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USAID/OTI Afghanistan Field Report

August 2003

Program Description

USAID/OTI's program goal is to support the process of recovery, rehabilitation, and political development in post-conflict Afghanistan. Working with local and international partners, the program is building citizen confidence in the progress of political development, empowering citizens to address basic community needs, and building an alliance between legitimate government structures and citizens. In addition, USAID/OTI supports efforts to strengthen independent media. USAID/OTI's budget for FY2002 was approximately $27 million and the FY2003 budget is currently estimated at $17 million. USAID/OTI expects to close the program in September 2004, following elections in June 2004.

USAID/OTI's overall program strategy is to help the Afghan government function outside Kabul by planning and implementing projects guided by community priorities, and by creating and/or strengthening linkages among the national, provincial, and district governments. USAID/OTI is also improving the communication infrastructure and implementing a comprehensive media strategy. Its projects strengthen economic recovery by improving essential commercial and pub-lic infrastructure and reestablishing relationships and routines that give communities cohesive-ness They contribute to stability and recovery by establishing links between the community and governmental authorities and building connections between provinces and Kabul. USAID/OTI Afghanistan's main implementing partners are the International Organization for Migration-Afghanistan Transition Initiative (IOM-ATI), Ronco (a U.S. contractor), and Internews. Projects are funded in 29 provinces of the country.

Country Situation

During August, insecurity increased as the Afghan Army and U.S. forces battled with Taliban forces in the south and southeast of the country. Additionally, there were several other security incidents around the country. It is estimated that more than 100 people died in the attacks and fighting, including nine policemen in Logar Province and Afghan security agents guarding one of the camps for workers on the USG-funded Kabul-Kandahar road in Zabul Province. There have been numerous threats against Afghans working on USG-supported projects. Finally, there were also several attacks on girls' schools, although not while classes were in session.

Government Shake-Up — In a widely applauded move, President Karzai replaced the governors of the provinces of Kandahar, Wardak, and Zabul, where some of the worst of the recent violence has taken place. President Karzai also replaced security chiefs in six provinces in the southern and eastern parts of the country, and four of the 14 district security chiefs in Kabul Province. According to the President's chief of staff, Tayeb Jawad, "This is part of the plan to bring about new energy in the government and to bring about better governance in the areas affected by the insurgency." In a separate move, Governor Ismael Khan of Herat Province, the country's most powerful commander, was stripped of his military post as regional corps commander while being allowed to retain his position as governor.

Disarmament, Demobilization, and Reintegration (DDR) — The beginning of the DDR process has been delayed to mid-October to allow time for hiring and reforms within the Ministry of Defense. The Ministry must fill 22 top positions with multi-ethnic cadres of military leaders and plans to complete the process in September.

Constitutional Loya Jirga — The transitional government in Afghanistan has been planning on holding a Constitutional Loya Jirga (grand meeting) in December 2003. The event was originally scheduled for early October, but was delayed to give more time to consult with the public about the draft constitution. The objective of Loya Jirga is to discuss, possibly change, and approve the draft prepared by the Af-ghan Constitutional Commission.

International News Organizations Criticize the Death Sentence Imposed on Two Journal-ists for Committing Blasphemy — Two journalists working for a Kabul independent weekly newspaper were sentenced to death in late July by Supreme Court Chief Justice Shinwari, who declared that an article published in their newspaper in June was blasphemous. Other parts of the Government of Afghanistan are working to resolve this issue, and two international news organizations have spoken out against the death sentences. In the meantime, the two journalists have reportedly fled the country.

USAID/OTI Highlights

Despite increased security concerns, OTI and it implementing partner, IOM-ATI, have continued supporting activities throughout the country, including work with war-affected communities along the southeast border with Pakistan. In these areas, OTI has continued to implement proj-ects with local partners, with the Department of Rural Rehabilitation and Development monitor-ing progress where feasible.

In the border provinces of Khost and Paktika and Nangarhar in the east, 25 projects were ap-proved during the month of August. These projects include ones on housing, culverts, irrigation, and drinking water. The projects follow an OTI assessment of these border districts carried out in June by IOM-ATI staff and representatives of the Afghanistan Ministry of Rural Rehabilita-tion and Development. In the wake of the assessment, two planning meetings were held in June and July with representatives of the central and provincial governments and community leaders, to discuss the needs of the population, options for relief assistance, and long-term recovery and development needs. The meetings also produced recommendations on which of the projects identified in the assessment should be undertaken.

Radio Bamyan Inaugurated
Supported by USAID/OTI partner Internews, the independent radio station, Radio Bamyan, went on the air on August 17. Radio Bamyan reaches over 50,000 people in the central highlands of Afghanistan. The ceremony was attended by Afghan Vice President Khalili and U.S. Embassy Charge d'Affaires David Sedney. Radio Bamyan is the third USAID/OTI-supported radio sta-tion to go on the air in the past five months.

