Arghandab, Kandahar

SIKA South Stories Afghanistan | December 2013

Bridges to SchoolReady for the Winter Rains

With the support of Subat Program, a cluster of CDCs identified flooding as a source of local instability. The seasonal floods

Many of the teachers are from a neighboring town and also had difficulty getting to the school in time for classes. Local resident Zahir Jan said, “It will benefit our villagers, particularly our students. In winter, water flows in this area, and teachers and their bikes are stuck here for hours. With these culverts, children can now cross and old men can go to the mosque in winter.” “These culverts successfully solved our problems and is our asset to last 100 years,” Salih Mohammad, a village resident, said. “Our young people, women, students, teachers, all of us, will use these culverts in winter and we won’t face the problem of crossing over waterways that we had before.”

destroy dirt roads and thus severely restrict peoples’ access to neighboring villages, schools, clinics, markets and the district government center. To build the culverts, Subat Program provided the villagers of Mazra e Abass with a grant to pay for local labor and construction expertise, and tools and construction materials. They will also be responsible for their operation and maintenance in the coming years.Construction of the culverts will benefit the students in the district. Ahmad Shah, a 26 year-old teacher, said the culverts would reduce absenteeism and increase the number of school days for all students. “It rains many days in winter and spring here, and the water from the entire mountain flows here, which means the students do not come to school,” said Shah.

R

Culverts in flood-prone villages enabled children to continue going to school

Rainfall and snowmelt often make the route to schools treacherous or impassible for students and teachers in Khiskhi Village in Arghandab District, Kandahar. To overcome this hardship, residents constructed four masonry culverts that act as bridges over waterways. The culverts were completed in time for the upcoming seasonal rains, an achievement that will enable village children to continue to go to school. Local leaders spearheaded the culvert project through their Community Development Council (CDC) and USAID’s Stability in Key Areas (SIKA) South program, known in the south as Subat Program. The Program, which is led by the Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development (MRRD), works with local leaders to identify and solve problems in southern Afghanistan where there is a history of conflict.

F For years, government officials were never seen visiting their districts. Haji Mohammad Omer, a local community leader from Arghandab, had not even heard of them. This changed when directors of nine directorates spoke before the community about government services. Dubbed the “Government Services Fair,” huge posters were on display at the event showing in images government services on agriculture, education, public health, social welfare, women’s affairs, labor, and public works with contact details on how to avail of these services. Booklets with detailed contact information were handed out at the fair. The directors were themselves present to discuss the community’s concerns. The gathering was the outcome of the Subat Program’s workshops aimed to connect the community to government services. It was in these workshops that Haji Omer learned the right way to obtain the government’s attention. Haji Omer said, “We studied the catalogues and posters that showed

us the services the line directorates provide in our district and how to access them. We did not know how to write requisitions to the right line directorate but now we do and we follow them up with the government offices.” Haji Omer’s district requested a bridge to connect the villlages in Arghandab that, for a long time, was not attended to. “We drafted a requisition following the procedures that we learned during the workshops. At our request, the provincial governor endorsed our letter to the Arghandab River Water Management Directorate. Finally, we followed it up had started the work to construct the bridge.” Haji Omer beamed adding that they will not stop following up until the work is done. “From the information in the catalogue we were also able to contact the labor directorate to find jobs for our youth. They set up a meeting and we discussed the concerns in detail,” he added. In Daman district, people com-plained of the garbage dumped near

Government Services FairDaman & Arghandab, Kandahar

SIKA South Stories Afghanistan | February 2013

their villages putting their health at risk. Mr. Gulali, a community leader, said that they have been complaining verbally about the problem without any response from the local govern-ment. Once they learned about the proper way of contacting the gov-ernment, the Kandahar municipality started addressing their concerns. The workshops and the service fairs enabled the local people to share their needs with government officials through multiple means of communication such as cell phone, face-to-face, and formally through written requisitions. “It was difficult for us to visit government offices in the city due to tight security,” said Mullah Niamatul-lah. “The fair made it possible for us to discuss with them personally and the catalogues directed us how to contact them.” Niamatullah, a member of the District Development Assembly of Ar-ghandab, said that it is now possible to consider their concerns in the district plans. “No one knows better about our needs than us,” he said.

