temporary shelters of mud bricks and other Health: Health partners Khost & Paktika Khost locally-available materials to conducted extensive vaccination protect refugees and host families campaigns against polio and have from elements in particular in the started measles vaccination lead-up to winter. campaigns as the risk of rapid spreading of contagious but Food: Since the onset of the preventable diseases is high due refugee response, assessments to very low vaccination coverage - have indicated food assistance to of the refugee population. Year Report Year The 2015 Humanitarian Response be a top priority. This has become Although there were no major Plan requested USD 41.6 million more critical as many families and outbreaks, they continue to be a for all of the agencies responding host communities supporting major concern for both the to the refugee response. As of 30 refugee families have exhausted refugee population and hosting June 2015, it is funded at an their resources, and as the communities, mainly due to the estimated 34.6%. livestock that some refugees were water scarcity in the summer able to bring have been used for malnutrition. As the situation season, endemic prevalence of food. progresses, the risk of water-borne diseases and malaria, malnutrition rises, especially as an and poor hygiene practices. There Health & Nutrition: The 2014 additional burden for hosting is a dire need for additional Humanitarian Needs Overview communities may exacerbate support to meet the increased showed both Khost and Paktika already high malnutrition rates in demand for already overstretched provinces were among the 13 the provinces. A survey was medical services. hi gh -r i sk prov i nces for recently conducted and indicates Water & Sanitation: Water, awareness trainings. Although included basic household and Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) great progress has been made, kitchen items as well as sanitary are critical to prevent outbreak of there are still gaps in relation to kits. In the lead-up to winter, there diseases, ensure access to basic the limited pre-existing sanitation was an extensive effort across life-saving measures and prevent infrastructure and the continued both provinces to get warm potential conflict over limited increasing demand for potable clothes, extra blankets, and safe water resources. WASH partners water. heating materials out to families. in both provinces have With the coming winter, certain rehabilitated wells, drilled NFIs & Winterization: Agencies items, including jerry cans and boreholes, laid pipe networks and across both provinces supported sanitation materials, will need to trucked water to remote locations families during initial assessments be replaced. while conducting hygiene with Non-Food Item kits that UNHCR Mid - Year Report Year Khost & Paktika Khost Mine Clearance: When refugees up in both provinces, however established. This has enabled to self-settled into Gulan camp, it from focus group discussions have a direct line of was discovered that there were and meetings with refugees, communication with the refugee mines in the camp area. By families indicated that population to discuss needs, help mobilizing resources, mine educational activities are needed identify potential PSN cases, clearance partners cleared the for adolescents and youth. determine methods to increase entire camp and provided mine access to women and get buy-in risk awareness education to the Protection: Agencies operating on key interventions. Focus community members near the on the ground have helped Group Discussions were also camp and the camp population. establish Persons with Specific conducted to better understand Needs (PSN) networks to assess the context and needs faced by While ensuring the entire camp and provide support to both host communities and population can have access to vulnerable refugee women and refugees. basic services is important, girls, men and boys. Given maintaining host community limited resources these networks Registration: Initially, basic support including services, need strengthening while the registration of the refugee accommodation and adaptation main point of contact to reach population was undertaken to is a priority to prevent secondary children is through the schools ensure immediate targeted displacement. and educational activities. More assistance can be provided, in attention is needed on SGBV, particular for the most Education: Safeguarding the responding to protection vulnerable. As the situation right to education is an essential concerns and having networks in stabilizes, an enhanced strategy to ensure the protection place to respond to core needs. verification of the refugee of children and adolescents in Refugee representative groups population in the camp and in the emergency phase and including for women and a host communities will be beyond. An estimated 63% of Women’s Coordination meeting, undertaken to strengthen the refugee population are which includes service providers protection and assistance children. Schools have been set- targeting women have been outreach as well as prepare for UNHCR Mid Khost & Paktika Khost - Year Report Year MOVING FORWARD the refugees in 2016. For those While limited who may be unable or unwilling spontaneous to return, community-based returns are likely programmes with self-reliance to have occurred, activities will be enhanced. either to areas of origin or other In the meantime, interventions will parts of Pakistan, aim to enhance protection the majority of services, empower for livelihoods refugees are still opportunities and to support host observing the communities. Partnerships and development of coordination will be further the situation in strengthened. To date, 25 their places of agencies are engaged in the origin before response. making a decision on return. Agencies are currently beginning to implement cash-for-work projects U N H C R i s and quick impact projects to c u r r e n t l y support communities continue conducting a supporting refugee families while return intentions also building the self-sufficiency survey together of the population. w i t h P o s t Distribution and support voluntary repatriation Monitoring of tents and NFIs to and other durable solutions. determine families’ shelter needs and intention to return. Although CHALLENGES & CONSTRAINTS the study is ongoing, preliminary UNHCR Mid Despite the extensive assistance results suggest delivered, many organizations that families will engaged in response still face consider security, challenges in regards to