Inauguration of Food Preservation Course for Women in Parwan Province
With USAID/OTI support, the Parwan Province Department of Women's Affairs launched a new course that will teach 100 women to preserve tomatoes and seasonal fruits. The course also includes training on marketing and basic household hygiene. Merchants in the provincial capital, Charikar, have expressed interest in buying the jams and sauces produced by the women.

Ground Breaking Ceremony Held for Herat Women's Center
The Herat U.S. Civil Affairs unit and USAID/OTI are working together, in collaboration with the Ministry of Women's Affairs, to build and equip a women's center in Herat. A ground-breaking ceremony was held in August to mark the beginning of construction of the 16-room center, which will be used for training women on a number of activities such as health, literacy, and job skills.

Program Impact Reports

New Opportunities for Women in Kapisa Province
Through funding from the State Department and other USAID offices, USAID/OTI has provided IOM-ATI with $3.5 million to collaborate with the Afghan Ministry of Women's Affairs to es-tablish 14 provincial women's centers across the country and provide training programs for women. Approximately $630,000 of this amount was used to provide furniture and other materi-als for the 14 centers.

In August, IOM-ATI delivered furniture and other materials to a new women's center in Kapisa Province. Operated by the Department of Women's Affairs, the center will provide a venue for literacy, sewing, and other courses, as well as office space for the Department's provincial repre-sentatives. The effort to support both the central government presence and women's initiatives is particularly significant in the context of Kapisa province. The province was badly affected by years of conflict. Conflict caused many to flee to other parts of Afghanistan or neighboring countries, which negatively affected education, agriculture, and livelihoods. Recent stability has resulted in some returning refugees and internally displaced persons, although many are discour-aged by the lack of employment opportunities.

Codan System Continues to Link the Provinces to Kabul
Early this year, OTI funded the distribution and installation of Codan electronic communication devices to Ministry of Communication sites in all provinces. The devices can transmit phone messages, email, and scanned documents and in their five months of operations some 6,000 documents have been exchanged between Kabul and the provinces. A small video team accom-panied the team that installed the Codans throughout the country to document the process. This video was aired on TV Afghanistan in early August.

Projects Completed in August Include:

• Production of provincial programs on the constitutional process by the Baltic Media Center.
• Kindergarten renovation, Ministry of Irrigation, Kabul.
• Warehouse renovation and water supply repair, Freedom Print House, Kabul.
• Construction of boundary wall, Ministry of Information and Culture, Kabul.
• Provision of computers, electronic legal library, and training, Judicial Commission, Ka-bul.
• Renovation of public and provincial court, Judicial Commission, Kabul.
• Renovation of the Supreme Court building Judicial Commission, Kabul.
• Renovation of office buildings and provision of computers, Civil Service Commission, Kabul.
• Provision of media and computer equipment and furniture, Office of the President, In-formation Dissemination Unit, Kabul.
• Provision of communication equipment for customs offices and setting up a national e-mail system, Ministry of Communication, Kabul.
• Construction of school latrines, Spin Boldak, Kandahar Province.
• Irrigation canal construction, Qalat, Zabul Province.
• Construction of two water tanks in the Noor Hospital, Herat Province.
• Kindergarten construction, Herat Province.
• Three irrigation projects, Samangan Province.

Grants Activity Summary for USAID/OTI Programming in Afghanistan, July 2003.

USAID/OTI signed the following small grants during the current reporting period, August 2003:

