Interaction Member Activity Report

InterAction Member Activity Report AFGHANISTAN A Guide to Humanitarian and Development Efforts of InterAction Member Agencies in Afghanistan September 2009

Photo: Aga Khan Foundation USA

Produced by Daniel Fass and Astrid Haas With the Humanitarian Policy and Practice Team, InterAction

And with the support of a cooperative agreement with USAID/OFDA

1400 16th Street, NW, Suite 210, Washington, DC 20036 Phone: (202) 667-8227 Fax: (202) 667-8236 Website: www.interaction.org 1 InterAction Member Activity Report: Afghanistan September 2009

Table of Contents TABLE OF CONTENTS…………………………………………………………………………………………………2 MAP OF AFGHANISTAN………………………………………………………………………………………………3 REPORT SUMMARY……………………………………………………………………………………………………4 HISTORICAL BACKGROUND……………………………………………………………………………………….5 INTERACTION MEMBER ORGANIZATIONS CONTRIBUTING TO THIS REPORT……………8 GLOSSARY OF ACRONYMS………………………………………………………………………………………….9 LIST OF MEMBER ORGANIZATIONS BY SECTOR ACTIVITY……………………………………….11 ADVENTIST DEVELOPMENT AND RELIEF AGENCY INTERNATIONAL……………………….13 AGA KHAN FOUNDATION USA………………………………………………………………………………….15 AGENCY FOR TECHINCAL COOPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT………………………………..18 AMERICAN JEWISH WORLD SERVICE……………………………………………………………………….21 AMERICARES……………………………………………………………………………………………………………22 BROTHER’S BROTHER FOUNDATION……………………………………………………………………....23 CARE………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..24 CATHOLIC RELIEF SERVICE……………………………………………………………………………………...26 CHF INTERNATIONAL……………………………………………………………………………………………...29 CHURCH WORLD SERVICE………………………………………………………………………………………..31 CHILD FUND INTERNATIONAL………………………………………………………………………………...34 COUNTERPART INTERNATIONAL…………………………………………………………………………….35 INTERNATIONAL MEDICAL CORPS…………………………………………………………………………..40 INTERNATIONAL RELIEF AND DEVELOPMENT………………………………………………………..44 INTERNATIONAL RESCUE COMMITTEE……………………………………………………………………46 LUTHERAN WORLD RELIEF……………………………………………………………………………………..49 MERCY CORPS………………………………………………………………………………………………………….50 RELIEF INTERNATIONAL………………………………………………………………………………………….54 SAVE THE CHILDREN……………………………………………………………………………………………….56 UNITED METHODIST COMMITTEE ON RELIEF………………………………………………………….59 U.S. FUND FOR UNICEF………………………………………………………………………………………….....62 WORLD LEARNING…………………………………………………………………………………………………..65 WORLD VISION INTERNATIONAL…………………………………………………………………………….66

2 InterAction Member Activity Report: Afghanistan September 2009

Map of Afghanistan

Map courtesy of the United Nations Cartographic Section Available online at: http://www.un.org/Depts/Cartographic/map/profile/afghanis.pdf Last accessed: 03 September 2009

3 InterAction Member Activity Report: Afghanistan September 2009

Report Summary This report offers international agencies, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), the media and the public an overview of the humanitarian and development assistance being provided to the people of Afghanistan by InterAction member organizations. The 23 member organizations that submitted information for this report are conducting relief and development operations in Afghanistan. Various sectors are addressed in their programs, including agriculture and food production; business development, cooperatives and credit; disaster and emergency relief; education and training; gender issues and women in development; health care; human rights, peace and conflict resolution; refugee and internally displaced persons (IDP) services; rural development; water and sanitation; infrastructure and governance; and shelter. InterAction member organizations work in provinces throughout Afghanistan, including Badakhshan, Balkh, Baghlan, Bamyan, Heart, Ghor, Kandahar, Ghazni, Paktika and Kabul provinces. They often coordinate with local, governmental and international partners, whose support is invaluable for increasing aid effectiveness, particularly in areas of conflict and insecurity. NGOs continue to be dedicated to programming and technical support in Afghanistan; however, many of them highlight concerns and conditions that have impeded their daily work. In particular, they cite the increasing insecurity of, and consequent security concerns for, their staffs and the Afghani people. Furthermore, they have noted the escalating violence and threats that have resulted in a shrinking humanitarian space. There have also been increasing concerns about the growing resentment among Afghanis because of the worsening social, economic and security environment in the country. These are some of the issues highlighted in this report.

Photo: Aga Khan Foundation USA

4 InterAction Member Activity Report: Afghanistan September 2009

Historical Background Afghanistan, a nation of about 32 million people, has multiple ethnic groups and languages. The Pashtuns comprise approximately 40 percent of the population, while Tajiks, Hazuras, Uzbeks, Turkmen, Baluchi and others are significant minorities. Conflict among them as well as tribalism within different ethnolinguistic groups, combined with a landscape divided into plains, highlands, desert and the Hindu Kush Mountains, have contributed to a fractured geographic and political environment. October 7, 2001, marked the beginning of the Bush administration’s military response to the September 11 attacks in New York and Washington, D.C. The invasion of Afghanistan by U.S.-led forces was successful in ousting the Taliban, who had supported Osama bin Laden and the al-Qaeda terrorist organization responsible for the attacks. Other stated goals—to capture bin Laden and destroy al-Qaeda—were not achieved. A resurgence of Taliban-led activities since 2006 has contributed to the deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan today. Wars and invasions have been integral to Afghanistan’s history, with Greeks, Persians, Turks and Mongols all exerting varying degrees of influence. The Arab invasion in 642 introduced Islam to the region. Afghanistan was not formed until 1747, when Ahmed Shah Durrani unified Pashtun tribes. In the 19th century, the British and Russian empires clashed over Afghanistan, resulting in three Anglo-Afghan wars in 70 years. Only in 1919, after the third war, could Afghans declare independence. Mohammed Zahir Shah ascended the throne after the assassination of King Nadir Shah in 1933 and ruled over a relatively peaceful nation until 1973, when an economic downturn caused by severe drought in 1971–1972 established conditions for a military coup. Sardar Mohammad Daoud, Zahir’s former Prime Minister, seized control of the nation, which he ruled until a bloody coup by the Afghan Communist Party on April 27, 1978. The communist People’s Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA) replaced traditional Islamic based laws with secular ones, which incited anger especially among traditional conservative groups. The Soviet army invaded in 1979 to defend the faltering Communist government against attacks from the mujahedeen—“holy Muslim warriors”—who opposed Communist rule through fighting and sabotage. For nine years, clashes continued between the Sovietbacked central government and the mujahedeen, with the U.S., Pakistan, China, Iran and Saudi Arabia contributing money and arms to the regime’s opponents. The Geneva Peace Accords officially brought an end to the conflict in 1988. The Soviets withdrew in 1989, with the economy and the infrastructure in ruins. Various factions that had been united in their opposition to Soviet forces then came into conflict with one another, using old Soviet and American weapons. Stability became elusive as power repeatedly changed hands. The following years were marked by continued civil unrest, an 5 InterAction Member Activity Report: Afghanistan September 2009

ineffectual central government and delays in the return of approximately 4 million refugees from neighboring Pakistan and Iran. In 1994 the Taliban appeared. “Students of religion” who had studied in Pakistan’s madrassas, they called for all factions to unite under strict Islamic law. Their fundamentalist Islamic militia captured Kabul in 1996 and later gained control of over 90 percent of the country. They instituted religious fundamentalism as the state policy, halted development and committed grave human rights abuses Women and girls were particularly affected, with many denied access to education as well as the ability to move freely or work outside the home. Increased restrictions on foreign assistance programs posed significant obstacles for humanitarian aid workers in Afghanistan. After U.S., allied and Afghan Northern Alliance troops succeeded in removing the Taliban from power, Hamid Karzai was chosen as chairman of the Afghan Interim Authority (AIA). In 2002 he was chosen by a loya jirga to be interim head of state, and on December 7, 2004, Karzai became Afghanistan’s first democratically elected president. The National Assembly was inaugurated on December 19, 2005. In July 2006, North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) troops took on leadership of military operations in the south. The government’s hold on power was tenuous, with fierce fighting in Taliban strongholds. Afghanistan has faced immense reconstruction needs, compounded by the complexities of reintroducing women to the workforce and providing skills and schooling to women and children who missed years of education during the Taliban regime. Health care also suffered: Afghanistan had one of the highest maternal mortality rate in the world in 2007, as well as an extremely high child mortality rate. According to UNICEF, in 2007 approximately one in four Afghani children died before reaching age five. Lack of access to safe drinking water is a related humanitarian challenge, as is food insecurity in a nation plagued by droughts and littered by millions of landmines in agricultural areas. Today, poppy cultivation is a major political and economic issue. Poppy farming in Afghanistan now accounts for about 90 percent of the world’s opium production, with farmers reluctant to shift to significantly less profitable and more work-intensive crops. The relative weakness of the central government is evident in its inability to curb the poppy trade. Since 2008 there has been growing pessimism about the prospects of U.S. policy objectives. Many officials have described Afghanistan as “in a downward spiral.” The situation in Afghanistan has worsened by almost all measures: security, U.S. casualties, suicide attacks, governance, government legitimacy, rule of law. Humanitarian organizations have also had to face increasingly dangerous security conditions and restricted access to the population. A number of factors contributed to the revitalized Taliban insurgency, including access to safe havens across the Pakistani border, rampant corruption in the Afghan government and the inability of coalition forces to provide protection or essential services to the population. 6 InterAction Member Activity Report: Afghanistan September 2009

