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Aga Khan Foundation Japan International Cooperation Agency Afghanistan Afghanistan Rural Development Project in Afghan-Tajik border area of Badakhshan FINAL REPORT Project period: 31 October 2011 30 September 2014 (3 years) No cost extension: 1 October 2014 28 February 2015 (5 months) Implementation and Reporting by Aga Khan Foundation Afghanistan (AKF) Reported to Japan International Cooperation Agency Afghanistan Office (JICA) Date of reporting: May 2015 The cross border region with Shugnan, Badakhshan, Afghanistan in the foreground, and Khorog, Tajikistan in the background, May 2015 144 4.AKF-A, FINAL REPORT, Rural Development Project in Afghan-Tajik border area of Badakhshan, May 2015

4.AKF-A, FINAL REPORT, Rural Development Project in Afghan ... · Rural Development Project in Afghan -Tajik border area of Badakhshan FINAL REPORT Project period: 31 October 2011

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  • Aga Khan Foundation Japan International Cooperation Agency

    Afghanistan Afghanistan

    Rural Development Project in Afghan-Tajik border area of Badakhshan

    FINAL REPORT

    Project period: 31 October 2011 – 30 September 2014 (3 years)

    No cost extension: 1 October 2014 – 28 February 2015 (5 months)

    Implementation and Reporting by Aga Khan Foundation Afghanistan (AKF)

    Reported to Japan International Cooperation Agency Afghanistan Office (JICA)

    Date of reporting: May 2015

    The cross border region with Shugnan, Badakhshan, Afghanistan in the foreground, and Khorog, Tajikistan in the background, May 2015

    - 144 -

    4. AKF-A, FINAL REPORT, Rural Development Project in Afghan-Tajik border

    area of Badakhshan, May 2015

  • Aga Khan Foundation Japan International Cooperation Agency

    Afghanistan Afghanistan

    Rural Development Project in Afghan-Tajik border area of Badakhshan

    FINAL REPORT

    Project period: 31 October 2011 – 30 September 2014 (3 years)

    No cost extension: 1 October 2014 – 28 February 2015 (5 months)

    Implementation and Reporting by Aga Khan Foundation Afghanistan (AKF)

    Reported to Japan International Cooperation Agency Afghanistan Office (JICA)

    Date of reporting: May 2015

    The cross border region with Shugnan, Badakhshan, Afghanistan in the foreground, and Khorog, Tajikistan in the background, May 2015

    AKF Final Report | 1

    I. Executive Summary

    In 2011, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and Aga Khan Foundation, Afghanistan (AKF) leveraged their strategic partnership to formulate a three year project for USD 4.2 million, which aimed to contribute to the enhancement of livelihoods, good governance and improve cross borer collaboration in the border districts of Afghan Badakhshan. The project recognised the need for innovative approaches to the development of Afghanistan, and of Badakhshan in particular. In the Badakhshan context, this was demonstrated through intensive support to district-level governance structures and the facilitation of community engagement with neighbouring border districts in Tajikistan.

    The project worked with sub-national governance structures in Afghan Badakhshan to construct essential rural infrastructure projects that enhance the quality of life for some of the most remote districts in the province. This project also simultaneously built the capacity of Afghanistan’s fledgling district-level development decision-making institutions (District Development Assemblies). Tajik counterparts of these structures, known as Association of Social Unions for Development of Village Organisations (ASUDVOs) and their communities across the border concurrently received similar capacity building and infrastructure support, appropriately mirroring the plans laid forth in this project and serving to fortify the capacity for these institutions to increase cooperative planning and project implementation in the future, of their own accord.

    Over the course of the JICA-AKF partnership, this project has achieved significant levels of tangible success in terms of providing basic development infrastructure, enhancing access to services and livelihood opportunities, as well as achievement in improving capacity among local governance institutions for good governance and development planning in one of Afghanistan poorest, most isolated and challenging regions. The project has also made positive progress towards improvinglevels of regional cooperation by strengthening collaboration within the Afghan sub-national governance system and relations between Afghan and Tajik governance institutions through promotion of cross-border cooperation events. The RDP achieved all of its performance measurement targets, but highlighted acute needs for continual, long-term support for the region.

    Development Infrastructure

    The achievement of DDAs in coordinating project selection processes, project implementation and oversight of project implementation, and in managing community relations in such a complex and challenging region of Afghanistan cannot be underestimated. The target DDAs in the project were the last in the country to be formed under the government’s National Area-Based Development Programme (NABDP), and when the Rural Development Programme (RDP) began, the DDAs were undoubtedly beginning at comparatively low level of capacity and technical experience in governance and development compared to national counterparts. Therefore, perhaps the biggest

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  • AKF Final Report | 2

    achievement of the project has been to see DDAs work with communities to select and implementnine subprojects to a significantly high standard under challenging conditions that required constant adaptation and flexibility. This process has shown the DDAs’ capacity in implementing major infrastructure projects. Findings from a community impact survey, which although are early to judge by as infrastructure has just been completed, demonstrate that 79% of randomly selected community groups interviewed responded positively to the implementation of infrastructure projects by DDAs. The RDP has provided schools, critical bridges, roads, and a teacher trainings centre that have had district wide impact and which will have a long-term positive social impact on the communities that they serve. The number of community beneficiaries are outline below.

    Total project beneficiaries

    Cohort Subproject Districts Direct

    beneficiariesDirect male

    Direct female

    Indirect beneficiaries

    Total

    1Chawgantarashan Primary School

    Shughnan 189 97 92 850 1,039

    1Warizan Primary

    School Shughnan

    203 121 83 810 1,013

    1 Ishkashim School Ishkashim 1,092 1,077 15 9,000 10,092

    1Worgund-e-Bala

    Bridge Wakhan

    16,000 16,000

    1Worgund-e-Payan

    Bridge Wakhan

    16,000 16,000

    2Wujum-e-Bala

    Bridge Nusai

    12,000 12,000

    2 Ghumai School Maimai 643 340 283 1,700 2,343

    2Shekai Teachers Training College

    Shekai88 558 30 24,000 24,088

    2 Pasipadew Road Kufab 14,000 24,000 38,000

    Totals 16,215

    2,193

    503

    104,360

    120,575

    Strengthening sub national governance and improving development

    Improving governance and development in any setting is a long-term process that requires extensive commitment to building the capacity of governance actors and related institutions. The

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  • AKF Final Report | 3

    JICA-funded RDP began the process of building the capacity of some of Afghanistan’s most recently formed local governance bodies by supporting DDAs in the Afghanistan-Tajikistan border district ofBadakhshan province. As a result of the project, the majority (89%) of DDAs increased their overall maturity rating, meaning the project achieved its performance objective. However, the project highlighted that the northern-most districts (Kufab, Maimai, Shekai), which suffer from extreme isolation and historically being often completely cut off from both government and NGO support, still had clear long-term capacity needs to be focused on for intensive support in the future. This is perhaps an inevitable finding, but does still highlight the need for more support to these isolated regions which struggle to access support and resources from the state and other development actors. There were notable gains in capacity related to areas that the JICA-funded RDP invested in, in particular there was an overall increases in areas of gender integration (65.7% grade B), resources mobilisation (58.6%, grade C), and development action (50.7%, grade C), highlighting major progress in community’s self initiative and integration of concepts of gender equality into programming. There were also noted, although less pronounced, increases in the domain of linkages with state and other institutions which measure links with government, Provincial Council, INGOs and UN agencies.

    Average percentage scores by domain obtained by the DDAs compared to the baseline

    67

    18.6

    43.8

    27.4

    1.2

    42.9

    77.1

    43.8

    52.9

    26.4

    15.9

    58.6 54.94

    58.57

    38.1 34.28

    14.29

    38.57

    54.29

    43.24

    65.57

    50.71

    21.85

    42.86

    At baseline

    At MA

    - 147 -

  • AKF Final Report | 4

    Promoting regional cooperation The historical divide between Afghan and Tajik neighbours in the cross border region has caused mistrust, dislocation and a lack of cooperation. Reconnecting communities, let alone formal systems of government, is a long-term process that will lead long term to improving the prospects for peace and development in the region. The RDP will not claim to be able to have addressed all the issues that have been confounding this region for decades, even centuries, but has made important first steps in bringing culturally and physically closely connected, but socially, politically and economically disconnected communities together for the first time in structured way. A total of 178 DDA members took part in experience sharing events. In addition were 15 representatives of District Government Offices, attended as well as 40 members of AKF Mountain Societies Development Support Programme Tajikistan. Therefore a target of 87% of DDA membership/sub-national institution membership was achieved. AKF works within a model that sees connecting communities developing building grass roots platforms for dialogue as part of a longer-term effort to affect more significant structural change. Therefore, the project has enhanced a dialogue between communities across international borders who have a shared economic social and cultural future.