Subgrantee	Project	Beneficiaries
Ministry of Communication, Charikar, Parwan Province	Rehabilitation of post office	Approximately 100,000 inhabitants of Parwan Province and 5,000 inhabitants of surrounding provinces
Ministry of Communication, Kabul	Rehabilitation of two post offices	Approximately 600,000 people living in the vicinity of the post offices
Ministry of Communication, Bamyan Province	Construction of new post office	Approximately 100,000 inhabitants of Bamyan Province. Approximately 10,000 inhabitants of surrounding provinces
Ministry of Communication, Kunar Province	Construction of new post office	Approximately 200,000 inhabitants of Kunar Province. Approximately 10,000 inhabitants of surrounding provinces
Community of Shiber-ghan, Jawzjan Province	Rehabilitation of water supply	1,150 families living on 850 hectares of land; seven skilled and 26 unskilled laborers for 75 days
Community of Qulbato, Bamyan Province	Rehabilitation of primary school	189 boys and 107 girls. 491 man days of labor
Community of Cheigin, Bamyan Province	Rehabilitation of primary school	174 students, freeing up room for girls to attend school; 313 man days of labor
Community of Dahan-E-Warass, Bamyan Province	Rehabilitation of primary school	149 boys and 54 girls; 771 man days of labor
Community of Band-E-Kossa, Bamyan Province	Rehabilitation of primary school	127 students, freeing up room for girls to attend school. 358 man days of labor
Community of Ashpushtakh, Bamyan Province	Construction of primary school	230 boys and 209 girls; 2,945 man days of labor
Community of Dasht-e-Safied, Bamyan Province	Construction of primary school	An anticipated 340 students, boys and girls; 2,970 man days of labor
Women of Parwan Province	Construction of women’s center	The estimated 360,000 women of Parwan Province; 25 employees of the Ministry of Women’s Affairs; eight skilled and 20 unskilled laborers for 90 days
Women of Farah Province	Construction of women’s center	The estimated 170,000 women of Farah Province; 25 employees of the Ministry of Women’s Affairs; 1,500 days of skilled labor and 2,500 man days of unskilled labor
Women in Faizabad, Badakshan Province	Literacy / business course and tailoring course	60 women living in Faizabad; 30 children cared for in the kindergarten; 17 project staff
Community of Tirin Kot, Uruzgan Province	Construction of six small bridges on the main roads of Tirin Kot	20,000 inhabitants of Tirin Kot and 30,000 from surrounding districts; 40 laborers for 30 days
Community of Ruy-E-Sang, Bamyan Province	Rehabilitation of Dan Dara Irrigation Canal	1,000 families of Ruy-E-Sang; four skilled laborers for 22 days and 109 unskilled laborers for 22 days
Community of Shiber- ghan, Jawzjan Province	Construction of irrigation intake	550 families; seven skilled and 21 unskilled laborers for 90 days
Community of Hazrat-E-Sultan, Samangan	Province Protection of the Baba Hewaz Dam	2,000 families; 680 hectares of land protected; four skilled and 12 unskilled laborers for 75 days
Community of Loya Wala, Kandahar Province	Provision of electric poles and electrical supplies	Approximately 4,500 homes which currently have no connection to the electrical grid
Communities of the Provinces of Kunduz, Takhar and Badakshan	Construction of two bridges and two fords on the road that links these three provinces	11,100 families who use this road; three skilled and 16 unskilled laborers for 60 days
Community of Dara-E-Suf, Samangan Province	Construction of a bridge and 17 culverts, fords and protection walls.	Approximately 20,000 families in 16 villages; 11 skilled and 30 unskilled laborers for 90 days
Community of Taghan, Jawzjan Province	Construction of irrigation system intake	800 families who will benefit from 700 hectares of irrigated land; 12 skilled and 38 unskilled laborers for four months
Community of Jig Dalig, Jawzjan Province	Construction of Jig Dallig Dam and intake system	1,000 families will benefit from an additional 850 hectares of land brought into production; nine skilled and 34 unskilled laborers for four months
Community of Beshkupruk, Kunduz Province	Construction of three bridges	The population of the eight main villages (15,000 people) along this road; three skilled and 11 unskilled laborers for four months
Community of Dahst-E-Safied, Bamyan Province	Floodway construction on the Dasht-E-Safied Road	262 families who will benefit from the improved road; 16 skilled and 64 laborers for 22 days
Community of Dasht-E-Safied, Bamyan Province	Irrigation of the Jariq Canal	120 families; 13 skilled and 60 unskilled laborers for 22 days
Community of Dasht-E-Safied, Bamyan Province	Construction of the Geerow Bridge	118 families; seven skilled and 38 unskilled laborers for 22 days
Community of Ruy-E-Sang, Bamyan Province	Construction of protection wall	1,000 families; eight skilled and 38 unskilled laborers for 22 days

NEXT STEPS/IMMEDIATE PRIORITIES

During the month of September 2003, USAID/OTI will:

• Inaugurate independent radio stations in Jalalabad, Bamyan, Kabul, and Herat.
• Inaugurate independent radio stations established by Internews in Jalalabad, Logar, Pul-I-Kumri, and Herat.
• Continue to support the constitutional education process. The Constitutional Commission has requested assistance with basic information about the constitution (e.g. on the govern-mental system, role of religion, and protection for ethnic groups), the process for selecting delegates, and the process by which the Constitutional Loya Jirga will be carried out.
• Continue the process of encouraging the development of independent radio stations through-out the country, while continuing to support state radio stations.
• Continue the process of closing out the projects of Ronco, whose contract ends in early September.
• Explore other areas for OTI to focus on, as USAID/Afghanistan programs begin to be im-plemented. Possible program areas include land issues, corruption, and conflict resolution.