The new Obama administration has put the war in Afghanistan at the top of its foreign policy agenda. President Obama has appointed State Department veteran Ambassador Richard Holbrooke as special representative to Afghanistan and Pakistan. Ambassador Holbrooke has assembled a diverse team of experts to try to make dramatic changes in both Afghanistan and Pakistan, as the administration sees the two contexts as inextricably linked. A number of assessments have been undertaken to evaluate the effectiveness of U.S. government security and development assistance. Gen. Stanley McChrystal, who took over as NATO commander in May 2009, has placed a greater emphasis on civilian protection and reducing civilian casualties from NATO troops. U.S. government civilian agencies are stepping up their recruitment of staff to fill diplomatic and development posts newly created as part of the “civilian surge.” The Afghan Presidential and Provincial Council Elections took place on August 20, 2009. As of September 2009 the results were still being finalized. Afghans turned out for the elections despite serious threats from the Taliban and numerous Taliban attacks throughout the country on Election Day; however, there were a significant number of reports of alleged voter fraud. The number of alleged cases is significant enough to affect the results of this very close presidential race and the final election outcome cannot be ascertained until the allegations are evaluated.

Photo: World Vision International

7 InterAction Member Activity Report: Afghanistan September 2009

InterAction Member Organizations Contributing to This Report Adventist Development and Relief Agency International (ADRA) Aga Khan Foundation USA (AKF) Agency for Technical Cooperation and Development (ACTED) American Jewish World Service (AJWS) AmeriCares Brother’s Brother Foundation (BBF) CARE Catholic Relief Services (CRS) CHF International (CHF) ChildFund (CF) Church World Service (CWS) Counterpart International (Counterpart) International Medical Corps (IMC) International Relief and Development (IRD) International Rescue Committee (IRC) Lutheran World Relief (LWR) Mercy Corps Relief International (RI) Save the Children United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) U.S. Fund for UNICEF (USF) World Learning (WL) World Vision (WV)

Photo: Save the Children

8 InterAction Member Activity Report: Afghanistan September 2009

Glossary of Acronyms AADA: Agency of Assistance and Development of Afghanistan ACBAR: Agency Coordinating Body for Afghan Relief ACSF: Afghan Civil Society Forum ADA: Afghan Development Association ADP: Alternative Development Program AGHCO: Afghan German Help Coordination Office AGHO: Afghan General Health Coordination Office AHDO: Agricultural Health and Development Organization ANSO: Afghanistan NGO Security Office ASSIST: Afghan Shelter and Settlements Initiative Supporting Transition AVIPA: Afghanistan Vouchers for Increased Production of Agriculture AWEC: Afghan Women’s Education Center BPHS: Basic Package of Health Services CDC: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or Community Development Councils CHA: Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance (Afghanistan) CHC: Comprehensive Health Centers CIDA: Canadian International Development Agency COIN: Counterinsurgency CSO: Civil Society Organization CSSC: Civil Society Support Center DCOF: Displaced Children and Orphans Fund DFID: Department for International Development DRO: Disaster Response Office

ECHO: European Commission’s Humanitarian Aid Department EPHS: Essential Package of Hospital Services FAO: Food and Agricultural Organization FAST: Facilitating Afghan Settlement and Transition FMFB-A: First Microfinance Bank – Afghanistan HADAAF: Humanitarian Assistance and Developmental Association HEALING: Health and Education Initiative in Ghor HHS: Department for Health and Human Services HIV/AIDS: Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome HMIS: Health Management Information System HRLS: Human Resources and Logistical Support HSSP: Health Services and Systems Program ICRC: International Committee of the Red Cross IDPs: Internally Displaced Persons IEC: International Electoral Commission IFES: International Foundation for Electoral Systems INGOs: International Nongovernmental Organizations IOM: International Organization for Migration I-PACS: Initiative to Promote Afghan Civil Society ISO: Intermediary Service Organization

EC: European Commission 9 InterAction Member Activity Report: Afghanistan September 2009

LNGOs: Local Nongovernmental Organizations MFI: Microfinance institution MISFA: Microfinance Investment and Support Facility for Afghanistan MNCH: Maternal, Newborn and Child Health MoE: Ministry of Education MoFAD: Microfinance Agency for Development MoPH: Ministry of Public Health MoRR: Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation MoRRD: Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development NATO: North Atlantic Treaty Organization NGOs: Nongovernmental Organizations NSP: National Solidarity Program NTCC: National Technical Coordinating Committee NWFP: North Western Frontier Province OCHA: United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs OFDA: USAID’s Office for Foreign Disaster Assistance PACE-A: Partnership for Advancing Community-Based Education in Afghanistan

PHCC: Provincial Health Coordinating Committees PRM: U.S. Department of State’s Bureau for Population, Refugees and Migration PRT: Provincial Reconstruction Teams REPoA: Reconstruction and Energy Press of Afghanistan SGBV: Sexual and Gender-Based Violence SPR: Strategic Provincial Roads STAR: Save The Afghan Refugees STEP: Support for the Electoral Process UNDP: United Nations Development Program UNFPA: United Nations Population Fund UNHCR: United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees UNICEF: United Nations Children’s Fund USAID: United States Agency for International Development USDA: United States Department of Agriculture USDOS: United States Department of State USG: United States Government WELL: Women’s Economic Literacy and Livelihoods WFP: World Food Program WHO: World Health Organization

10 InterAction Member Activity Report: Afghanistan September 2009

List of Member Organizations by Sector Activity Agriculture and Food Aga Khan Foundation Agency for Technical Cooperation and Development CARE Catholic Relief Services International Relief and Development Mercy Corps Business Development, Cooperatives and Credit Aga Khan Foundation CARE Catholic Relief Services ChildFund International Rescue Committee Mercy Corps United Methodist Committee on Relief Child Protection ChildFund International Rescue Committee Save the Children United Methodist Committee on Relief Disaster and Emergency Relief Aga Khan Foundation Agency for Technical Cooperation and Development AmeriCares Brother’s Brother Foundation CHF International Church World Service International Relief and Development Lutheran World Relief United Methodist Committee on Relief Education and Training Adventist Development and Relief Agency Aga Khan Foundation American Friends Service Committee AmeriCares

Brother’s Brother Foundation Catholic Relief Services ChildFund Church World Service Counterpart International International Rescue Committee Lutheran World Relief Relief International Save the Children U.S. Fund for UNICEF World Learning World Vision Gender Issues/Women in Development Aga Khan Foundation American Jewish World Service ChildFund Church World Service Counterpart International International Medical Corps International Rescue Committee Relief International World Learning World Vision Health Care Adventist Development and Relief Agency Aga Khan Foundation AmeriCares CARE ChildFund Church World Service International Medical Corps International Rescue Committee Save the Children United Methodist Committee on Relief U.S. Fund for UNICEF World Vision

11 InterAction Member Activity Report: Afghanistan September 2009

Human Rights, Peace and Conflict Resolution Aga Khan Foundation American Jewish World Service Counterpart International Relief International World Vision Infrastructure and Governance Aga Khan Foundation Agency for Technical Cooperation and Development CARE Counterpart International International Relief and Development International Rescue Committee Refugee and Migration Services Adventist Development and Relief Agency Agency for Technical Cooperation and Development CHF International ChildFund International Medical Corps

International Rescue Committee United Methodist Committee on Relief Rural Development Aga Khan Foundation Agency for Technical Cooperation and Development ChildFund International Medical Corps Mercy Corps United Methodist Committee on Relief World Vision Shelter Adventist Development and Relief Agency CARE CHF International Church World Service Water and Sanitation Adventist Development and Relief Agency Agency for Technical Cooperation and Development Catholic Relief Services

Photo: United Methodist Committee on Relief InterAction Member Activity Report: Afghanistan September 2009

12

Adventist Development and Relief Agency U.S. Contact: Julio Munoz, Interim Bureau Chief for Marketing and Development 12501 Old Columbia Pike Silver Spring, MD 20904 Tel: +1 (301) 680 6373 Fax: +1 (301) 680 6370 Email: [email protected] Website: www.adra.org Field Contact: ADRA Afghanistan (Main Office) No: 11, Kolola Pushta Street Charahi Ansari Circle Shar-e-Naw, Kabul Province Afghanistan George Otieno, Finance Officer Tel: +93(0) 776865266 Email: [email protected]

Vinod Nelson, Country Director/Program Manager Tel: +93(0) 799328403 Email: [email protected]

Becky de Graaff, Health Project Manager Tel: +93(0) 799828852 Email: [email protected]

Introduction The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) is an international nongovernmental organization operating in 125 countries to provide relief and development to communities without regard to age, gender, ethnicity or political or religious association. As the worldwide humanitarian agency of the Seventh Day Adventist Church, ADRA seeks to reflect the character of God through its humanitarian and development activities. ADRA International in Afghanistan ADRA Afghanistan aims to provide for the basic needs of the underprivileged and vulnerable of Afghanistan, who continue to live under substandard conditions. General objectives include support of Afghanistan’s effort to build a self-sufficient civil society; provision of basic health care and education for disadvantaged communities; facilitation of livelihoods and sustainable income for the unemployed; rural infrastructure development; empowerment of women and youth; and capacity building of local partner organizations and institutions. Sectors that ADRA Afghanistan currently focuses on include education and training; winterization; health care; water and sanitation, as part of rural development; and shelter building, as part of refugee and migration services. Education and Training ADRA works with communities in school construction, building 17 new classrooms for a girl’s high school in the northern region of Afghanistan. 13 InterAction Member Activity Report: Afghanistan September 2009