“It is the government’s duty to inform us of their

services and it is our responsibility to

inform them of our needs.”

Accessing government services

B

Happy Kuchi

Gabion wall keeps nomadic people safe

Bai Khan, along with 30 members of his family, lives in tents in the plains of Daman, Kandahar. Khan moves his family, property and herds of sheep and goats in places where they can earn money and where the fields are green for his animals to graze. In winter, Daman is the best place to be, he said, not only it is warmer but also because of the community-built a gabion along their shelters that keep them safe from heavy flooding. The Khans are kuchis, Afganistan’s nomadic population. The 760-meter gabion protection wall was built by the Daman community in partnership with Subat

Program where local leaders themselves determine solutions to problems in their communities. Under this program implemented by the Provincial Rural Rehabilitation and Development, the community contributed in the construction of the gabion walls by employing 23 villagers and paying for materials. Apart

from protecting the land from flooding, the protection walls also reduce soil erosion making the agricultural farms more productive. The walls benefit 85 families in Daman along the villages of Ghra Kalai, Kshata Kalai, Haji Muhammad Shah Kalai, Zakir Abad the informal settlers in the area like the kuchis.

Kuchis, like Bai Khan’s family, settle in Kandahar during winters and migrate to Zabul or Ghazni in summers. Their basic food supplies are flour, tea, and sugar that they buy after earning 300 Afghanis from daily labor. The construction of the protection wall positively impacts Bai Khan as he related the story about the women in his tribe who bought food and supplies in the city and failed to come home one night due to surge of water flooding the area. With the gabion walls Bai Khan is confident that it not happen again. Asked if he is returning to Daman in the next winter, “Of course. We always return to places where we are safe,” he said.

Daman, Kandahar

SIKA South Stories Afghanistan | March 2014

D District Development Assemblies (DDA) are local governance organizations formed of volunteers who are elected to represent their district. DDAs are expected to respond to residents’ needs and concerns, including monitoring of development in the district. However, many DDA members lack experience with development projects and have limited formal education. To overcome these challenges, USAID’s Stability in Key Areas (SIKA) South program trains DDA members to implement and monitor projects in their communities. DDA members are trained in community outreach, the development and implementation of plans, budgets, timelines, procurement processes, and environmental and disaster management.

The DDA Academy, established by PRRD in Kandahar with support from SIKA South, brings together leaders and representatives from multiple districts including Daman, Arghandab, Ghorak, Panjwayi, Zhari and Shah Wali Kot. More than 30 DDA members and several PRRD staff members have attended the six two-day courses held so far. The DDA Chairman of Arghandab, Haji Mohammad, was an active participant in the Academy, encouraging other DDA members to shoulder their responsibili-ties to promote development and improve services in the district. “Before the training I did not have all the information on how to plan and manage projects, or monitor, evaluate and write reports about project imple-mentation,” he said.” I now have a better understanding of these issues and I will work with my fellow DDA members to ensure that the DDA plays its role effective-ly in practically supervising the ongoing and planned projects in the district.” Following the training, the Chairman monitored the status of culverts being built in Arghandab Dis-trict, making field visits to review construction quality, project timelines, and milestones specified in the grant agreement. By playing a more active role in the commu-nities and with new knowledge and skills to apply, the DDA leaders are building peoples’ confidence and trust in the Government. “The DDA members are the district residents’ eyes and ears when it comes to better service delivery through projects. If we plan and manage the projects well, it is a great service to the local residents,” the Chairman said.