    Recommendations

    Continuation and expansion of JICA regional cooperation program

    Focus on more capacity building for specific thematic areas

    Support to District Governors Offices

    Support for regular district government and DDA coordination

    An increase in size of block grant to compensate for the geographical challenges

    Involving CLDC (CCDCs) more in future development projects

    Cross border exposure visits

    Opportunities for economic development projects

    Thematic regional cooperation programmes

    Priortise support to the northern districts

    More promotion of rural electrification

    Providing advanced capacity buildings

    Provision of basic costs to ensure day-to-day functionality of DDAs.

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  • AKF Final Report | 5

    ContentsI. Background ......................................................................................................................................... 6

    II. Overview of Project .......................................................................................................................... 9

    III. Main Activities and Achievements in the Project .......................................................................... 13

    IV. Achievement by Outcomes ............................................................................................................ 45

    V. Monitoring and Evaluation .............................................................................................................. 49

    VI. Sustainability ................................................................................................................................. 50

    VII. General Observations ................................................................................................................... 52

    VIII. Analysis and Conclusions ........................................................................................................... 55

    Annex 1. District Development Assembly Maturity Assessment Report

    Annex 2. A Report on Community Perceptions of JICA Infrastructure Development Projects in the Seven Districts of Koofab, Ishkashim, Maimai, Nusai, Shukay, Shughnan and Wakhan in Badakhshan Province, Afghanistan

    Annex 3. Handover letter of Ishkashim school

    Annex 4. Handover letter of Parsipedew road

    Annex 5. Handover letter of Shughnan Schools

    Annex 6. Handover letter of Shukai TTC

    Annex 7. Handover letter of Wojom Bala bridge

    Annex 8. Handover letter of Worgun e Bala

    Annex 9. Handover letter of Worgun e Payan bridge

    Annex 10. GoIRA-JICA-AKF Project Review Meeting Minute Sept 2014

    - 149 -

  • AKF Final Report | 6

    Shukai TTC, Shukai District May 2015

    I. Background

    Until the end of the 19th century, the portion of Badakhshan south of the Pyanj river (now Afghan Badakhshan) and the section of Badakhshan north of the Pyanj river (now Gorno Badakhshan Autonomous Oblast) were culturally, socially and economically a single region. The 1873 Anglo-Russian agreement resulted in the creation of the Wakhan Corridor as a buffer to separate the Russian and British Empires, and in 1895 the Pyanj River was defined as the border splitting Badakhshan into two separate regions, thus setting the two provinces on distinctly different development paths. This division left ethnic Badakhshi’s divided on either side of the border, and even families were separated. Modern-day Afghans and Tajiks of this region continue to speak similar local languages, such as Shugni. Similarly, both Dari and Tajik, two widely spoken languages between Afghanistan and Tajikistan respectively, are both linguistic variants of Persian. Since the region is only separated by a river, many traditions and customs are still shared.

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  • AKF Final Report | 7

    Rugged physical geography of Afghan Badakhshan

    Afghan Badakhshan has benefited from democratisation in Afghanistan and the international community’s re-engagement with the country, but suffers from some of the worst human development indicators in the world (Afghanistan ranked 169 out of 185 countries surveyed as pear of the Human Development Report 2014)1. In its remote border districts, communities are extremely isolated and vulnerable, with a narrow asset base and very limited social and economic opportunities. In those areas, natural disasters frequently threaten the meager resources that form the basis of livelihoods for much of the population. Long distances to markets and poor connections to administrative and commercial centres result in few opportunities for basic services, such as education and health. Although households located in major valleys may benefit from irrigated land, the majority depend on rain-fed agriculture and herding livestock on increasingly denuded slopes. Off-farm enterprise options are also limited due to poor skills, extreme geographic isolation and mountainous terrain, the high cost of inputs, and poor transportation links. In many of these isolated districts, migration and remittances play the most important roles in the livelihoods of the population.A vigorous and sustained focus on the development of Badakhshan is essential for building a healthy economy and providing necessary services to the region and its peoples, as well as to contain the potential increase in relative poverty compared to its neighbours.

    Recent data from Afghanistan’s National Risk and Vulnerability Assessment (NRVA) suggests that overall, nine million people (or 36% of the population) in Afghanistan are unable to meet their basic needs.2 In addition to the widespread problem of food insecurity, according to the NRVA, overall 1 Human Development Report 2014: Sustaining Human Progress: Reducing Vulnerabilities and Building Resilience, UNDP 2014

    2 The poverty line used by the NRVA is calculated based on 25 USD per person per month, representing the typical cost of attaining

    2,100 calories per person per day and of meeting some basic non-food needs.

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  • AKF Final Report | 8

    poverty rates correlate strongly to several other key development indicators in Afghanistan, including education levels, the maternal mortality ratio and infant mortality rates. Afghanistan’s infant mortality stands at 129/1,000 live births and under-five mortality is 191/1,000 live births.3 Most recent estimates place Badakhshan’s maternal mortality ratio at 2,200/100,000.4 A high instance of food insecurity results in falling development indicators across sectors as the household focuses on daily survival – a phenomenon notable across sectors in Afghan Badakhshan.

    Moreover, a governance gap exists between the village level and provincial and national institutions. At the village level, the National Solidarity Programme (NSP) has created Community Development Councils (CDC), and has proven to be one of the most successful initiatives in Afghanistan over the past seven years. Funded by the World Bank and implemented through the Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development (MRRD), NSP has covered 361 districts to date, forming some 22,000 CDCs, which have implemented more than 32,000 projects including road and school construction, and the establishment of irrigation canals and micro-hydels.

    Upon identifying the need for district-level representation, MRRD, through the NABDP5, facilitated the creation of district-level governance structures known as District Development Assemblies (DDA). Once DDAs are formed, DDA members are tasked with creating and managing District Development Plans (DDP), which contain projects identified to address district-level development needs. Although DDAs have been established in over 70% of the country, they remain under-resourced and under-supported institutions in Badakhshan, causing

    Figure 2: RDP target district map

    3 Afghanistan Health Survey

    4 Best Estimates Provincial Factsheet, UNICEF, May 2005

    5 NABDP is a joint initiative of the Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development (MRRD) and the United Nations Development

    Programme (UNDP), starting in 2002, with the goal of contributing to a sustainable reduction of poverty and an improvement of

    livelihoods in rural Afghanistan.

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  • AKF Final Report | 9

    gaps in development planning in the sub-national governance system. AKF has supported DDPs use in reference to developing Provincial Development Plan (PDPs), but more needs to be done to support this process in the future to ensure that provincial planning processes are promoting inclusive planning processes that can achieve sub national governance development goals outlined in the Afghanistan National Development Strategy. Low response from governance bodies to high levels of development needs undermines the perception of relevance and legitimacy for these institutions, contributing to mistrust of representative bodies and possible anti-government or inter-communal conflict. This detracts from the overall goal of increasing licit livelihoods and enhancing rural development. Evidence from NSP suggests that community infrastructure development combined with capacity-building results in stronger local governance structures that institutionalise participatory decision-making. The coupling of infrastructure and capacity building allows for key community leaders to learn about development approaches and put them into practice with something visible, motivating, and developmental. In this way, community-prioritised infrastructure development can support good governance.

    II. Overview of Project

    In 2011, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and Aga Khan Foundation, Afghanistan (AKF) leveraged their strategic partnership and formulated a three year project for USD 4.2 million,

    - 153 -

  • AKF Final Report | 10

    which aimed, which aimed to contribute to the enhancement of livelihoods and good governance in the border districts of Afghan Badakhshan. The project recognised the need for innovative approaches to the development of Afghanistan, and of Badakhshan in particular. In the Badakhshan context, this was demonstrated through intensive support to district-level governance structures and the facilitation of community engagement with the neighbouring border districts in Tajikistan.