Health Care ADRA works in development in the central highlands, providing basic packages of health services through 21 health facilities. Shelter/Refugee and Migration Services ADRA provides assistance in building basic shelters for IDPs and returnees in Afghanistan’s central region. ADRA Afghanistan has also facilitated the construction of pit latrines for the most vulnerable refugees and IDPs in rural Kabul. Water and Sanitation In the north, ADRA addresses water need and rural development by installing hand-pump wells to improve community access to safe water. Cooperative Efforts With Other Agencies ADRA Afghanistan’s funding sources include USAID, the German Government, ECHO, multiple ADRA network donors, A Better World, UNFPA, UNICEF, IOM and WHO. ADRA currently caters to over 200,000 beneficiaries. ADRA Afghanistan is a registered entity with the government of Afghanistan, and is a member of the NGO umbrella organization ACBAR (Agency Coordinating Body for Afghans Relief). ADRA Afghanistan is also on the ANSO (Afghanistan NGO Security Office) advisory list and warden system. ADRA works closely with both international and local NGOs in co-implementing projects, and maintains good associations with the related government entities, both at the provincial and central levels. ADRA also reports to the Afghan government on a yearly basis about its project and activities, along with presenting them with an annual audit and financial statement. ADRA Afghanistan also enjoys the support and goodwill of the beneficiary communities it serves, and has maintained friendly relations with the local communities, irrespective of their ethnic or cultural backgrounds. Special Concerns The Afghan society at large still considers international presence and assistance welcoming; however, there is a growing resentment from the public, although not targeted directly at international presence, toward the worsening social, economic, and insecurity environment in the country. Moreover, the government lacks control in certain regions of the country that are predominantly inhabited by pro-Taliban communities. The major concern for the international and the Afghan community is the increased insecurity, which has proven to be the primary obstacle hampering many of the development and relief programs in the country. The essential national progress towards solidarity continues to be thwarted by internal power struggles and external politics, threatening the hope for a peaceful and progressive nation.

14 InterAction Member Activity Report: Afghanistan September 2009

Aga Khan Foundation U.S.A U.S. Contact: Joanne Trotter 1825 K St. NW, Suite 901 Washington DC, 20006 Tel: +1 (202) 293 2537 Email: [email protected] Website: www.akfusa.org Field Contact: Kevin Moorhead

[email protected]

House No. 43, Street No. 13 Main Road, Wazir Akbar Khan P.O. Box 5753, Kabul, Afghanistan Tel: +873-763-631-488

Photo: Aga Khan Foundation USA

Introduction The Aga Khan Foundation (AKF) is one of the nine agencies that comprise the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) – a network of development agencies working to improve socioeconomic conditions primarily in South Asia and Africa. AKDN takes a coordinated approach toward poverty alleviation and development that calls for an effective and efficient combination of economic, social and cultural interventions to sustainably develop communities. AKF U.S.A. manages and oversees U.S. federal government grants and U.S. private grants for AKF and other AKDN agencies. The AKDN in Afghanistan is active primarily in the north of the country (particularly in the provinces of Badakshan, Bamyan and Baghlan), although several AKDN agencies have national mandates. AKDN in Afghanistan Education The overall goal of the AKF education program in Afghanistan is to support, enhance and promote access to quality education, thereby improving learning outcomes for disadvantaged children. The education program has a wide scope and seeks to strengthen educational systems and structures at the community, school and Ministry of Education levels. Its main interventions to date have been school-based teacher trainings and in-classroom support; mobilization of over 126 communities to elect school management committees; establishment of 188 parent-teacher associations to encourage community participation and support to education; establishment of nonformal adult literacy classes that support 15 InterAction Member Activity Report: Afghanistan September 2009

7,975 students; provision of support to selected government schools through the whole school improvement model; and, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, the development of teacher training colleges to build the management and leadership capacity of key training institutions and line departments. Health The overall goal of the AKF health program is to contribute to improving the quality of life—health status and living conditions—of rural communities, especially among women of reproductive age, children under age 5 and socially disadvantaged individuals. This is achieved through improving access to and quality of community and facility-based health services; providing safe water supply systems; improving sanitation facilities; promoting a better understanding of health and hygiene practices; developing health human resources through pre-service and in-service training; and engaging in policy-level dialogue to influence the development of national policies and standards. Major achievements include the implementation of the government’s Basic Package of Health Services in 15 districts of three provinces—Badakshan, Baghlan and Bamyan— through the Aga Khan Health Services (AKHS). Each health facility is supported by villagelevel health posts staffed by community health workers, which extend AKHS Afghanistan’s reach to over 475,000 people. Further, the Aga Khan University provides capacity-building and technical support to the Ghazanfar Institute of Health Sciences in Kabul, which has trained more than 550 midwives and more than 300 nurses since 2003. AKHS operates midwifery schools in Faizabad and Bamyan and is in the process of assuming management of a third midwifery school in Pul-i-Kumri. Interventions to support community and hospital midwives aim to address a critical gap in health coverage in Afghanistan related to maternal and child health. Both programs seek to reduce maternal mortality rates, a key priority within the Afghanistan Ministry of Public Health. Rural Development The AKF rural development program aims to enhance the capacity of communities to sustain and improve their quality of life. Key AKF activities in rural development include a combination of community development, natural resource management (including contributing to agricultural experimentation, extension to enhance productivity and market-oriented crop diversification, and investigating renewable energy solutions to reduce household energy expenditure and contribute to environmental conservation), improvement of rural infrastructure, and micro- and small-enterprise development with a specific focus on vocational and entrepreneurial training. AKF seeks to create sustainable and representative institutions at the community, cluster and district levels, by facilitating collaboration between civil society and the public and private sectors. AKF is a leading Facilitating Partner under the National Solidarity Program (NSP), which was established in 2003 by the Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development (MRRD) to lay the foundation for a sustainable form of inclusive local governance, rural reconstruction and poverty alleviation. Through the NSP, AKF has mobilized a total of 1,246 communities and has recently started promoting cluster federations of Community Development Councils (CDCs) in order to encourage them to take 16 InterAction Member Activity Report: Afghanistan September 2009

up cross-cutting development issues and contribute to peace dividends by unifying the CDCs for a common cause. Microfinance The Aga Khan Agency for Microfinance (AKAM), a sister agency of AKF, operates the First Microfinance Bank-Afghanistan (FMFB-A), which is the largest microfinance institution (MFI) in Afghanistan in terms of outstanding loan portfolio—$49 million at the end of 2008. FMFB-A has over 60,000 clients (borrowers and savers) and $45 million in deposits; in 2008 alone, FMFB-A disbursed $96 million total in loans. FMFB-A is operationally and financially sustainable and offers a broad range of savings and credit products, including innovations in housing and SME finance. The bank has designed a specific lending product for women’s groups to expand access for women and is piloting mobile phone-based loan repayments through the M-Paisa service offered by Roshan and Vodafone. Cultural Restoration The Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC), a sister agency of AKF, aims to improve built environments to enhance the quality of life, foster self-understanding and community values and expand opportunities for economic and social development in the future. AKTC’s work includes the renovation of the Bagh-e-Babur and its surrounding neighborhood in Kabul’s old city, as well as the restoration of the Khoja Abdullah Ansari shrine complex to the northeast of Herat. AKTC has been instrumental in the formation of Herat’s Old City Commission, which will lead conservation and manage urban planning in historic neighborhoods.

Photo: Aga Khan Foundation USA

17 InterAction Member Activity Report: Afghanistan September 2009

Agency for Technical Cooperation and Development U.S. Contact: Cyril Dupre, Representative 1400 16th Street NW Washington DC, 20036 Tel: +1 (202) 729 6798 Email: [email protected] Website: www.acted.org Field Contact: Zeenat Garewal, Country Director Tel: +93 700 282 539 Email: [email protected]

Photo: ACTED

Introduction ACTED (Agency for Technical Cooperation and Development) is an international nongovernmental organization created in 1993 (www.acted.org). Independent, private and not-for-profit, ACTED respects a strict political and religious impartiality and operates according to non-discrimination and transparency principles. ACTED’s vocation is to support vulnerable populations worldwide and to accompany them in the construction of a better future. The programs implemented by ACTED (around 260 per year), in Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Central America/Caribbean, aim at addressing the needs of the populations affected by wars, natural catastrophes and/or economical and social crises. Our interventions seek to cover the multiple aspects of humanitarian and development issues through a multidisciplinary approach which is both global and local, and adapted to each context. Once basic needs have been covered, the populations’ living conditions remain critical given that our areas of intervention are among the poorest in the world. For this reason, ACTED’s axis of intervention lies in the link between Emergency, Rehabilitation and Development. In other words, in order to guarantee the sustainability of interventions carried out during crises, only a long-term support - through a continued presence in the field after the emergency and the involvement of communities - enables us to contribute to break the poverty cycle and accompany the populations on their way to development. ACTED in Afghanistan Founded in Afghanistan in 1993 and working in the country non-stop since then, ACTED remains one of the key players in the humanitarian and development sectors of the country. Currently active in more than 1,800 communities in 6 provinces in the North, we are effectively reaching out to over 8% of the rural population of Afghanistan. ACTED Afghanistan has a large structure of around 700 national staff and 10 international staff. A strong emphasis is placed on building the capacity of Afghan staff, and across fifteen years of interventions, the prominence of Afghan employees in our staffing structure has enabled us to build strong relations with communities and authorities alike. ACTED 18 InterAction Member Activity Report: Afghanistan September 2009

