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USAID/OTI Afghanistan Hot Topics

April 2005

USAID/OTI Community Development Projects Challenge Isolationist Views Among Villagers in Nuristan

Villagers at the site that will give them a safe water supply.

Because of foreign powers' numerous invasions and attempts to colonize Afghanistan, many Afghans are skeptical of international aid and the motives behind such assistance. Some regions of the country, particularly the most remote areas, have resisted attempts by both foreign and domestic governments to intervene in their communities. Sar-i-Pul village in the far northeastern province of Nuristan is among these remote villages where contact between the community and the government has been almost non-existent.

Sar-i-Pul villagers were suspicious of the new Afghan government, believing it to be only a puppet administration controlled by foreigners. Consistent with this belief, they refused the construction and rehabilitation of roads, which they perceived as "invasion-enabling" infrastructure. But driven by the dire need for a regular, safe water supply, the villagers petitioned the Rural Rehabilitation Department (RRD) for a water-supply system. The RRD highlighted this as a priority project, and USAID/OTI agreed to fund the system.

The signboard proclaiming the Nuristan water project.

Initially, the villagers wanted a low profile for the project, and, citing security concerns, requested that a signboard not be posted at the work site. After some deliberation among all parties involved, the villagers changed their minds and felt it best to publicize the project as a dividend of the new government. This water-supply project, one of the first USAID/OTI projects in Nuristan, established the credibility of the new Afghan government, showed the government's commitment to its citizens, and challenged traditionally held understandings of international aid. One of the villagers expressed his new trust in the Afghan government, saying: "We now have access to clean drinking water and can cultivate more land; this is all possible because of the new government.

For further information, please contact:
In Washington: Elizabeth Callender, USAID/OTI/ANE Program Manager, Tel: 202-712-4078, ecallender@usaid.gov