Social Protection in Kandahar Province

Social Protection in Kandahar Province

Building the capacities, opportunities and security of extremely poor and vulnerable
Afghans through a process of economic empowerment is essential in order to reduce poverty and
increase self-reliance. The level of economic hardship in Kandahar is reasonably high. Around one third
of households in the province report having problems satisfying their food needs at least 3 – 6 times a
year (33%), and more than a fifth of households face this problem up to three times a year (22%),

Around a third of the population in the province is estimated to receive less than the minimum daily
caloric intake necessary to maintain good health. This figure is smaller for the rural population (26%)
than for people living in the urban area (37%). In both rural and urban areas nearly three quarter of
households (73%) has low dietary diversity and poor or very poor food consumption.

total of 870938 beneficiaries. In addition, of the 33% of households who reported taking out loans, 58%
said that the main use of their largest loan was to buy food. A further 11% used the money to cover
expenses for health emergencies. In the same year more than forty percent of households (41%) in the
province reported feeling that their economic situation remained the same compared to a year ago, and
the same number (40%) felt that it had got worse or much worse.

In 2005 around half of all households in the province report having been negatively affected by some
unexpected event in the last year, which was beyond their control (48%). Rural households were much
more vulnerable to such shocks, with 55% of households affected, as opposed to urban households
with only 32%. People living in urban areas were most vulnerable to shocks related to natural disasters
and insecurity, whereas those in rural areas were most at risk from drinking water problems and
natural disasters.