Afghanistan has three traditional regional centers, with offices in the North, the North East and the Central region. Country Coordination is based in Kabul. Historically ACTED Afghanistan has implemented large-scale emergency relief projects following man-made and natural disasters. However, in response to the current changing context with development and relief efforts happening simultaneously, we are increasingly linking relief to long-term development by focusing on good governance on the local level, community mobilization and support to livelihood security. Key sectors ACTED Afghanistan works in: Local Governance ACTED Afghanistan implements the National Solidarity Program (NSP) in five provinces in Northern Afghanistan and, as the biggest Facilitating Partner in terms of coverage, represents other NSP Partners on the Representative Group. NSP is the biggest development program in the history of the country, developing lowest level of governance – Community Development Councils. Rural Development Since over 70% of Afghan population lives in rural areas, they remain prioritized in ACTED programming. As a part of the Sustainable Rural Development project in Faryab province, ACTED Afghanistan is engaged in setting up a variety of Community Based Organizations, ranging from Water User Associations to Agro-Cooperatives, Women’s Self-Help Groups and Youth Councils. The project aims to go beyond NSP and develop local governance through community mobilization, using synergies between various community groups and organizations for the community benefit. For instance, social water management component is linking Water User Groups and Associations with Agricultural Toolbanks and Agro-Cooperatives, as water use is directly linked with agriculture and water requirements of various crops. Youth centers in turn are linked up with vocational training opportunities and apprenticeship schemes, literacy, computer and English courses. Development of social capital though hygiene training and awareness, conflict resolution, nutritional feeding and other awareness programs is mainstreamed through all interventions. Supporting IDPs and Returnees ACTED is supporting two Land Allocation Sites in Balkh and Baghlan province with a comprehensive multi-year program that initially addressed the infrastructure and shelter needs of Afghan returnees and has now moved to livelihood security oriented activities, including income generation, enhancement of good governance and development of services within these new artificially created communities. Similarly, ACTED’s construction and repair of 3000 shelters in Kabul is accompanied by construction and rehabilitation of water points, disaster awareness, hygiene education and income-generation support through the apprenticeship scheme.

19 InterAction Member Activity Report: Afghanistan September 2009

Emergency Relief Besides development activities, ACTED is also continuing to support vulnerable groups facing emergencies. Emergency Recovery Program is bringing basic infrastructure to the 60,000 people of Ghormach district, while our Cash for Work projects help beneficiaries cover their food needs during winter months or support them through periods of natural disasters, such droughts or floods. Renewable Energy and Sustainable Water Infrastructure ACTED Afghanistan is one of the organizations certified to carry out construction of MicroHydro Power stations. 37 of those are in the process of being constructed in four provinces as a part of NSP. Other recent constructions include windmills to support returnees on Land Allocation Sites, as well as spring catchment schemes in different parts of the country, bringing potable water to communities in need. Cooperative Efforts With Other Agencies ACTED is an active participant of the UN Cluster system, thereby ensuring close coordination with all humanitarian actors in the country, UN agencies and relevant government institutions. Furthermore, ACTED is a member of Agency Coordinating Body for Afghan Relief (ACBAR) consisting of 103 national and international NGOs, coordinating the emergency response as well as advocacy and communication initiatives relevant to the NGO community. ACTED is also coordinating with the USAID-OFDA’s Implementing Partners currently working for the Kabul Shelter and Settlements Program in Kabul by sharing information on progress, key difficulties, lessons learnt and best practices. Confirming its commitment to respect to human rights, ACTED continues to serve as a CoChair of the Board of Human Rights Research and Advocacy Consortium (HRRAC). Informal coordination also takes place with “Alliance 2015” partners working in the country. ACTED also works in close collaboration with relevant state authorities on the national, provincial and local levels. Special Concerns ACTED remains very cautious about the increasingly insecure environment prevailing all over the country. The agency has a dedicated security management team ensuring that internal security procedures are strictly applied in the Capital and field program sites. All staff movements are monitored and security situation is assessed on a daily basis. Security incidents in areas of operation are immediately reported and analyzed. ACTED security strategy is based on information sharing, networking with other NGOs including the Afghanistan NGO security office (ANSO), UN agencies, the government as well as local communities. Largely, our security is ensured through local acceptance and reliance on community-based programming and local ownership of the projects and interventions. 20 InterAction Member Activity Report: Afghanistan September 2009

American Jewish World Service U.S. Contact: Jenna Capeci, Senior Program Officer (Asia) 45 West 36th Street New York NY 10018 Tel: +1 (212) 792 2844 Email: [email protected] Website: www.ajws.org Introduction American Jewish World Service (AJWS) is an international development organization motivated by Judaism’s imperative to pursue justice. AJWS is dedicated to alleviating poverty, hunger and disease among the people of the developing world regardless of race, religion or nationality. Through grants to grassroots organizations, volunteer service, advocacy and education, AJWS fosters civil society, sustainable development and human rights for all people, while promoting the values and responsibilities of global citizenship within the Jewish community. AJWS in Afghanistan In Afghanistan, AJWS provides support to groups working to improve the social and economic status of women and girls. Through small grants to grassroots organizations, many of which are headed by women, AJWS seeks to strengthen protections for women’s rights and ensure that women and girls have access to health care, education and sustainable livelihoods. Cooperative Efforts With Other Agencies AJWS directly supports the work of local NGO partners in Afghanistan.

21 InterAction Member Activity Report: Afghanistan September 2009

AmeriCares U.S. Contact: Ella Gudwin 88 Hamilton Avenue Stamford, CT 06902 Tel: +1 (203) 658 9688 Email: [email protected] Website: www.americares.org Introduction AmeriCares is a nonprofit international relief organization that delivers medicines, medical supplies and aid to people in crisis around the world. The organization provides immediate response to emergency needs and supports long-term humanitarian assistance programs for all people regardless of race, creed or political persuasion. AmeriCares acts as the bridge between manufacturers that donate the medicines and medical supplies and health care workers on the scene. The organization does that by soliciting donations from U.S. and multinational manufacturers and delivering them quickly and efficiently to partner organizations in the local communities it serves around the world. AmeriCares in Afghanistan AmeriCares has been addressing the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan since 2002. Since then, its ongoing aid to the country has totaled more than 230 tons and been valued at $28 million. In addition to pharmaceuticals and medical consumables, AmeriCare’s supply chain of shipments has included new medical and dental equipment. AmeriCares’ objective is to provide ongoing humanitarian assistance to partner organizations working in Afghanistan in the form of medicines, medical supplies and other relief materials, including blankets, hygiene supplies, nutritional supplements and educational supplies. AmeriCares works with two main partners in Afghanistan: Help the Afghan Children and Afghan Health and Development Services, both of which are nongovernmental organizations with local and U.S. offices. AmeriCares’ assistance supports several large hospitals and clinics, located largely in Kabul and Kandahar provinces. The organization’s model of partnering with local groups provides it with the ability to guarantee ongoing assistance even during the most difficult times.

22 InterAction Member Activity Report: Afghanistan September 2009

Brother’s Brother Foundation U.S. Contact: Elizabeth S. Visnic Brother’s Brother Foundation 1200 Galveston Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15233-1604 Tel: +1 (412) 321-3160 Fax: +1 (412) 321-3325 Email: [email protected] Website: www.brothersbrother.org Introduction The foundation’s mission has been to connect people’s resources with people’s needs for 50 years. Brother’s Brother Foundation in Afghanistan Brother’s Brother Foundation (BBF) provides educational resources, medical supplies and/or humanitarian assistance where need is identified in the developing world. Resources, donated by hospitals and pharmaceutical companies, have been sent to Afghanistan since 2000 by BBF, totaling over $1,900,000. The primary sectors affected by these resources are disaster and emergency relief, education and training, and health care. Cooperative Efforts With Other Agencies Brother’s Brother Foundation has partnered with Life for Relief and Development, working in country to deliver and disseminate medicines, books and humanitarian assistance.