DDA AcademyPRRD Kandahar

SIKA South Stories Afghanistan | November 2013

Training Leaders to Training Leaders to Support Local ProjectsSupport Local Projects

Community leaders oversee development projectsin their districts

M

Daman, Kandahar

SIKA South Stories Afghanistan |January 2014

Road in Daman Eases Transport Woes

Major Thoroughfare Rehab

benefits 407 farmer-families and serves as an important access for farmers and traders to the market. Abdul Nafi, Chairman of the Charband Community Development Council (CDC), observed that about 50 vehicles to and from Shah Wali Kot, a nearby Kandahar district, also use this road daily. Noor Mohammad, one of the 67 villagers employed to work on the road project was glad that he and others found work in his own village. “We also contributed in building this project,” he said noting that the community also shared expenses in rehabilitating the road. At a district town hall event celebrating the completion of the project, CDC Chairman Abdul Nafi stated that this road became functional again because of community support and proclaimed, “It was our close involvement in planning, managing and monitoring this project like we own it that made this project possible. We did it!”

Months ago, Shah Mohammed lamented the state of the farm-to-market road in his district Daman in Kandahar. “Since I was a boy this road has been difficult to travel,” he said. “After winter rains the potholes are deep and impossible to navigate. In summer the insurgents bury landmines and people die.” Mohammed, along with other community leaders participated in the workshops conducted by the Stability in Key Areas (SIKA) South or Subat Program, as known in the south, implemented in partnership with the Provincial Rural Rehabilitation and Development. The workshops taught local leaders to develop their community using good governance tools. The community leaders identified the rehabilitation of the major thoroughfare in the district as a priority project and it was through the grant provided by Subat

Program that the 2.6 kilometer road in Daman was rehabilitated. The dirt road that connects Charband, Braj, Hijra and Enzargai Karez to several villages

”

IVillage Volunteers Build Road

Subat Program Inspires

In Charband Village in Daman, the 2.6-kilometer road built with the support of the Subat Program was recently extended to another 654 meters (to 3.3 km). The extension is a product of the village council’s volunteerism, learned from participating in the Program’s Governance and Stability workshops. Village Council Head, Abdul Nafi, rallied and mobilized the villagers to contribute money and labor. The village council convinced a local engineer and a site supervisor to volunteer to plan and supervise the work. Fortunately they also found a source of the natural aggregates to gravel the road in the area. Several villagers lent their vehicles to help transport materials to the site. The village clusters received the original grant from the Stability in Key Areas (SIKA) South, or Subat Program as known in the south, to rehabilitate the road traversing Charband, Braj, Hijran and Enzargai Karez in Daman District. The cluster prioritized this project to address the poor road condition in the villages that hampered mobility and access to district services. A stretch of 2.6-km of the road has since been completed with a ten percent community contribution to the total cost, as required by the Subat Program. The money collected from the villagers supported the cost of equipment and vehicles that transported construction materials. Laborers also paved a fourth layer along the entire stretch of the road to better

withstand heavy vehicles. “We made it stronger and more compact and hope that someday we will get support to cover it with asphalt.” At a town hall event in Daman announcing the completion of grants projects, the road extension project earned a special citation from the district governor noting that the work is a result of community resources and native talents inspired by Subat Program’s initiaves in the district. Subat Program is jointly implemented by the Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development and Independent Directorate of Local Governance.

Daman, Kandahar

SIKA South Stories Afghanistan | April 2014

This is our village. This is our home. If we don’t do anything, who will?

“

SIKA South Stories

South Afghanistan

Afghanistan |June 2014

questions and participate in lively discussions of community interest. Two mini radio dramas were played to launch the weekly topics that highlight government’s work and services in the communities, gender equality, civic issues, community participation and other issues of interest to the communities. About 312 phone calls have been received since the program started. Most of the 167 guest panelists were members of the district assemblies who discussed rural development topics. Numerous provincial representatives of government

ministries, university faculties and NGO members have also participated, including 12 women. The innovative program is MRRD’s outreach strategy to help rural citizens to better understand and actively engage in district development. Shopkeeper, Taroon, in Hilmand said that the dramas enriched his knowledge about government services. In Tirin Kot, Police Officer Rahmatullah suggested to continue this radio program, because it encourages people to get involved in the development of their communities. Radio is the most widely used media in Afghanistan, particularly in rural areas. In 2010, Internews and Altai Consulting estimated that nine out of 10 households in southern Afghanistan own a radio. Although no data is available to determine how many people listen to “Our Village, Our Hopes,” the radio stations broadcasting the program from the south potentially reach about two million listeners in their combined audiences.