    The project worked with sub-national governance structures in Afghan Badakhshan to construct essential rural infrastructure projects that enhance quality of life for some of the most remote districts in the province. This project also simultaneously built the capacity of Afghanistan’s fledgling district-level development decision-making institutions (District Development Assemblies). Tajik counterparts of these structures, known as Association of Social Unions for Development of Village Organisations (ASUDVOs) and their communities across the border simultaneously received similar capacity building and infrastructure support projects, appropriately mirroring the plans laid forth in this proposal and serving to fortify the capacity for these institutions to increase cooperative planning and project implementation in the future, of their own accord.

    As a complement to the successful NSP, this proposed project built upon previous and ongoing capacity investments at the lowest level of the sub-national governance system in Afghanistan’s NSP-established Community Development Councils (CDCs). The project supported district-level DDAs to address cross-cutting or area-based development issues by implementing infrastructure projects to meet common needs among groups of communities. Using infrastructure investment as an entry point to community engagement, the project incorporated concurrent capacity-building elements for DDAs, ensuring more effective infrastructure implementation as well as more capable and participatory sub-national institutions. In this way, the project supported sustainable development by increasing access to development services through essential infrastructure, while enabling sub-national governance structures to achieve more relevant planning and effective implementation on behalf of their constituencies. The following provides an outline of the components, scope and mechanics of the project. His Excellency President Ashraf Ghani in his “Realizing Self-Reliance” paper on moving forward in Afghanistan emphasizes transparency, infrastructure, and civil society, and also the need for greater The RDP therefore strongly aligned with President Ghani’s future priorities and also the notion of regional cooperation, which is also a main focus of the RDP.

    Implementing Agencies

    The implementation structure of AKF is shown in figure 2 below:

    Figure 2: Implementation structure of RDP

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  • AKF Final Report | 11

    Programme Objectives1) To provide basic development infrastructure, enhancing access to services and livelihood opportunities in Afghan-Badakhshan;

    2) To enhance capacity among local governance institutions for good governance and development planning;

    3) To strengthen collaboration within the Afghan sub-national governance system and relations between Afghan and Tajik governance institutions.

    Programme Approach

    As a contribution to sustained development and enhanced livelihoods in an extremely isolated environment in Badakhshan, AKF proposed an intensive development investment in the area. The project recognises that weaknesses in basic infrastructure prevent basic development needs being met, limit access to essential services and curtail opportunities for sustained economic and social development. This can also lead to frustration with and mistrust of local governance institutions, damaging their legitimacy. This relationship between development infrastructure and the legitimacy of local governance bodies indicates that investing in basic infrastructure can make an important contribution to strengthening sub-national governance.

    Infrastructure development and improved human capacity is required to transform the region into one where people have opportunities to improve their lives by participating in, and benefiting from economic development, political inclusion and access to social services. Investment in projects that

    - Policy and Partnership Officer- Human Institution Development (HID) Programme Coordinator- Finance / Engineering Department

    - Regional Director- Rural Development Manager (- Sector Specialists)- Regional HID Manager - Regional Finance / Engineering Officers

    - Program Manager - Regional Cooperation - Program Management Support Officer - Rural Development Coordination - Regional Cooperation- Area Finance / Engineering / HID Officers- District Area Officer (Admin/Operation)

    - Ishkashim Distirct - Shugnan Distirct-Wakhan Distirct - Kofab Distirct

    - Maimai Distirct- Shekai Distirct- Nusai Distirct

    - Community Development Team (1 District Social Organizer and 3-4 Social Organizers)- On-site engineer for each subproject

    FaizabadRegional Office

    (500 staff)

    KabulNational Programme Office

    BaharakArea Office(8 districts)

    IshkashimArea Office(3 districts)

    KhorogArea Office(5 districts)

    (170 staff)

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  • AKF Final Report | 12

    directly or indirectly impact cross-border relationships will be more effective than focusing only on one side of the border. This will establish valuable linkages essential for wider stability. Previous AKF experience demonstrates that community projects must be locally owned if they are to contribute to meaningful change. The proposed project was focused around the delivery of Block Grants, which are grants to DDAs with a value of USD 265,000 that involves prioritising infrastructure projects that would directly benefit communities on the Afghan side of Badakhshan. The DDAs used these Block Grants to fund community-selected priority projects and received a total of six corresponding thematic training modules. The intended results include infrastructure development, greater access to services, increased livelihoods and strengthened good governance structures.

    Recognising the challenges in implementing in the cross border region northern most provinces (namely Shukai, Mai Mai, Nusai and Kufab), and the difficulties in procuring goods, services and accessing the communities, it was agreed to split the project into two cohorts that would be implemented in a phased approached. Cohort I consisted of Shughnan, Ishkashim and Wakhan districts. Each district received its own block grant which was used to address the community strategic needs outlined by DDAs. Cohort II districts encompassed all four districts in Darwaz, which includes Nusai, Shekai, Kofab and Mai Mai. The prioritised projects have been included in the government-approved District Development Plans that have been submitted to the Provincial Development Council. This indicates not only the community ownership of the projects, but the government acceptance and inclusion.

    Project training modules were introduced at the beginning of the project. Based on AKF’s experience with facilitating the development of CDCs, six training modules were selected to facilitate the growth of DDAs. The initial trainings prepared these institutions to select infrastructure projects by planning the use of their block grants. The first three modules were delivered to Cohort I districts in Years One and Two of the project. These modules include the Visioning Exercise, District-Level Priority Planning and Project Cycle Management (PCM) and encouraged members to actively shape their short and long-term goals as an institution while preparing them to select, prioritise and manage infrastructure projects. Cohort II received this round of training in Year Two of the programme. Once infrastructure projects were selected and approved for implementation, DDAs received the advanced trainings to further solidify their development. The remaining three modules included Conflict Resolution, Gender for Development and Common Property Resource Management (CPRM).

    Once infrastructure projects were being implemented, DDAs attended district-level ‘external’ or cross-border experiencing-sharing events to identify best practices with other DDAs, as well as Tajik ASUDVOs. These differed from internal experience sharing events where DDAs met with other Afghan DDA peers to share experience and learn from each other across the target Afghan districts, another effective tool for building capacity. This strengthened governance capacity within

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  • AKF Final Report | 13

    Afghanistan and encouraged future relations between Afghan and Tajik governance structures. The latter events were facilitated by utilising already established cross-border market days, which allowed people from either side to cross the border for one day without a visa. The cross-border markets themselves were AKF initiatives, which were constructed in five locations along the Amu Darya, including at points between Afghan-Tajik Ishkashim, Shugnan, and Darwaz, and have been an innovative and highly successful approach to improving livelihood and economic development in the region, whilst bring together thousands of Afghans and Tajiks together across this political border.

    III. Main Activities and Achievements in the Project

    1. Training and Capacity Building Activities

    Summary of Activities

    The project addressed the infrastructure needs of the targeted beneficiaries, and aimed to strengthen district-level sub-national governance institutions. The project also sought to deliver community-driven infrastructure projects which were beneficial to constituents in Badakhshan province of Afghanistan. Based on AKF’s experience with facilitating the development of CDCs, as a key implementer of the National Soldarity Programme (NSP), project training modules wereintroduced at the beginning of the programme.

    Six capacity development training modules were selected to facilitate the growth of DDAs. Three basic capacity development modules were delivered prior to the selection of sub-projects in order to guide the DDAs in planning for development and to shape their short and long term goals as an institution while preparing them to select, prioritise and manage infrastructure projects. These modules include:

    (i) Visioning Exercise; (ii) District-Level Priority Planning; (iii) Project Cycle Management.

    These modules would encourage members to actively shape their short and long-term goals as an institution while preparing them to select, prioritise and manage infrastructure projects. Once projects were selected and approved for implementation, the three advanced capacity development modules were delivered. These modules focused mainly on further strengthening local governance capacity in more complex areas. Advanced capacity development modules include:

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  • AKF Final Report | 14

    (iv) Conflict Resolution; (v) Gender Planning for Development; (vi) Common Property Resource Management.