23 InterAction Member Activity Report: Afghanistan September 2009

CARE U.S. Contact: Abbie Laugtug Adotei Akwei 1625 K St. NW Suite 500 Washington, DC 20006 Tel: + 1 (202) 595 2800 Email: [email protected] [email protected]

Website: www.care.org Field Contact: Lex Kassenberg, Country Director CARE Afghanistan Next to Hanzala Mosque Chahar Rahi Haji Yaqoob, Park Road Shahr-e-naw, Kabul, Afghanistan Tel: + 93 (0) 79 625 8675 Email: [email protected] Jennifer Rowell, Advocacy Coordinator Email: [email protected] Introduction CARE International in Afghanistan exists to address the underlying causes of poverty, human suffering and social injustice. This is done through strengthening capacity for selfreliance; promoting basic human rights, social-economic and gender equity, sustainable and effective use of resources, good governance, vibrant civil society and provision of economic opportunities. We advocate with and on behalf of poor, vulnerable and marginalized Afghans for policies and resources and systems to live in peace and dignity. CARE in Afghanistan CARE’s projects in Afghanistan are in women’s social and economic empowerment; education with a particular focus on girls and women; maternal and infant health care support; subnational governance, through the National Solidarity Program (NSP); IDP/refugee return and reintegration (including shelter); and disaster relief. Projects are located in Logar, Balkh, Paktia, Ghazni, Parwan, Kapisa, Khost, Maidan, Balkh, Baghlan, Wardak and Kabul. CARE’s funding sources include CIDA, the British Embassy, Beyond the 11th Foundation, Panaphil Foundation, CARE Deutschland, MoFAD – Microfinance Agency for Development, World Bank, International Development Association, European Union, Governments of: US, UK, Japan, Norway, Denmark, and Germany, Big Lottery Fund, AusAID, USAID, PRM, MISFA 24 InterAction Member Activity Report: Afghanistan September 2009

– Microfinance Investment and Support Facility for Afghanistan, CDC – Center for Disease Control, Government of Afghanistan, and Private Donors. Cooperative Efforts With Other Agencies In Afghanistan, CARE works with both governmental and nongovernmental organizations. Within the government, CARE works with the Ministries of Education, Rural Rehabilitation, and Refugees and Repatriation. In the nongovernmental sector, CARE works with the Afghan Development Agency, CRS, IRC, Aga Khan Foundation, World University Service of Canada and MOFAD Microfinance (which used be a CARE program but has since gone independent). Special Concerns Operating Environment: Civil-Military Relations and the state of the ongoing humanitarian situation in the country have been, and continue to be, very important issues for CARE Afghanistan. We are a member of the CIVMIL Secretariat and are a key driver in trying to change the relationship between civilians and the military into a form more respectful of international humanitarian law and the humanitarian principles. We are also active in pushing for a more optimal international humanitarian response machine in the country, including increased and improved humanitarian funding access to NGOs, both national and international. Finally, CARE is pushing back against the militarization of aid, namely from USAID, in both the conditions placed on new aid contracts and the attempts to build up relations with PRTs and other elements of the COIN strategy. Program-Based Issues: More recently, we have begun to build our program-based advocacy capacity; namely, the rights of women and girls (particularly around the issues of inheritance, dowry, and SGBV) and the promotion of improved sub-national governance structures that we are testing through our own work.

25 InterAction Member Activity Report: Afghanistan September 2009

Catholic Relief Services U.S. Contact: Margarett Desilier 228 W. Lexington Baltimore, MD 21201 Tel: +1 (410) 625 2220 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.crs.org Field Contacts: Scott Braunschweig, Kabul Representative CRS Afghanistan – Kabul Office House #34 Junction of Taimane and St. 4, District 10 Kabul, Afghanistan Email: [email protected] Matt McGarry, Country Representative CRS Afghanistan, Herat Office Haji Gh Nabi Halemayar House East Side of Abbakhsh Badmorghan Telecommunication Road, District 3 Heart, Afghanistan Email: [email protected]

Photo: Catholic Relief Services

Introduction Catholic Relief Services (CRS) aims to assist impoverished and disadvantaged people overseas to promote the sanctity of human life and the dignity of the human person. Catholic Relief Services in Afghanistan CRS began supporting development efforts in Afghanistan in 1998 as a member of the international Caritas Network. In 2002, CRS began direct operations in Afghanistan with early programs focused on emergency assistance to returning refugees and extremely vulnerable populations. From 2004 to the present, CRS has focused primarily on development through community mobilization for expanding education programming in rural areas, developing an innovative market-oriented agricultural program, integrated water security, and women’s social development through self-help groups. Throughout this time, CRS has maintained a continuous humanitarian response capacity and in 2008–2009, CRS implemented a large response to the food security situation in western Afghanistan. CRS currently employs about 400 staff and supports projects in Herat, Ghor, Bamyan, Kabul, Panjshir and Kapisa Provinces.

26 InterAction Member Activity Report: Afghanistan September 2009

Integrated Water Security Over the past four years, CRS has elaborated a drought and water conservation strategy with communities in Herat, Ghor and Bamiyan Provinces, which includes watershed development activities and improving access to potable water. CRS engineers have helped communities develop infrastructure for water harvesting, storage and management, as well as supported improved natural resource management to protect against accelerated runoff and erosion. Given the tremendous need for controlling water-borne disease, CRS has made hygiene-skills training (particularly for women) and sanitation infrastructure an integral part of its projects, complementing government health clinics and other village health workers. Food Security, Agriculture and Rural Enterprise Development Since 2004, CRS has pioneered efforts to increase on-farm and off-farm production and income for rural and peri-urban households, taking advantage of the entrepreneurial talents of Afghans and the growing market opportunities that exist in the country. CRS has developed an innovative market-driven agriculture program that has drawn positive attention from donors and the Afghan government, and has demonstrated improvements in people’s agriculture-based livelihoods. CRS is using and further developing a set of agroenterprise interventions, including building farmers’ and other rural stakeholders’ knowledge and skills in production, processing and marketing while working strategically to increase people’s access to productive assets, such as water, credit and tools. The SelfHelp-Group model for rural economic and social development is an integral part of this program, with a focus on women’s enterprise development. Access to Education Since 2003, CRS has worked to expand quality-learning opportunities for marginalized communities and their children. The current projects include support for community-based education, accelerated learning, early childhood education and the Afghan National Association for the Deaf and their efforts to provide quality education to deaf children in Kabul. For rural education, CRS maintains a long-term strategy based on the community-based education model and supports efforts initiated by many rural communities throughout Afghanistan to provide basic education to children who cannot access formal, governmentsupported schools. The community-based education model uses the national educational curriculum and is designed to eventually integrate community schools into the national system. CRS Afghanistan implements its education program in partnership with local and national organizations, and in coordination with other international organizations, especially as part of the USAID-funded and CARE-led Partnership for Advancing Community-Based Education in Afghanistan (PACE-A) consortium and the Ministry of Education.

27 InterAction Member Activity Report: Afghanistan September 2009

Emergency Response and Preparedness From the time of its arrival in Afghanistan, CRS has maintained a standing, in-country emergency response capacity, which is currently operational in Herat, Ghor and Bamiyan Provinces. In response to the food crisis in 2008, CRS implemented an emergency response project to meet immediate needs, reduce vulnerability, rebuild assets and increase future production. The four-tiered response included food and non-food vouchers for extremely vulnerable households; cash-for-work projects focusing on road rehabilitation, snow clearing and water infrastructure; livelihood voucher fairs; and the establishment of women’s enterprise groups as an inclusive means of bolstering household income.

28 InterAction Member Activity Report: Afghanistan September 2009

CHF International U.S. Contact: Jen Ouellette, Asia Program Officer 8601 Georgia Avenue, Suite 800 Silver Spring, MD 20901 Tel: +1 (301) 587 4700 Email: [email protected] Website: www.chfinternational.org Field Contacts: Milan Gizdavic, ASSIST Program Manager Kabul, Afghanistan Tel: + 93 (0) 70 88 11 714 or + 93 (0) 79 66 24 983 Email: [email protected] Bruce Parmelee, FAST Program Director Jalalabad, Afghanistan Tel: + 93 (0) 70 88 11 714 or + 93 (0) 79 66 24 983 Email: [email protected] Introduction CHF International's mission is to be a catalyst for long-lasting positive change in low- and moderate-income communities around the world, helping them to improve their social, economic and environmental conditions. CHF International in Afghanistan The aim of CHF’s work in Afghanistan is to provide internally displaced persons (IDPs) and returnees livelihood and shelter support through a community-based approach during their transition back to Kabul and Jalalabad. The Afghan Shelter and Settlements Initiative Supporting Transition (ASSIST) program is providing humanitarian assistance through an integrated package of shelter and settlements interventions to vulnerable populations, in particular returnees and IDPs, linking to their longer-term recovery. By December 2009, a total of 3,250 households will have improved shelter, health and sanitation facilities in the city of Kabul. In addition, ASSIST will increase work opportunities; health education; community mobilization; and safe habitable shelters. CHF International has designed ASSIST to target beneficiary populations that have fled their homes for various reasons, including violence, abuse, harassment or exploitation. ASSIST’s participatory process encourages community and leadership support for all interventions facilitated by CHF International. The support is intended to mitigate potential conflicts that could result from the selection of beneficiaries for assistance, as well as 29 InterAction Member Activity Report: Afghanistan September 2009

spread the assistance to reach as many needed beneficiaries as possible. CHF is committed to ensuring that the program is well coordinated with and builds on the programs and plans of the municipal government, other humanitarian and development organizations, and donors in Afghanistan. In addition, CHF's program Facilitating Afghan Settlement and Transition (FAST) aims to meet the humanitarian needs of more than 68,000 vulnerable IDPs and returnees while anchoring returns in three districts of Jalalabad. The FAST program undertakes interventions that meet immediate needs, including the provision of safe and habitable shelter, improvement of access to basic services, promotion of healthy environments and expansion of livelihoods opportunities. As much assistance to vulnerable populations in Afghanistan focuses on those located in rural and peri-urban areas, CHF's FAST program takes a unique approach to addressing acute needs in Jalalabad's complex urban environment.