Community Voices HeardPeople's Forum On-Air

C

In this radio program, government officers

engaged with community people like me and I actually

asked questions from the provincial directors.

Karimullah, Qalat

Calling from his home in Hilmand Province, a malak said his community helped in building the roads in his village and hopes that people in other districts will do the same. In Kandahar Province, a widow asked how she could participate in projects for women in the district. Calling from a bazaar in Tirin Kot, Uruzgan Province, a shopkeeper requested that a university be established in the province so that his children would not have to travel to other provinces to study. From another village in Zabul Province, a farmer called to ask how he can vote despite his inability to read and write. These are a small sample of listeners’ views and questions from the live broadcasts of “Our Village, Our Hopes” radio program. The radio show was a public service broadcast of the Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development (MRRD) in southern Afghanistan in partnership with the Stability in Key Areas (SIKA) South, locally known as Subat Program. It aired for 13 weeks last year on radio stations in Kandahar, Hilmand, Uruzgan, and Zabul. Nimroz’s broadcast ended in September 2014. For three months, the radio programs covered governance and development topics and opened the line to listeners who wish to ask

The weekly one-hour radio program opens with short dramas to kick-off the week’s topics discussed by local panelists and opens the line to listeners who

wish to ask a question or share a relevant experience.

”“

W

Promoting Taskira for Women to Access Government Services

When Bibi Grana, a mother from Arghandab, recently sought an urgent medical treatment in a neighboring country, she encountered no difficulty going through the Afghan border police, because she had a passport. Bibi said that she has the Subat Program to thank for this. “In our Subat workshops, we were encouraged to obtain a Taskira, and the benefits were explained to us, including the ability to apply for passports and other official documents.” When she returned home that day, she immediately enlisted her husband to find someone to help her obtain a Taskira. The village leader, Haji Mohammad Malak, at the District Governor’s Office (DGO), successfully facilitated Bibi’s application. Another resident, Maryam, wife to a DGO employee petitioned for a Taskira. Sadiqa, from Naqibi Meena Village, claimed that she obtained her Taskira from the DGO on her own. Taskira is an official proof of citizenship and identification for all Afghans, male and female of all ages. It is required to apply for a passport, obtain a business permit, register land and other properties, and to vote. A widow also needs a Taskira to enroll her child at school. For 10 AFN, a citizen can apply for a Taskira at the District Governor’s Office, which refers the petition to the Department for Population Registration. Bibi, Sadiqa, and Maryam are members of the Women’s Advisory Council (WAC) of Arghandab District. From the workshops conducted by the Subat Program, they learned that one benefit of obtaining a Taskira is

access to government services by possessing a form of identification to request services such as health care and applying for jobs in the government service. Known locally as the Subat Program, the Stability in Key Areas (SIKA) Program in southern Afghanistan works with women’s committees in Kandahar, Hilmand, Uruzgan, Zabul and Nimroz. Subat’s goal is to support women’s presence and active participation in governance. Its activities support women’s access to government services and build confidence and stability in the community. “We, members of the WAC, are grateful to Subat Program for making us aware of the importance of this document,” said Sadiqa and added that she will also need Taskira to register her business and “transfer my inheritance to my name.” Maryam related that she continues to spread the word among women in her district to apply for Taskira to allow them to access government services, vote, and to enjoy other benefits, “We are Afghan citizens too.”

Arghandab, Kandahar

SIKA South Stories Afghanistan | August 2014

Taskira is an official proof of citizenship and identification for all Afghans, male and female, of all ages. It is required to apply for a passport, obtain a business permit, register land and other properties, and to vote.