Emergency Response for Conflict-Displaced Families Along the Afghanistan–Pakistan Border

TYPE: Emergency Relief – Cash Assistance (DERF Rapid Response)

PERIOD: 8 February 2026 – 8 June 2026

GEOGRAPHIC FOCUS: Khost Province – Alisher and Gurbuz Districts

FUNDING: Danish Emergency Relief Fund (DERF) administered by CISU

GRANT HOLDER: Rebuild Aid Forening (Denmark)

IMPLEMENTING PARTNER: Saifrood Unity and Aid Organization (SUAO)

TARGET GROUP: 350 conflict-displaced and highly vulnerable families affected by armed clashes and displacement along the Afghanistan–Pakistan border, with particular attention to women, children, older persons, persons with disabilities, and female-headed households.

HUMANITARIAN IMPACT

The project provided immediate relief to families displaced by escalating border tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan. By providing unrestricted cash assistance, families were empowered to decide how best to meet their own priorities, restoring dignity and reducing dependency during an extremely uncertain period. The intervention helped prevent further humanitarian deterioration while strengthening cooperation between humanitarian actors, local authorities, and affected communities.

The intervention responded to the growing humanitarian consequences of armed clashes and insecurity along the Afghanistan–Pakistan border, which forced hundreds of families to flee their homes and seek safety in Khost Province.

Communities living in Alisher and Gurbuz Districts experienced severe disruption as border violence damaged livelihoods, interrupted local markets, and displaced vulnerable households. Many families lost access to regular income, food supplies, healthcare, and basic services while facing an uncertain future. Women, children, older persons, persons with disabilities, and female-headed households were among those most severely affected.

To address these urgent humanitarian needs, Rebuild Aid and SUAO launched a rapid emergency cash assistance programme targeting 350 conflict-displaced families across eleven affected communities in the two districts. Beneficiaries were identified through comprehensive field assessments conducted in close coordination with provincial authorities, district officials, community elders, development councils, and local representatives. This participatory approach ensured that assistance reached the households with the greatest needs while maintaining transparency, fairness, and accountability throughout the response.

Rather than providing standard relief packages, the project delivered unrestricted cash assistance, enabling families to make their own decisions according to their immediate priorities. Depending on individual circumstances, households used the assistance to purchase food, secure temporary shelter, access healthcare, pay for transportation, replace essential household items, or meet other urgent needs. This flexible approach recognised that every family’s situation was different and restored a sense of dignity and choice during a period of crisis.

The project also placed strong emphasis on humanitarian accountability. SUAO’s field teams maintained continuous communication with communities throughout implementation, while monitoring and verification mechanisms ensured that assistance was delivered transparently and efficiently. Close cooperation with local authorities, security institutions, and community representatives further strengthened public confidence in the intervention and reduced the risk of exclusion or duplication.

Beyond addressing immediate humanitarian needs, the project contributed to strengthening local humanitarian response capacity. Through the implementation process, SUAO enhanced its expertise in emergency cash programming, beneficiary registration, community engagement, coordination with government authorities, monitoring, and accountability mechanisms. These strengthened capacities will improve the organisation’s ability to respond rapidly and effectively to future humanitarian emergencies across Afghanistan.

The intervention demonstrated the value of combining strong local partnerships with flexible humanitarian funding. Through the financial support of DERF, the grant management of Rebuild Aid Forening, and the local implementation capacity of Saifrood Unity and Aid Organization, 350 vulnerable families received timely assistance that helped stabilise their situation during one of the most difficult periods following displacement.

The project reaffirmed that effective humanitarian action extends beyond the delivery of financial assistance. By placing affected communities at the centre of the response, promoting transparency, and strengthening local capacity, the initiative helped restore dignity, reduce immediate hardship, and reinforce community resilience in one of Afghanistan’s most fragile border regions.

LESSONS LEARNED

The project demonstrated that unrestricted cash assistance remains one of the most effective forms of humanitarian support in displacement settings, allowing families to prioritise their own urgent needs while preserving dignity and choice. It also reinforced the importance of community participation, transparent beneficiary selection, and strong local partnerships in delivering effective humanitarian assistance. The collaboration between Rebuild Aid, SUAO, local authorities, and community representatives proved essential for ensuring accountability, acceptance, and timely delivery of assistance in a complex humanitarian environment.