Photo: CHF International

30 InterAction Member Activity Report: Afghanistan September 2009

Church World Service U.S. Contact: Donna Derr, Director, Emergency Response Program 110 Maryland Ave., NE, Suite 409 Washington DC 20002 Tel: +1 (202) 481 6937 Fax: +1 (202) 546 6232 Email: [email protected] Website: www.churchworldservice.org Field Contact: Marvin Parvez, Director Church World Service Pakistan/Afghanistan Tel: +92 21 721 5604 Introduction: Founded in 1946, Church World Service (CWS) is the relief, development and refugee assistance ministry of 35 Protestant, Orthodox and Anglican denominations in the United States. Working with partners, CWS builds interfaith and intercultural coalitions to eradicate hunger and poverty and promote peace and justice around the world. Within the U.S., Church World Service assists communities in responding to disasters, resettles refugees, promotes fair national and international policies, provides educational resources and offers opportunities to join a people-to-people network of local and global caring through participation in CROP Hunger Walks, the Tools & Blankets Program and the CWS Kits Program. Church World Service in Afghanistan CWS Pakistan/Afghanistan has been operational with its relief and development initiatives in Pakistan and Afghanistan since 1954. CWS-Pakistan/Afghanistan has offices in Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Murree, Mansehra, Jalalabad, Kabul and Quetta. CWS works with both faith-based and secular organizations, adhering to the belief that the communities themselves must set the agenda for change and that this approach encourages equal and even growth in communities. Church World Service has worked or is currently working in Kabul and Kabul province, as well as Sorkh Rood District, Nangarhar; Pachir Wa Agaam District, Nangarhar; Shib Kob District; Ghorband District; Arghestan District, Kandahar Province; and Shomali Valley, Parwan Province. Projects are also located in Bamyan, Nimroz, Farah, Badakhshan, Paktiya, Zabul, Ghazni and Wardak provinces. Disaster and Emergency Relief Since 1997, CWS has organized, in collaboration with Action by Churches Together (ACT), national-level Disaster Management Training Workshops that have set the agenda for the 31 InterAction Member Activity Report: Afghanistan September 2009

establishment of a network of disaster response partners, called the Pak-Afghan Disaster Response Network. The Pakistan-Afghanistan Disaster Response network consists of 13 regional organizations, working in the relief and development sector. For some time after its inception, the Pakistan-Afghanistan Disaster Response Network focused on information sharing regarding training and disasters. This included publications, Disaster Response Office (DRO) Updates and News and DRO Alerts and Warnings. From 1998 onward, after double earthquakes, cyclones and floods, the network became very active. The network has since led to an expansion of Church World Service activities and support of indigenous NGOs in the disaster areas, particularly within Afghanistan. CWS currently has more than 80 trained disaster managers in the region and more than 50 trained security managers. Each disaster manager has completed training in linking disasters and development; natural hazards; compound and complex disasters; disaster preparedness; vulnerability and risk assessment; mitigation; capacity building; disaster assessment and response; rehabilitation and reconstruction; psycho-social and spiritual care; building disaster-resilient communities; terminology and phrase. In recent years, CWS has responded with assistance to survivors of floods in Badakshan province in 2005 and in Ghazni and Paktia provinces in 2006. In 2009, CWS has responded to earthquakes in Nangarhar province and more recently to flooding near Jalalabad. Education and Training: Children Rehabilitation Center: CWS has been supporting a Children Rehabilitation Center in Kabul since 2002 which has benefited more than 2,000 destitute children. Currently 200 children are enrolled in the program. A similar program began in 2006 in Bamyan, also with 200 children enrolled. The goal of the program is to enhance the capacity of children to develop their learning ability, life management skills and focus their behavior our on social cooperation and peace building. In both locales, physical fitness, a nutrition program and health and hygiene awareness are part of the curriculum. Integrated Program in Livelihood Skills and Literacy Improvement for Women: Initiated in July 2006 in Hazarajat the program works to provide informal education to women and further develop their carpet weaving skills. The project aims to offer carpet weaving training to 48 females and literacy classes to 150–180 females over the course of 6 months. So far, six centers in the Qarabagh district of Ghazni Province have been established with the required stationary and carpet-weaving material. In Kandahar, CWS and its partner the Afghan Development Association (ADA) are providing skills training to women and men tailoring, embroidery and rural construction, and supporting the rehabilitation of roads, canals and water supplies that are needed to support rural livelihoods. 32 InterAction Member Activity Report: Afghanistan September 2009

More than 6,800 families are benefiting from the work in Kandahar, including 60 women and 55 men who are participants in the skills training activities. The remainder of the 6,800 are family members or others in community who benefit from the improved infrastructure. Health Care CWS is continuing health programs serving approximately 170,000 people in Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan and the Mansehra District of Pakistan. The project goals are to strengthen community decision-making, and improve current health levels by supporting preventative and essential curative health care services for returning refugees, other Afghans in Nangarhar Province, and refugees in Mansehra. Mansehra Health Program: CWS initiated the Mansehra Health Project in Afghan refugee camps in North Western Frontier Province (NWFP) in 1979.This was a part of the Inter Aid Committee program in response to a request from the Government of Pakistan. Through this project, CWS has provided primary health care, mother and child health (MCH) services, reproductive health services and health education to Afghan refugees. Volunteer community health workers are playing a significant role in promoting community participation in health-related activities. CWS, UNHCR and the U.S. Department of State Bureau for Population, Refugees and Migration (PRM) are funding this project. Nangarhar Health Program: In 1997, CWS established a primary health care project in Nangarhar Province with its headquarters in Jalalabad. In Nangarhar, CWS provides health services through six local health centers and one district hospital, and supports a network of more than 500 male and female community health workers to conduct outreach and health education in remote communities. The project provides both preventive and curative health care to the communities and returning refugees in Nangarhar Province. It provides assistance to some 10,000 patients a month—more than 100,000 patients directly per year. This project is a joint venture between CWS and PRM. Shelter In recent years, CWS has initiated shelter projects in a number of locales, including Kabul, the Shomali Valley and Kandahar. The work in Afghanistan's Kandahar and Nangarhar provinces focuses on assisting returning refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) rebuild their communities and create new opportunities for their families. Both provinces have suffered from decades of conflict, which severely damaged their infrastructure and has left returnees with limited or no access to basic services and livelihood opportunities. In Kandahar, CWS has worked to facilitate the permanent resettlement of 353 vulnerable families in Kandahar Province. In collaboration with the implementing partner ADA, CWS is assisting in the construction of permanent shelters that meet or exceed Sphere standards. Priority is given to households headed by either women or children, and families who have lost family breadwinners due to war. CWS and PRM are the donors for this project.

33 InterAction Member Activity Report: Afghanistan September 2009

ChildFund International U.S. Contact Person: Cynthia Price 2821 Emerywood Parkway Richmond, VA 23294 Tel: +1 (804) 756 2722 Email: [email protected] Website: www.childfund.org Field Contacts: George Nzomo, Country Director House No. 115, Mukhaberat Street Khart-i-Char, District 3 PO Box 5264, Kabul, Afghanistan Tel: +93 079 820 5952 Email: [email protected]

Julien Asneau, Regional Communications Director, Asia 888 Polaris Tower, 4th floor Soi Sukhumvit 20, Sukhumvit Road Klongtoey Klongtoey , Bangkok 10110 Thailand Tel: +66 2 261 2744, Email: [email protected]

Introduction ChildFund works to help deprived, excluded and vulnerable children have the capacity to become young adults, parents and leaders who bring lasting and positive change in their communities. ChildFund in Afghanistan At ChildFund International we strive to create environments in Afghanistan where children can learn, play and grow. We want them to have as safe, stable and normal a childhood as possible; and grow up in communities where they can become leaders of positive, enduring change that will help bring peace and security to their country. ChildFund Afghanistan provides holistic child development and protection programs with the active participation of children, parents and government. The program prioritizes the community-led provision of health, education and livelihood opportunities for parents while strengthening the protective environment for children. Cooperative Efforts With Other Agencies ChildFund works with the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau for Population, Refugees and Migration and the USAID Office of Displaced Children and Orphans Fund as well as local communities. Special Concerns Specific concerns include security of children and families, as well as ChildFund staff.

34 InterAction Member Activity Report: Afghanistan September 2009

Counterpart International U.S. Contact: Amal Al Azzeh, Senior Program Officer 2345 Crystal Drive, Suite 301 Arlington, VA 22202 Tel: + 1(703) 236-1200 Fax: +1 (703) 412-5035 Email: [email protected] Website: www.counterpart.org Field Contacts: Tim Baker, Chief of Party Counterpart International, Initiative to Promote Afghan Civil Society (I-PACS) House #51, Lane 2 (left), Street 15 Wazir Akber Khan Kabul, Afghanistan Tel: +93-0-700-154-933 Email: [email protected] Website: www.counterpart.afg.org Reem Ersheid, Program Director Counterpart International, Support for the Electoral Process (STEP) House #390, Street #13 Indira Gandhi Watt, Opposite Medical Institute Wazir Akbar Khan Kabul, Afghanistan Email: [email protected] Introduction Established in 1965, Counterpart International (Counterpart) has forged strategic partnerships in more than 65 countries. With 350 staff currently operating in 25 countries, Counterpart's programs encompass humanitarian aid and relief assistance, health care, democracy and governance, natural resource management and feeding the impoverished. Our mission reflects our longstanding commitment to building the capacity of individuals and communities to control their own future. We are proud of our past innovations in community-based development and aspire to build on them. Though Counterpart's projects are diverse, they share a common objective: improving the lives of those in need by empowering people and local institutions to develop innovative, holistic and lasting solutions that address social, economic and environmental challenges.