    These trainings provided DDA members with an understanding of how to mediate conflicts between clusters of communities, how to manage resources equitably, and how to promote the development needs of girls and women. Throughout the project, DDAs participated in district-level peer-learning events, designed to provide a platform for developing further connections across the sub-national governance system in Afghan Badakhshan. AKF ensured that Afghan government authorities were consulted through the implementation process. Details about each training module can be found below in Figure 1:

    District Planning Training, Shekai, Badakhshan

    Participants at the Ishkashim PCM Training

    Figure 3: DDA capacity building training overviews

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  • AKF Final Report | 15

    Basic capacity development modules were delivered to Cohort I districts in Years One and Two of

    (i) Visioning The DDAs were initially established under the National Area-Based Development Programme (NABDP), which was funded by UNDP and implemented through the Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development. Thus, the Visioning Exercise module aims to strengthen the understanding of this important entity. To this end, the module approached conceptual questions such as, “What is the DDA?”, “What are its roles and responsibilities?”, “Why is the DDA important to district-level development?”, and “What kind of DDA is hoped for by all stakeholders?”Because the sessions include participants beyond the DDA membership, the value of addressing the above questions is that much more important to the larger process of fostering openness and transparency across governance and communities that constitute a given district.

    (ii) Planning In establishing the DDAs, the DDAs, the NABDP also sought to support the production of DDPs. These DDPs are government sanctioned and serve as a roadmap of the necessary development projects that can benefit a given district. One of the primary objectives of the Planning capacity development sessions is to critically assess the projects listed in the DDP and determine which projects are most needed for the communities they serve. The quality and completion of DDPs vary across the DDAs. The participants are guided and facilitated in groups to derive from their DDPs a listing of projects that meet the following criteria:

    All communities in the district should benefit from the projectProjects must be sustainable Projects should address, as much as possible, cross-cutting issues (i.e. corruption, security, opium cultivation reduction, etc.)Projects should tailor to the needs of women wherever possible Projects must contribute towards cross-border cooperation and regional developmentProjects must not be already committed to or under construction by any other programme, government or otherwise.

    (iii) Project Cycle Management The primary aim of this session is to introduce the DDA members a methodological, objective and effective way to implement sub-projects at the district and community levels. Led by AKF-A’s District Social Organizers, the trainings take DDA members through a number of sub-modules on topics ranging from ‘working with community needs’ to ‘proposal development’ to ‘time and risk management’ to ‘financial and human resources management.’ The module structures the learning according to four distinct yet interdependent stages of project cycle management:

    a) Defining the project (goals, objectives, success indicators) b) Project planning (identifying activities, budgets, HR, risks, and schedules)c) Project implementation (organizing people and activities, producing status reports)d) Delivery and closing (training the user, transferring documents, releasing resources, lessons learned)

    The training also includes a module on monitoring and evaluation.

    (iv) Conflict Resolution This training begins by examining the various ways to define conflict and conflict resolution, followed by understanding the root of conflicts. Common causes of conflict and how conflict escalates is also explored. The training ends by learning about peace and different manifestations of peace. The topics covered during the training are:

    What is conflict?What are the causes of conflict? How can conflict be avoided before it happens?Understanding and defining peaceHow people learn

    Four dimensions of violent conflictConflict mappingThe onion: positions, interests, and needsThe ABC triangle: the three major components of conflict.

    (v) Gender Planning for Development The purpose of this module is to train the DDA members on the following:

    To develop a better understanding of how gender issues can be integrated in the district planning processTo understand the Government’s gender equality policies and strategiesTO acquire knowledge and skills in strengthening DDA’s monitoring system from a gender perspective.

    The following issues were discussed in the form of mini-lectures, discussions and presentations:Understanding women in IslamUnderstanding concepts of gender equality and equityUnderstanding gender and development approachesGovernment’s key gender related policiesUnderstanding the concept of gender planning.

    Incorporating gender sensitivity into monitoring and evaluation systems was shared, particularly about indicators to track gender gaps.

    (vi) Common Property Resource Management Training The purpose of this module is to inform the DDA members that the community owns and/or controls the common property resources, as well as train them to evolve their own rules to manage them on a sustainable basis. This includes:

    Resource protection and conservations Resource maintenance and developmentEquitable and sustainable use of the resourceCollective restraint for consumption during stress periodsStrengthening mutal understanding and ability to work together for a common purpose.

    These trainings also explored the notion of institutional sustainability and recognized that establishing a local committee is critical for the communities to support and manage their resources.

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  • AKF Final Report | 16

    the project by AKF. The module on Project Cycle Management was administered in 2012. As already captured in the baseline assessment 51% of total female DDA members and 77% of male members from Cohort I participated in project cycle management while 80% of total female DDA members and 96% of total male DDA members from Cohort I participated in the training modules on Visioning exercise and District level priority planning. The CDC members also attended the trainings in District Level Planning and Visioning Exercise. Cohort II DDAs received training in Basic Capacity Development modules in Year Two of the project. Participation in Basic Capacity Development modules can be found below in Figure 2 and 3.

    .

    Figure 8: Cohort I DDA members who participated in the Basic Capacity Development Module training

    Basic Capacity Development Modules

    Number of Participants from Cohort I DDAs Wakhan Ishkashim Shughnan TOTAL

    Visioning Exercise6 64 50 77 191District-Level Priority Planning7

    64 50 77 191

    Project Cycle Management8

    21 24 48 93

    Total Number of Participants

    149 124 202 475

    6 Attended by all DDA members including chair and vice chair, District Governor and all line departments including DAIL, Sector

    Management Department, Department of Rural Rehabilitation and Development, District Court Officials, Department Law and

    Justice, Saranwali, Department of Communications, Department of Women’s Affairs, Representatives of District and Border Police

    Department, and Department of Education, and all departments of AKF including Educations, NRM, MDP, HID and Health.7 Same attendance as for visioning exercise.8 Same attendance as for visioning exercise.

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  • AKF Final Report | 17

    Figure 9: Cohort II DDA members who participated in the Basic Capacity Development Module trainings

    Basic Capacity Development Modules

    Number of Participants from Cohort II DDAs Maimai Nusai Shekai Kufab TOTAL

    Conflict Resolution9

    30 36 39 33 138

    Gender Planning for Development10

    45 36 39 33 153

    Common Property Resource Management11

    30 25 21 22 98

    Total Number of Participants

    105 97 99 88 389

    It was observed by AKF staff that after these sessions, DDA members more frequently visit development sites implemented by the government and international organisations. Some DDAs have reportedly prompted to develop self-implementation project by utilising knowledge and skills introduced in this project. One example of this self-initiative is the water mills and three micro-hydro power plants constructed by community members in Shekai without any budget given from the government or NGOs. Another example is the construction of a vital wooden path bridge over Kufab River, as well as a two kilometer road, all through community contribution.

    9 Attended by all DDA members, and District Governor Office representatives.10 Attended by all DDA members, some women representative of Cluster Community Development Councils and District Governor

    Office representatives.11 Attended by all DDA members, and Department Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock.

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    Vision Building Training, Shekai, Badakhshan

    All DDAs received training on these three modules beginning in 2013. DDAs in Maimai, Nusai and Kufab received refresher training in the module Common Property Resource Management in 2014. Participation by members of the different DDAs in capacity building activities is shown in Figure 4 and 5 below.

    Vision-Building Training, Nusai, Badakhshan

    Figure 10: Cohort I DDA members who participated in the Advanced Capacity Development Module trainings

    Advanced Capacity Development Modules

    Number of Participants from Cohort I DDAs Wakhan Ishkashim Shughnan TOTAL

    Visioning Exercise 9 12 12 33

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    District-Level Priority Planning

    20 27 39 86

    Project Cycle Management

    30 27 42 99

    Total Number of Participants

    59 66 93 218

    Figure 11: Cohort II DDA members who participated in the Advanced Capacity Development Module trainings

    Advanced Capacity Development Modules

    Number of Participants from Cohort II DDAs Maimai Nusai Shukay Kufab TOTAL

    Conflict Resolution 22 18 30 20 90Gender Planning for Development

    22 18 30 18 88

    Common Property Resource Management

    22 18 14 18 72

    Total Number of Participants

    66 54 74 56 250

    Through interviews conducted by the JICA evaluation mission, the DDA members expressed appreciation for the capacity building sessions and already started using the new knowledge and skills in development of new projects. DDA members in Wakhan and Nusai said that they were now able to put their priority projects into more detailed proposal so as to present it to the government and development organisation. DDAs have also been playing a comprehensive role in local governance by being aware of its mandate and acquiring necessary skills to perform it amply. For example, the dispute regarding pastureland ownership between Ishkashim and Wakhan was successfully resolved by the DDAs. Moreover, between Nusai and Mai Mai there has been a dispute over land ownership, which has been successfully mediated by the DDAs.

