Afghanistan

AFGHANISTAN, Herat : An Afghan laborer poses for the a picture as he works in a firewood yard at a market in Herat on December 11, 2011.

AFP PHOTO/ Aref Karimi

Increasing resilience in areas vulnerable to insurgent exploitation by strengthening ties between local actors, customary governance structures, and the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan to increase cohesion among and between communities.

In July 2009, USAID's Office of Transition Initiatives (OTI) launched the first phase of its current program in Afghanistan to support the U.S. Government's stabilization and reconstruction initiatives. The objective of the Afghanistan Stabilization Initiative (ASI) was to address instability by fostering and strengthening conditions that build links between the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (GIRoA) and local Afghan communities. In close coordination with the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), the OTI program has increasingly supported communities in violence-prone areas where stabilization projects are needed most.

In March 2012, OTI began the second phase of its current engagement in Afghanistan. Through the Community Cohesion Initiative (CCI), OTI seeks to improve stability in areas vulnerable to insurgent exploitation in order to create an enabling environment for sustainable peace and traditional development programs by (1) strengthening ties between local actors, customary governance structures, and the GIRoA and (2) empowering community-based resiliencies to mitigate sources of instability.

Grounded in the principle that durable stability is a result of local will, empowerment, initiative, and leadership, OTI designs and implements clusters of small grants through a process-oriented, community-driven approach. In OTI programming, the project processes are as important as project outputs in contributing to the program's strategic goal of stabilization. OTI utilizes both "soft" (community-leadership shuras, District Governor outreach visits) and "hard" (small scale infrastructure) activities to strengthen linkages between communities vulnerable to insurgent exploitation and positive GIRoA influencers. Community resiliencies are strengthened by improving their ability to resolve issues, promote viable economic activity, and communicate effectively within the community and with various government entities.