35 InterAction Member Activity Report: Afghanistan September 2009

Counterpart International in Afghanistan Capacity Building and Civic Education across sectors is an important part of Counterpart’s work in Afghanistan. Counterpart is implementing the Initiative to Promote Afghan Civil Society (I-PACS), a five-year USAID-funded program to increase the role and viability of civil society in Afghanistan. Counterpart, in partnership with the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES), is also implementing the Support for the Electoral Process (STEP), a three-year USAID-funded program focused on the need for providing voter educational training to the people of Afghanistan. Education and Training To date, Counterpart has trained a total of 2,535 individuals from 443 organizations in 37 topics, such as Adult Learning Methodology, Civil Society and Community Mobilization, Civic and Voter Education, Participatory Appraisal and Planning, Project Cycle and Proposal Writing, Reporting, Community Problem Solving, Basic Advocacy and Facilitation Skills, Organizational Development and the Art of Consultancy, NGO Law, Gender Awareness, Gender Analysis and Media. Each of 10 partner organizations has opened a Resource Center, with over 2,200 resource center visits occurring since May 2007. Visitors are assisted in developing proposals, conducting community assessments, writing reports and utilizing the internet to gather information. Through its more than 36 community development grant programs, Counterpart’s I-PACS project has directly benefited over 256,216 Afghan men, women and children. In addition, Counterpart’s STEP program, through hundreds of enabling activities focused on civic and voter participation and electoral processes has benefited more than 439,358 Afghan citizens. Infrastructure and Governance The overarching goal of the USAID-funded I-PACS is to increase the role and viability of civil society in Afghanistan by providing capacity-building training and grant support to civil society organizations showing potential to be sustainable, effective organizations. Since 2005, Counterpart’s approach to I-PACS has been to support the development of two local implementing partner Intermediary Service Organizations (ISOs)—the Afghan Women's Education Center (AWEC) and the Afghan Civil Society Forum (ACSF)—and eight Civil Society Support Centers (CSSCs) spread around the country as integral components of a robust Afghan civil society infrastructure. Counterpart supports more than 220 Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) through its partner ISOs and CSSCs. The two ISOs are based in Kabul, while eight CSSCs are located in Paktia, Nangarhar, Kunduz, Balkh, Faryab, Herat, Kandahar and Ghazni provinces. Over half of all I-PACS grant funding goes to women-led or women-focused NGOs, and half of all the I-PACS partners are women's organizations. I-PACS also provides youth 36 InterAction Member Activity Report: Afghanistan September 2009

organizations with grants and capacity building assistance. A total of $7.5 million in grants has been disbursed to Afghan CSOs for over 135 projects; over one-half have been given to women-led organizations. Counterpart has trained 83 government, NGO, ISO and CSSC staff in Gender Awareness and Gender Analysis Frameworks. Counterpart also supports gender mainstreaming throughout the institutional policies and development activities of the local Afghan ISO and CSSC partner organizations. Civic Education: Counterpart International, in partnership with the IFES, is implementing a comprehensive and multilevel voter and civic education program in Afghanistan. The goal of the three-year USAID-funded Support STEP program is to entrench democratic electoral principles and engage the citizens of Afghanistan in the electoral process. The civic education program focuses extensively on the need for providing voter educational training services to the people of Afghanistan, with a particular emphasis on youth (ages 16–25), religious and tribal leaders, people with disabilities and women. Counterpart and its local partners work with the International Election Commission (IEC) and government ministries to develop comprehensive sets of election-related materials for dissemination. Due to the extremely low literacy rate in Afghanistan (15–20 percent), Counterpart relies heavily on direct communication and radio broadcasts to promote civic education throughout the country. In coordination with IFES, Counterpart and its local partners work with and through its existing CSO networks, as well as with and through Ulemas (or Islamic Legal Scholars) and Mullahs (or Islamic Cleric) to reach local communities. Instrumental to the outreach effort is the disbursement of Community Outreach and Civic Education Grants given to each of Counterpart's 10 local partners. Since the beginning of the project in August 2008, STEP has reached a total of 439,358 eligible and future voters. In August 2009 alone, Counterpart, through its partner NGOs, conducted 3,973 face-to-face civic education activities and community meetings in 31 provinces in Afghanistan with a total of 136,595 eligible and future voters; of these 85,997 male and 50,598 female. That same month, as part of its broader media campaign, STEP produced and broadcasted seven Public Service Announcements (PSAs), three roundtables and six episodes of its 24-part drama series. The media campaign activities will continue into December 2009 in order to complete the set target of 12 PSAs, 24 drama episodes and 12 roundtables, in Pashto and Dari. Media and Outreach In a continued effort to improve the general public perception of Afghan civil society, Counterpart’s I-PACS program recently aired six radio roundtable discussions with eight prominent and moderate religious scholars (Ulema) from the city of Kabul. The purpose of the discussions was to promote discourse among Ulema and seek their opinions on the misperceptions and skepticism held by the general public regarding civil society and citizen engagement in Afghan civic life. Each roundtable discussion featured moderate Ulema who 37 InterAction Member Activity Report: Afghanistan September 2009

expressed their views on Afghan civil society and the role of civic organizations, the concept of civil society from the Islamic point of view and their understanding of democracy in contemporary Islam and human rights—with a particular focus on women’s rights in Afghanistan. The roundtables were aired on Radio Television of Afghanistan’s Radio One, which covers all 34 Afghan provinces through its countrywide network of transmitters and local radio station affiliates. Radio broadcasts were chosen as the mode of transmission due to the fact that radio programs continue to serve as the primary news and information source for most Afghan citizens. Moreover, Counterpart has a number of CD-based recordings of the roundtable discussions available to USAID and other interested parties. Counterpart STEP is currently implementing a 2009 radio campaign that will run until the end of December. The Campaign has three types of radio programs—public service announcements, drama and roundtable discussions—which are produced in both Dari and Pashto and are broadcasted on weekly basis. Each program is broadcasted on 30 community and national radios, providing area coverage across the country. Broadcasts began airing on July 10, 2009. Cooperative Efforts With Other Agencies Counterpart works, largely in capacity building, with the Ministry of the Economy, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Information and Culture, Ministry of Youth, Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development, Ministries of Women’s Affairs and Education, Shuras and Community Development Councils. Counterpart, in partnership with the Ministry of Economy’s NGO Department, created a website (www.ngo-dept.gov.af) specifically designed to improve the level of professionalism, public relations and transparency within the NGO sector. This portal will contain resources relevant to NGO operations in Afghanistan—including the Afghan NGO Law, registration forms, and practical information on donor agencies active in Afghanistan. Concurrently, the website will be an important resource for government agencies and the donor community to obtain information on NGOs and international and domestic development projects being implemented in Afghanistan. Special Concerns Security and corruption are the two biggest challenges faced in program implementation. The worsening security situation often necessitates cancellation of planned activities in certain regions, which are the areas that most need assistance. Specifically, several civic education programs organized in the southern and eastern regions of the country had to be cancelled due to security concerns. Partners in Ghazni, Kandahar and Paktia are the most affected by the situation and have had to limit their activities and “go underground” in some instances. Counterpart Staff have also limited their travel to the field due to the high level of violence in some of the more remote areas of the country. One of Counterpart’s CSOs in Wardak Province was burned to the ground. Corruption at every level of the government also presents challenges to Counterpart and our partners. In many instances, if 38 InterAction Member Activity Report: Afghanistan September 2009

bribes are not paid, then nothing gets done. The lack of capacity in the country (i.e., ability to conceptualize, develop plans and implement plans effectively) is the third-biggest challenge. Once people are trained (as staff for Counterpart-Afghanistan or for partner and beneficiary organizations), they are often hired away by other international organizations that can pay them more. Embassies, NGOs and other international organizations are starting to work together to stop this practice, however. This issue not only presents problems for NGOs, but also furthers the lack of capacity within Afghan government ministries as they cannot afford to pay the same high salaries as NGOs, embassies and international organizations.