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    Shugnan DDA members and an AKF trainer during the Visioning and Planning workshop

    In the final quarter of 2014, based on demand, some DDAs were provided with basic infrastructure training to promote local knowledge of DDAs for the upkeep and maintenance of JICA infrastructure projects based on demand from the community and recognition of basic skill requirements. This training was delivered to DDA sub-committees, called Community Participatory Committees (CPM), in Wakhan, Kufab, Shughnan and Ishkashim and delivered by AKF technical engineers. The training included basic principles of construction maintenance, what materials wererequired to fix defects and what the basic needs of the committee members would be with regards to

    Capacity Building in Shekai,

    the construction projects in the future and how CPMs can manage and monitor the construction projects in order to reduce problems of ongoing projects. Participants in trainings, including men and

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    women, committed to monitor the construction projects in the relevant target districts with regular visits for improvement of the infrastructure. The training was demand driven, and requested by the communities as there was apparent lack of technical knowledge about how to monitor and maintain projects into the future.

    Figure 12: DDA members who participated in the basic infrastructure training

    Module Number of Participants from Cohort II DDAs

    Ishkashim Wakhan Kufab Shughnan TOTAL

    M F T M F T M F T M F T M F T

    BasicInfrastructure Training

    22 4 26 20 5 25 8 4 12 9 3 12 59 16 75

    These trainings were an innovative way to promote the long term upkeep of projects following the end of the JICA-AKF project. Infrastructure trainings have been recognised as important to enhance the capacity of DDA teams to be able to have the technical knowledge monitor visits construction projects, but in being able to make informed decisions in future project implementation processes.This was not part of the original plan of the programme but instead was an innovative adaption in response to the DDA and community needs that was delivered to ensure the sustainability and effectiveness of the programme.

    I

    Ishkashim Planning and Visioning Session

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    2. Cross-Border Experience Sharing Activities

    Summary of Activities

    One of the objectives of this programme is to strengthen collaboration within the Afghan sub-national governance system and relations between Afghan and Tajik governance institutions. Cross-border engagement and increased regional cooperation between the Afghan-Badakhshan districts and the Tajik-Badakhshan districts aims to have the affect of strengthening community resiliency through more integrated local leadership and problem-solving for development needs that affect communities on both sides of the border.

    Cross-Border Experience-Sharing DDA and ASUDVO Interaction, Ishkashim

    The project facilitated the development of connections with sub-national governance actors in Afghan-Badakhshan, participation in peer-learning events and experience sharing conferences with the Tajik ASUDVOs. This was expected to help DDA members to identify best practices and strengthen local governance capacity.

    Cross-Border Experience-Sharing Participants in Ishkashim

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    There were two in-country experience-sharing events for Cohort I DDAs in 2012. Each event was attended by 35 DDA members. In 2013 Kufab and Shekai DDAs had an in-country experience-sharing event attended by 16 members. In the same year a similar event was organised for all the Cohort II DDAs, which was attended by 18 DDA members. Finally, all the seven DDAs benefited from Cross-Border Experience-Sharing Conferences with Tajik ASUDVOs. These conferences were also attended by Tajik and Afghan government officials and were geared towards helping DDA members to identify best practices and strengthen local governance capacity.Cross-border conferences were organised by AKF in close coordination with the local government, its brother office and JICA project team in Tajikistan.12 Participation by members of the different DDAs in experience-sharing activities is shown in Figure 7 below.

    Discussions between Afghan and Tajik community and government leaders

    Figure 13: DDA members who participated in the basic infrastructure training

    Experience-Sharing Events Districts Module Year Participants Cohort I In-country experience-sharing 2012 35 Cohort I In-country experience-sharing 2012 35 Kufab & Shekai In-country experience-sharing 2013 16 Cohort II In-country experience-sharing 2013 18 Cohort I Cross-border experience sharing 2013 29 Cohort I Cross-border experience sharing 2013 27 Cohort II Cross-border experience sharing 2013 25

    12 Reference to JICA evaluation report page 15.

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    Both Afghan and Tajik organisations have exchanged their experiences, good practices, and differences through the cross-border experience-sharing opportunities. Some ideas for further development of cross-border relations and activities were discussed. It was identified that the establishment of small funds within banks focused on cross-border economic development would be helpful in providing entrepreneurship and an opportunity to operate in the cross-border market.

    The cross-border experience sharing meeting was just as beneficial as it helped expand how the DDA members conceptualised the role of the DDA and allowed the members to identify a significant challenge in how the DDA currently functions. Moreover, DDA members deepened their understanding of DDA’s mandate and functions by explaining them to Tajik counterpart.

    As a result of the in-country experience-sharing, neighbouring districts within Cohort I have explored possible opportunities for collaboration in the future, shared lessons learned in project implementation, and discussed the way forward for ongoing coordination. Not only does this pave a cooperative path for future steps, but it also contributes to overall regional stability by improving relations between the neighbouring districts.

    For example, in Nusai, the DDA members from the four districts of Darwaz shared their progress on project selection, challenges faced, and measures taken to address issues. They found it very useful to understand how other communities in similar contexts manage their projects. After the meeting, the group visited the Nusai DDA office as a mini-exposure visit. Currently, Nusai is the only district in Darwaz that has a designated office for the DDA, while the other districts operate out of their own homes or in a communal space. This was an opportunity for the other members to see how the Nusai office operates, documents, and manages files. They were also intrigued by the maps of clusters and CDCs exhibited around the office. As the other DDA members plan forward, this visit was very helpful. Following this exposure trip, the group visited the office belonging to the District Governor of Nusai. During this visit, the history of Darwaz was explained, with emphasis on the concurrent responsibilities of the DDAs and importance of their relationships with each other and the communities. In Kufab, conflicts have risen between the communities and instead of having the community members turn to the government for mediation, the DDA members resolved the issues internally and amicably. Meeting participants from both Kufab and Shekai shared that they are interacting with the respective District Governors and international NGOs to convey the needs of the people, mobilising resources and taking initiative on development for their districts.

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    Cross-Border Experience-Sharing Conference in Tem Cross-Border Market

    Case study: An in-country experience-sharing event between Wakhan, Ishkashim, Sheghnan, Maimai, Nusai, Shukai and Kufab

    An in country experience sharing conference was conducted within the target districts (Wakhan, Ishkashim, Sheghnan, Maimai, Nusai, Shukai and Kufab) to collectively reflect on the three year programme in terms of capacity building interventions and infrastructure lessons learned, as well as share experiences about coordination with government and each other. In these meetings, DDA members focused on explaining the impact of capacity building trainings to each other which were practically implemented in the areas where they live. In addition, self-help initiatives approaches carried out by DDAs either through CDC, Cluster CDC (CCDC or CLDC) or DDA, were outlined to each other to build members knowledge of different kind of community based development initiatives going on in other districts.

    In one meeting the Nusai DDA leader outlined the different kind of initiatives that had being implemented in other districts. Nusai DDA members outlined the example of how they were able to resolve a serious conflict between two communities (in the center and neighboring villages of Nusai district) with the involvement of religious leaders, in order to develop solidarity between communities addressing long-term and complex conflicts that had been impeding their mutual-development. Nusai DDA members explained about the tool of regular monthly DDA meetings where issues such as community conflict were discussed and debated in-line with oversight of subproject implementation, which was overall having a positive impact, leading to smooth implementation of projects. The head of Nusai DDA also noted that their participation in District Governor (DG) monthly meetings had significantly brought positive relations between communities and government, improving implementation of ongoing projects and even improved coordinated with different Tajik and local construction companies within the district. In these meetings, issues could be brought up with DGs, which needed government attention and decisions made where necessary. It was stated that these meetings were building constructive bridges of communication

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    and collaboration between DDAs, and formal government, improving the overall governance of the region.

    3. Infrastructure Construction

    Summary of Activities

    The RDP project aims to support sustainable development by increasing access to social services through essential infrastructure, while enabling sub-national governance structures to achieve more relevant planning and effective implementation on behalf of their constituencies. Therefore, after a thorough and inclusive project selection process, nine JICA-supported infrastructure projects were selected by communities and implemented across seven districts of Badakhshan: two projects each in Wakhan and Shughnan districts, and one each in Ishkashim, Nusai, Maimai, Shekai and Kufab. The nine projects implemented in the project region include four schools, one teacher training college, one road and three bridges.

