Through the Community Cohesion Initiative (CCI), USAID/Office of Transition Initiatives (OTI) seeks to increase resilience in areas vulnerable to insurgent exploitation by (1) strengthening ties between local actors, customary governance structures, and the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (GIRoA) and (2) increasing cohesion among and between communities. CCI operates in seven Provinces in the east, south, and southwest regions of Afghanistan. CCI is one of three principal stabilization programs in the USAID/Afghanistan Stabilization Unit, along with the Community Development Program (CDP) and Stabilization in Key Areas (SIKA), designed to respond to the demands of various stakeholders such as NATO forces, regional USG civilian platforms, and GIRoA; and to target a phase of the stability continuum (clear, hold, build and transition). CCI uses an Afghan-first approach to programming in order to support and empower Afghan leadership. Therefore, CCI has a limited expat presence in the field, on both the OTI and Implementing Partner side, and programming is led by Afghans, supported through a robust remote management system. [[nid:51801]]