    Shekai Project Selection Workshop

    The RDP is being implemented in one of the most remote parts of the country. Road connections from the provincial centre, Faizabad, to the district centres of the project area are limited. Access from the district centres to the villages of the project districts is even more problematic. In summary, the area is characterised by poor roads, lack of skilled labour and harsh environmental conditions. Not only are the districts some of the poorest, but they have the hardest conditions within to communicate with government, attract funding, and implement projects.

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    Overall, the JICA-funded infrastructure projects went a long way towards meeting critical infrastructure needs in the face of massive demand. All infrastructure sub-projects were selectedinclusively as they were based on priorities from the revised District Development Plan (DDP),which is approved by the government. The first step in the selection process is a consultation with DDAs. The second step is capacity development session on Planning, which results in theprioritisation of sub-projects by DDAs selected from the DDP. This list was shared with the Provincial Department of Rural Rehabilitation and Development (PRRD) and JICA. Next, the DDAs select their sub-project(s) and AKF conducted a feasibility study. A presentation was then made to the stakeholders for approval and to obtain a no-objection certificate; both the PRRD and JICA helped to direct the projects towards is overall success, from the perspective of national-level interest and international-level standards. Some of the key challenges faced in the selection process include meeting the priorities of various villages and communities within the district, as well as selecting sub-projects that fit within the allocated budgets. Despite these challenges, the sub-projects were all relevant and justifiable as confirmed by independent assessment.

    The quality of the construction work was evaluated as satisfactory by the mid-term JICA evaluationreport. JICA evaluation team stated, “The prioritised project selection for the block grant could be regarded as quite successful in that any adverse confrontation or friction amongst DDA members and its community residents is not observed.”13

    Some of the factors that led to this success include: AKF’s consultations with DDAs to determine suitability of sub-projects in advance of finalisation of the sub-projects; DDA oversight and regular monitoring and coordination with government; The capacity of selected sub-contractors assessed by AKF to ensure quality of sub-project work;

    13 JICA evaluation report page 7.

    Project Selection Guiding Principles:All projects selected must demonstrate that they meet community needs, distribute limited resources reasonably, and maximize beneficiaries and cluster coverage within the district.

    More specifically, the project proposals shall be judged based on the following: 1. The project is selected in a participatory way by community representatives at the district

    level. 2. The project is supported by a proposal, which is based on AKF’s engineering standards.3. The project provides a public good, not a private one. Particular attention should be paid to

    gender equity in relation to access to the project. This would call into question the validity of using these funds to build religious structures.

    4. The project is feasible particularly in relation to timing and budget allocation. 5. The project is stand alone, and following implementation can function without external

    (non-community) assistance, unless expressly accepted by the relevant government department. The type of infrastructure proposed neither requires funding or assistance in vocational pre-implementation training nor does it require post-project programming,staffing, on-going assistance, and/or funding in order to function (ex. centers, factories), unless outlined in a signed MoU with the relevant government department.

    6. There are no extenuating security concerns that would jeopardize the implementation of the project in full.

    7. Cross-border projects are selected in a participatory way by community representatives at the district level and mutually beneficial (following the above guidelines) to districts in both Afghanistan and Tajikistan.

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    AKF’s direct management and implementation of six out of nine sub-projects, due to unavailability of skilled labour; and Internal AKF engineering workshops held to exchange views on design and progress of work.

    To ensure operational and financial sustainability of installed infrastructure, construction companies and AKF are responsible for defects for six months from the completion date of construction work. Upon the completion of construction, all the sub-projects were agreed and handed over to the control of the relevant community and government department within the district (such as the Department of Education, Public Works or Rural Rehabilitation and Development). Operations and maintenance costs for schools and a teacher training centre will be covered by the allocated government budget but AKF also supported DDAs to explore community based funding mechanism for maintaining infrastructure such as community saving boxes. In September of 2014, AKF and JICA held a joint coordination and review meeting with representatives of the Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development (MRRD), and Provincial Government of Badakshan, where commitments to maintain projects were stated and a minute note shared with all parties. His Excellency (HE) Dr. Shah Waliullah Adeeb, Provincial Governor of Badakhshan Province stated that “the JICA project had been a ‘great experience’ that had ‘built trust between government and communities’ and provided them with much needed infrastructure”. HE’s overall assessment so far was that the project has positively contributed to the lives of the communities where the project has been implemented. 14

    Surveying for a new boys high school in Ishkashim, Afghanistan

    The following section describes in detail each of the infrastructure sub-projects.

    Cohort I

    14 A Project Review Meeting between the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, Japan International Cooperation

    Agency, and Aga Khan Foundation

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    Location Map of Sub-Projects in Cohort I

    Shughnan District Public primary schools throughout Afghanistan were constructed several decades ago – some more than fifty years ago. Building materials were often limited to mud and stone with unskilled local community members managing the construction. With the passage of time, these schools suffered predictable depreciation as well as damage from severe weather conditions; namely, rain, snow and freezing temperatures. The severity of these conditions of such schools is more substantial in Badakhshan, and even more so in the border districts, where funds and attention from provincial and national government is particularly reclusive. Thus, the deliberations undertaken by Shughnan’s DDAs resulted in the prioritisation of primary schools to replace crumbling schools but also build new schools. The initial proposal by the DDA was to appease as much of the district’s communities as possible by proposing four new primary schools. However, funding for four schools that follow the requirements set forth by the Ministry of Education was too costly, so the DDAs deliberated amongst themselves and selected to construct two schools in Chawgantarashan and Warizan.

    Chawgantarashan Primary School

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    Chawgantarashan Primary School 2013

    Chawgantarashan Primary School 2015

    From the onset, construction faced difficulty in procurement due to several challenges with security and natural environment conditions. In addition, given the remoteness of Shughnan coupled with limited accessibility to the district and a lack of professional construction companies serving the area, AKF managed the construction of the project utilising its own engineers instead of recruiting a construction company. Throughout the construction of the sub-project, there was a continuous need for water supply in order to water the cement. Although it was not part of the initial design, the engineers constructed a water supply that served the construction and now also provides access to water for the school once it opens.

    Construction of the Chawgantarashan Primary School was completed in September 2014 and full handover of the school to the Department of Education took place in March 2015. In general, villagers reported satisfaction with the Chawgantarashan Primary School as it was in line with community needs and has gone a long way towards meeting the education needs of the children

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    within the communities. The school is now home to 178 students, 89 boys and 89 girls, from ages seven to 16. There are currently 11 teachers and support staff, 8 male and 3 female, employed at the school. It is estimated that 850 people will benefit from the construction of the school between two villages.

    Warizan Primary School former building

    Students and teachers at Warizan Primary School during a monitoring visit

    Warizan Primary School Construction of the Warizan Primary School faced initial difficulties with procurement and

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    commencement of building due to security issues and natural environment conditions. AKF also managed the construction of this sub-project instead of recruiting a construction company, which wasbased on a technical assessment of the construction companies that responded to the bid announcement for both school sub-projects in Shughnan.

    Construction of the primary school was completed by the end of September 2014 and handed over to the Department of Education in Shughnan in March 2015. Villagers in the community reported satisfaction with the Warizan Primary School as it was in line with community needs and has gone a long way towards meeting the education needs of the children within the community. The school now has 190 students, including 80 girls and 110 boys. There are 14 staff, 11 male and 3 female, employed at the school. 810 people from one village are benefitting from the project.

    IshkashimIshkashim School

    Ishkashim School, October 2013

    Ishkashim high school 2015

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    Ishkashim final completed building December 2014

    In Ishkashim, the construction of a boy’s high school in the district’s centre was selected and prioritised from the DDP with over 50% of votes from the Afghan stakeholders committee. The need to replace the building of the current boys’ high school was evident from a quick physical survey alone. The building is nearly dilapidated from the effects of weather and general use. The building is also not seismically safe, and medium to large sized earthquakes in the region are not uncommon. A new, larger district centre school will increase access to education, as more and better facilities will attract more students from across the district. This will, in turn, lead to greater livelihood opportunities for Ishkashim’s population. This sub-project is an exemplary public asset. The school now has 1,056 all male students, and employs 56 teachers, including 21 male and 15 female. Theschool is estimated to be benefitting 9,000 people in the surrounding community.

    Project selection During the course of time from March 15 to 17, 38 persons participated in the deliberation and selection process, feasibility study, and sub-project finalisation with Afghan stakeholders. Please see Appendix 3 for the registration forms. It can be noted from the list in Appendix 3, that suitable representation from the district governmental level was in attendance, including members from the PRRD. AKF led the deliberative events and technical feasibility study in mid-March through its District Social Mobiliser, District Engineer, and the Manager of the Ishkashim Area Office. The top-most prioritised sub-project as per the listing provided in the last quarter’s report was finalised as the sub-project that would be constructed in the coming Summer season, pending final approval from JICA vis-à-vis their receipt and comments of this report. Thus, the construction of a high school for male students in the district’s centre was selected, with more than 50% of the voting from the Afghan stakeholders committed to this.

    For the construction of the high school in Ishkashim, AKF issued a bid announcement to seek tenders for the construction project. In total, nine construction companies submitted tenders, of which AKF

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    selected the Farhad Sakhi Zada Construction Company from Badakhshan based on a technical assessment of the company. Initial procurement was challenging, as transportation of materials between Faizabad and Ishkashim required the contractor to travel through Dushanbe, which is a significant detour. Certain areas of Ishkashim are still covered with snow in early spring, which also posed challenges.

    The Ishkashim School construction was completed in December and handed over to the Department of Education and Ishkashim DDA is expected to occur in May 2015. Approximately 500 students will benefit from the school facilities.

    WakhanThe earthen road along the Wakhan corridor from the centre of Iskhashim to Khandood and then onwards to Sarhad-e-Broghil (230 km) has suffered innumerous natural hazards, including flash flooding, earthquakes, and debris flows. Snowmelt and tributaries more generally continuously threaten a continuous road as well. As a result of a proper road and required road bridges, communities remain very isolated, leading to food insecurity, poor to no access to sufficient healthcare and education, and vulnerable to the disastrous consequences of natural hazards that cut off populations from aid and help of more centralised authorities and NGOs. Insufficient roads also adversely effects the local, national, and international trade and tourism industries, as the Wakhan corridor could be a flourishing cross-roads for economic and touristic activity between neighboringdistricts, provinces, and countries. Feasibility study and sub-project finalisation meetings were held in Wakhan in April 2012 with nearly all members of the DDAs present for the deliberations. The sub-project selected was not the highest prioritised activities from the DDP as the highest prioritised projects were too costly.

    Worgund-e-Bala Bridge

    The site of the proposed car-road bridge at Wurgend-e-Bala

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    Worgund-e-Bala Bridge 2015

    AKF engaged potential contractors in the tendering process and, from a pool of nine tenders, the NIKON Construction Company from Badakhshan was selected after meeting the technical assessment requirements. Construction of the Worgund-e-Bala Bridge commenced in April 2013. Despite unfavourable weather conditions during the construction phase, the Worgund-e-Bala Bridge was successfully completed by June 2014 and handed over to the government by August 2014.

    The Worgund-e-Bala Bridge is already in use and has had a significant impact in reducing travel times and improving accessibility to the Wakhan corridor from communities where water levels in summer block crossing, and require expensive off-road vehicle travel to cross, and in winter the river freezes over causing the same problem. One community member noted that prior to the construction of the bridges, travel to the nearest hospital cost 1,800 AFN per person, but now only costs 1,000 AFN; this has a significant impact on these poor communities to access services. At certain times, crossing rivers was also very challenging for community members to be able to get to markets and for children to get to school. The river is now crossable all year round. The bridges have also protected community members, especially children, from the affects of summer floods caused by snow melting. The total population of Wakhan is 16,000 people who will all be benefitting from increased access to the district. On average 20 cars cross the bridge a day, with an average 9 people making a approximate 180 people crossing per day, which is equal 5,400 per month or 64,800 per year

    Worgun-e-Payan Bridge

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    Former crossing at Worgun e Payan, Wakhan

    Worgun-e-Payan Bridge 2014

    Worgun-e-Payan Bridge 2015AKF engaged potential contractors in the tendering process and the NIKON Construction Company

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    was selected from a pool of ten potential contractors through the tendering process. Initially, procurement was challenging due to security issues and natural environment conditions. Nevertheless, construction of the bridge began in April 2013. A 50 meter retaining wall at the south east of the bridge was built approximately 30 meters away from the wall of the bridge in order to prevent overflow of water onto the road and into the canal under the bridge. This design change came at no additional expense of the sub-project. The community and DDA also agreed to build a five kilometer road to connect the bridges to Ishkashim and Khandut, the central town in Wakhanand committed to finding the resources for this in the future.

    Construction of the Worgun-e-Payan Bridge was completed by June 2014 and it was officially handed over to the government in August 2014. As with the Worgun-e-bala bridge, the total population of Wakhan is 16,000 people who will all be benefitting from increased access to the district. On average 20 cars cross the bridge a day, with an average 9 people making a approximate 180 people crossing per day, which is equal 5,400 per month or 64,800 per year

    Cohort II

    Location Map of Sub-Projects in Cohort I

    Nusai

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    Wujum-e-Bala Bridge

    Wujum-e Bala Bridge 2014

    The DDA members of Nusai worked together to identify a project that would be beneficial for the district as a whole, which was challenging due to the far distances and geographical characteristics of the district. After discussion various options, a consensus was reached to build a bridge connecting the roads and providing access for more of the population from Jaway and Shurian to the centre of Nusai. The construction of the Wajum-e-Bala Bridge is both feasible and beneficial to the community and district overall.

    Wujum-e-Bala Bridge 2015

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    Construction of the Wujum-e-Bala Bridge began in early 2013, and immediately faced challenges in procurement due to its remoteness and rising river levels during the spring season that year, which impeded construction completely at the height of the summer months. AKF adapted by bringing in a technical engineer to closely oversee the projects and ensure close monitoring and project management to accelerate the process of construction. Creative techniques to work with the challenging environmental factors in Nusai were required. Not only was it difficult to transportmaterials from Nusai district centre to Wujum-e-Bala, but high water levels caused flooding of the foundation and destroyed construction work. Ten days were required to drain the water and begin a second attempt, involving building a temporary retaining wall to protect the area. Another modification was that the foundation was built higher than originally estimated, to prevent the water from overflowing again.

    Dispute its challenges, the sub-project was completed in December 2014 and handed over to the District Governor as the representative of the Minister of MRRD in November 2014. CDCs and interviewed villagers in Now Abad village in Nusai district were very satisfied with the construction of the Wujum-e-Bala Bridge, which now facilitates the movement of both people and vehicles. In fact, communities showed excitement that an estimated 100 donkeys, horses and motorbikes use the bridge every day, an approximately 100 people per day or 3,000 per month, 36,000 people per year. When MRRD complete its bridge Zughar, this will increase as cars will be able to cross from the centre of Nusai. It is estimated that the bridge will benefit 12,000 people overall.

    MaimaiGhumai School

    Ghumai School, November 2013

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    Transportation of materials to Ghumai school site

    Transportation of materials to Ghumai school site

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    Ghumai high school completed in December 2014

    The project selection process in Maimai was slow and fragmented due to ongoing social conflict between Upper Maimai and Maimai District Centre. After continuous mediation and negotiations between the DDA leaders, community members, and government representatives in the areas across Maimai, AKF called for a final meeting in Jomarch e Bala to agree on the most beneficial project for the district. The DDA leaders decided to renovate and expand two schools: one in Upper Maimai (Ghumai High School for boys and girls) and one in Maimai District Centre (Fitraat High School for boys).

    Ghumai school, located in a valley of Maimai district, is located 65km from the centre of the district. This sub-project was self-implemented and faced many challenges during construction due to geographic isolation, shortage of skilled labour, transportation issues and lack of resources such as stone, sand, gravel and other materials. As there is no official crossing point near Maimai to transport materials from Tajikistan to Afghanistan, the materials were slowly brought to the Afghan side by donkey and across the Amu Darya River by boat. During the summer season, water levels were high, posing additional challenges for crossing. However, during the last quarter significant progress was made through targeted management and oversight, broadened recruitment of labour from other districts, and shifting of resources from finished sub-projects to this sub-project.

    While the Ghumai school construction was delayed due to its remoteness, construction was completed by December 2014 and handover to the government is expected to take place in May 2015.Villages close to the district centre were very satisfied with the project. Since completion, Ghumai school is now home to 629 students, 347 boy and 282 girls. 14 teachers and staff are employed at the school, 13 male and 1 female. It is estimated that 1,700 people are benefitting from the project. Shekai

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    Shekai Teachers Training College

    Shekai TTC, November 2013

    Shekai TTC 2015While the first priority by the community and the government was a Comprehensive Health Clinic (CHC), high costs of constructing such a project forced the members select another project. This faced resistance at first, and after negotiations and explanations, the representatives from the community and government agreed upon a Teacher Training Centre (TTC). There is currently a TTC established, but no formal building has been designated for this project.

    Shekai TTC is a critical facility for the training of teachers in the remote districts of Darwaz. This infrastructure sub-project was self-implemented and faced many challenges in terms of the ability to transport materials and recruitment of skilled labour due to the extreme remoteness of the site. Early in the project, conditions of the river were unfavourable to transport materials via boat, which delayed the start. Price of labour was also very high, particularly for plaster and fixing galvanised

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    sheeting. Following the completion of other sub-projects, AKF’s site engineers and management were able to focus attention on the TTC site, providing increased management and oversight to complete the project successfully.

    The Shekai Teachers Training College was completed by November 2014 and handed over to the Head of TTC as the representative of the Department of Education at the district of Shekai in November 2014. Interviewed village communities believed that this sub-project would be very useful. As per the structure set by the Ministry of Education, the TTC in Shekai is labeled as a satellite TTC, which corresponds to the sub-TTC of Nusai. The only core TTC in Badakhshan is in Faizabad. The TTC is now home to 80 student teachers, 50 males and 30 female. A total of eight staff are employed are the school, all male. It is estimated that 24,000 people will benefit in Shekai, but this TTC will benefit neighbouring districts as well as teachers are trained and go on to teach across the region.

    KufabPasipadew Road

    Pasipidew Road, March 2014 and December 2015

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    Figure 14: Infrastructure completion rates

    The primary priority selected by the DDA leaders and the government was an 8km road that connects two villages and is beneficial to 60 percent of the population that lives in remote areas distant from the district centre. However, upon conducting the feasibility study and considering the budget allocated for the district, this sub-project was not feasible and thus the community was requested to select an alternate project within its list of priorities. Self-implemented construction of the Pasipidew Road began in September 2013 by blasting rocks from the road construction site. Due to security issues in Kufab related to elections, construction for the sub-project was delayed. AKF monitored the situation closely and was able to complete the

    Cohort Sub-project District Completion

    rate

    Note Estimated

    handover date to

    government /

    community

    1 Chawgantarashan

    Primary School

    Shughnan 100% Handed over to district education director March 2015

    1 Warizan Primary School Shughnan 100% Handed over to government March 2015

    1 Ishkashim School Ishkashim 99% Handed over to government who

    requested some changes be made to

    building; changes have been made, and

    awaiting a second visit from government

    for signing of BOQ

    April 2015

    1 Worgund-e-Bala Bridge Wakhan 100% Handed over to government August 2014

    1 Worgund-e-Payan

    Bridge

    Wakhan 100% Handed over to government August 2014

    2 Wujum-e-Bala Bridge Nusai 100% Handed over to the district governor November 2014

    2 Ghumai School Maimai 99% Department of Education cannot visit site

    during winter due to remoteness; when

    spring arrives government visit will be

    arranged

    Estimated to be

    handed over in June

    2015

    2 Shekai Teachers

    Training College

    Shekai 100% Handed over to government November 2014

    2 Pasipadew Road Kufab 100% Handed over to the district governor November 2014

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    project by October 2014. The Pasipdiew Road project was handed over to the District Governor as the representative of MRRD in November 2014. It is estimated that Kufab will benefit 14,000 people directly in the surrounding villages and 24,000 across the region, especially in neighbouring districts of Shekai and Nusai.

    IV. Achievement by Outcomes

    1. To provide basic development infrastructure, enhancing access to services and livelihood opportunities in Afghan- Badakhshan and between Afghan-Badakhshan and GBAO.

    i. Indicator: 100% of target areas are provided with 100% selected infrastructure

    All target areas were provided with selected infrastructure within the agreed no-cost extension timeline of the project. Infrastructure completion rate across all sub-projects is 99.9% based on one project remaining to be fully handed over to government in June 2015.

    Nine JICA supported infrastructure projects were implemented across seven districts of Badakhshan: two projects each in Wakhan and Shughnan Districts and one each in the remaining districts. The nine JICA supported projects implemented in the project region included four schools, a teacher training college, a road and three bridges.

    Despite challenging building conditions, all nine infrastructure projects were completed and seven have been handed over to the relevant community government department of the districts, such as the department of education, public works, and rural rehabilitation and development. The final sub-project, Ghumai School, is expected to be handed over by June 2015 and is awaiting government to complete handovers as soon as they attend the site. All projects were implemented within the agreed timeframe despite the variety of challenges faced in implementing in this highlighted isolated and inaccessible region.

    ii. Indicator: 80% of interviewed beneficiaries describe increased access to services in relation to infrastructure

    Result: Out of the 28 villages which participated in the study 22 (78.6%) had positive perceptions of the JICA funded infrastructure projects. The project’s target of 80% of the interviewed beneficiaries reporting increased access to services in relation to infrastructure was therefore all but achieved.15 15 A Report on Community Perceptions of JICA Infrastructure Development Projects in the Seven Districts of Koofab, Ishkashim,

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    As most projects had only been completed at the time of undergoing impact assessments, it was still early to assess access to services in relation to infrastructure. Therefore, it was decided to implement a community perception survey to collect views of the projects in relation to whether they would be benefitting from access to new services. According to this independent assessment (implemented by Afghan Human Rights Research and Advocacy Organisation [AHRRAO] consulting) results of a random survey of villages “indicate[d] that in general, communities who are benefiting from infrastructure projects implemented in their respective areas have positive perceptions of the projects. It was evident that the infrastructure projects were appropriate responses to the needs on the ground as articulated by the interviewees. The assessment of respondents of the JICA-funded projects depended on the geographic location of the surveyed villages. Villages located within the catchment area of a JICA-funded project tended to evaluate the project positively.”16 From the community perceptions assessment it is evident that the implemented infrastructure development projects were appropriate responses to problems occurring on the ground. As such, there was an appreciation of the relevance and usefulness of the projects by the communities covered during the study.

    In the same group, three villages indicated that they derived benefits from the projects. Mainly villages located in the district centre or close to the sub-project were aware of the projects and evaluated the projects positively and were satisfied with the results.

    2. To enhance capacity among local governance institutions for good governance and development planning.

    i. Indicator: 80% of sub-national institutions have increased in their overall maturity rating

    Result: Eight out of nine (85.7%) DDAs increased their overall maturity rating.

    Within the project according to an independent assessment, “6 DDAs (85.7%) increased their overall maturity rating percentagewise. This was in line with the project’s objective of at least 80% of sub-national institutions increasing in their overall maturity rating”.17 However, the northern-most

    Maimai, Nusai, Shekai, Shughnan and Wakhan in Badakhshan Province, Afghanistan. Afghan Human Rights Research and Advocacy

    Organisation (AHRRAO), 2015.16 District Development Assembly Maturity Assessment Report . Afghan Human Rights Research and Advocacy Organisation

    (AHRRAO), 2015.17 District Development Assembly Maturity Assessment Report . Afghan Human Rights Research and Advocacy Organisation

    (AHRRAO), 2015.

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    districts (Kufab, Maimai, Shekai), which suffer from extreme isolation and historically being often completely cut off from both government and NGO support, still had clear capacity gaps to be focused on for intensive support, despite investments from the RDP.

    The purpose of the Maturity Assessment Tool (MAT) is to highlight gaps in capacity of DDAs that can give direction for areas that need to be focused on for improvement by institutions in the future. The MAT, looks at a number of domains, not all of which were supported by capacity building trainings under the programme, and therefore gives a broad overview of holistic capacity that would require additional capacity building to be achieved. Overall, the performance for RDP districts as measured by the MA Tool measured ranges between Grades D and C on a maturity index of A to D (where “A” is defined as being, “The DDA has reached the desired level of maturity and independence. It provides good governance and meets all e