39 InterAction Member Activity Report: Afghanistan September 2009

International Medical Corps U.S. Contact: Sonia Walia 1313 L St. NW Suite 220 Washington, DC 20005 Tel: 202-828-5155 x304 Fax: 202-828-5156 Email: [email protected] 1919 Santa Monica Blvd. Suite 400 Santa Monica, CA 90404 Tel: +1 (310) 826 7800 Fax: 310-442-6622 Email: [email protected] Website: www.imcworldwide.org Field Contact: Robert Lankenau House #1, St Asif, Karte Walik, Shahshdarak, District #9, Kabul, Afghanistan Email: [email protected] Introduction International Medical Corps (IMC) is dedicated to saving lives and relieving suffering through health care training and relief and development programs. Established in 1984 by volunteer doctors and nurses, IMC is a private, voluntary, nonpolitical, nonsectarian organization. Its mission is to improve the quality of life through health interventions and related activities that build local capacity in underserved communities worldwide. By offering training and health care to local populations and medical assistance to people at highest risk, and with the flexibility to respond rapidly to emergency situations, IMC rehabilitates devastated health care systems and helps bring them back to self-reliance. IMC in Afghanistan IMC has been working in Afghanistan for the past 25 years. The organization’s goal is to help improve Afghan quality of life through health interventions that include training and services for the most vulnerable people and communities. IMC is working closely with the Afghan government, the donor community and beneficiaries to make long-lasting changes that will benefit society, especially women and children. IMC’s work in Afghanistan includes both rural and urban-based activities providing direct services such as immunizations and surgical care, as well as the training of health care practitioners and 40 InterAction Member Activity Report: Afghanistan September 2009

community members. This represents IMC’s approach to helping people improve their quality of life after almost 30 years of conflict and neglect. In Afghanistan, IMC is a registered partner of the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) and Ministry of Education (MoE) that delivers health services to promote the health status of more than 1,000,000 people through direct health services training programs for those providing health care to vulnerable groups, including displaced/returnees, women of reproductive age and children. IMC implements projects directly in partnership with MoPH, UNHCR, WFP and the Agricultural Health and Development Organization (AHDO), and through cooperation and capacity building of local organizations including the Agency for the Assistance and Development of Afghanistan (AADA), the Afghan General Health Coordination Office (AGHCO) and the Humanitarian Assistance and Developmental Association for Afghanistan (HADAAF). Current projects include delivery of the Basic Package of Health Services (BPHS) at health posts and clinics and the Essential Package of Hospital Services (EPHS) at hospitals, population-based assessments and demonstration projects, health care training, nutrition care, water and sanitation, and facility construction and rehabilitation. All programs have a strong capacity-building aspect and focus on Afghan health professionals and communities through integrated care and training. IMC has a network of more than 600 community health workers, who provide primary health care and health education. IMC is also known for its initiatives on the rehabilitation of roads, water and sanitation infrastructure and other key community infrastructure initiatives that support the establishment of a vibrant civil society and the overall health of the communities and individuals it serves. Specific locations of projects include Khost, Paktika, Kunar, Nangarhar, Kabul and Nooristan provinces. IMC counts USAID, OFDA, PRM, DHHS, CDC and USDA among its primary donors, and enjoys strong collaborative relationships within the international community. In fiscal year 2009, IMC’S budget for Afghanistan was approximately $8 million. Health Care Since 2004, IMC has been closely involved in the development of Rabia Balkhi Hospital for Women in the capital city of Kabul. The goal of the project is to improve the quality of care offered at Rabia Balkhi Hospital, which will contribute to a decrease in maternal and neonatal mortality rates. The program is supporting the establishment of a sustainable OB/GYN residency training program in Kabul. IMC, with the help of DHHS and hospital management NGOs, has supported a rotating faculty of Obstetrician-Gynecologists, Pediatricians, Anesthesiologist/Nurse Anesthetists, Family Practitioners, Certified NurseMidwives, Nurse Practitioners, and Hospital Administrators. These professionals have worked with a cadre of well-trained local counterparts and Rabia Balkhi Hospital staff to deliver training programs. IMC has successfully devised a structured training plan for medical personnel, and the four-year residency training program that was implemented in October 2006. The training plan was further accepted and endorsed by Afghanistan’s Ministry of Public Health and is now used as a model for other health institutions throughout the country. IMC’s work at Rabia Balkhi Hospital benefits more than 27,000 women and more than 13,000 children annually. Twenty-seven trainers from IMC and 41 InterAction Member Activity Report: Afghanistan September 2009

Rabia Balkhi Hospital provided trainings to 17 attending physicians, 54 resident physicians, 72 midwives, six pediatricians and 33 allied health professionals, including pharmacists, anesthetists, lab technicians and radiologists. Gender Issues/Women in Development Women are the focus of IMC’s programs in Afghanistan. IMC trains and works with communities to increase their buy-in and local ownership of projects that are inclusive of women and of the wider community. Programs relating to maternal and child health seek to be culturally appropriate through regular shuras (meetings of elders) that secure the participation of decision makers in a culturally difficult environment for women. In order to address gender issues in Afghanistan, it is important to involve men and the community as a whole, which has been done successfully in many IMC training and health programs. With measurable outcomes and up-to-date curricula, based on identified needs, these training courses have led to better care for women and children. IMC trained the first female physician specialists working for an NGO, and has worked vigorously to help reduce maternal mortality by training male and female doctors, nurses, midwives and other health care professionals in urban and rural areas. Refugee and Migration Services With funding from PRM, IMC continues to support a large returnee community in Eastern Afghanistan. IMC’s program goal is to support the reintegration of returnees into communities in Eastern Afghanistan by ensuring that they have access to essential heath care services, training for medical staff and vocational training, including alternative livelihood training for returnees. Through comprehensive Emergency Obstetric Center and mobile clinics, IMC serves a population of 250,012 returnees in nine camps. Rural Development IMC continues implementing its USAID-supported BPHS and EPHS portfolios at health facilities administered by the MoPH. In July 2007, IMC started a new European Communityfunded BPHS project in the eastern Nuristan Province. IMC currently supports two provincial hospitals, one district hospital, 68 health centers (Community Health Centers, Basic Health Centers and sub-centers) and 641 health posts in Khost, Paktika and Nooristan provinces. Cooperative Efforts With Other Agencies To build local capacity, IMC works closely with local community organizations. Currently IMC has partnership arrangements with the AADA, Afghan German Help Coordination Office (AGHCO) and HADAAF to implement the BPHS in Khost, Paktika and Nooristan provinces, respectively. With the technical support of Health Services and Systems Program (HSSP), IMC Khost and Paktika, managed the transfer of technical and managerial knowledge to partner NGOs so that they can run effective high-quality projects. IMC also strengthens local civil society in areas with few such structures, and ensures that these activities are sustainable beyond the project’s conclusion. IMC coordinates closely with provincial and central MoPH, UN agencies and international NGOs. IMC played an important role in assisting the provincial MoPH in establishing and strengthening 42 InterAction Member Activity Report: Afghanistan September 2009

Provincial Health Coordinating Committees (PHCCs) that facilitate information sharing, coordinate a regular reporting system for Health Management Information System (HMIS), draft annual provincial work plans, identify sites for new health facilities, assign catchment areas, participate in emergency response and special activities and mediate among stakeholders. At the central level, IMC is a member of the National Technical Coordination Committee (NTCC) meeting and various other task forces, such as hospital management, HMIS and the Expanded Program on Immunization, Nutrition, Reproductive Health and Family Planning. IMC’s training center is located in the main building of the MoPH, where training for MoPH and NGO staff is provided. Special Concerns The security of staff and beneficiaries is IMC’s primary concern in Afghanistan. IMC benefits greatly from long-established relationships with Afghan employees who continue programs in areas where foreigners can no longer travel. IMC continues to have grave concerns for the security of Afghan staff members within the humanitarian community. They have recently been targeted at a higher rate by both insurgents and armed criminal groups, who force their families to pay large ransoms for their release. This trend is occurring more often outside of working hours and is thrusting families into poverty and debt. IMC, like most humanitarian agencies, is increasingly struggling to provide assistance in areas beyond the control of the central government. Continuing instability in these areas means that the humanitarian space in Afghanistan is shrinking, and reaching vulnerable populations in the most underdeveloped areas is becoming more and more challenging.

43 InterAction Member Activity Report: Afghanistan September 2009

International Relief and Development U.S. Contact: Yvette Gonzalez-Sharma, Desk Officer, Afghanistan 1621 North Kent Street Fourth Floor Arlington, VA 22209 Tel: +1 (571) 366 1578 Email: [email protected] Website: www.ird-dc.org Field Contact: Dean Homleid, Country Director Email: [email protected] Phone: +93 (0) 796-110-029 Introduction International Relief & Development (IRD) is a charitable, nonprofit, nongovernmental organization dedicated to improving lives and building livelihoods among people in the most economically deprived parts of the world. Since 1998, IRD has provided over $1.25 billion worth of goods and services in humanitarian assistance to vulnerable populations around the world. IRD provides cost-effective relief and development programs in seven core sectors and special projects as needed. IRD in Afghanistan In Afghanistan, IRD’s mission is to reduce the suffering of the most vulnerable groups and provide the tools and resources needed to increase their self-sufficiency. IRD has been working in Afghanistan since April 2004 with one completed program and three active programs. IRD program implementation activities currently span 33 of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces and cover more than 200 districts. Capacity Building The Human Resources and Logistical Support (HRLS) program, funded by USAID, started in April 2004 and was extended through February 2011 with the award of HRLS II. Through HRLS, USAID is able to outsource specialized technical and administrative services to meet the challenges of its expanding and ever-changing portfolio of programs. The program focuses on quality assurance monitoring for USAID infrastructure projects; this has been complemented by capacity training at several key ministries involved with reconstruction and development. To date, IRD engineers have made over 30,000 site inspection visits to USAID schools, clinics and water and civil works projects in nearly every province of Afghanistan. IRD plays a major role in developing technical capacity within the construction departments of several ministries, including a significant Technical Assistance Team embedded within the Ministry of Public Works to systematically train and organize ministry staff. The HRLS program also manages the 44 InterAction Member Activity Report: Afghanistan September 2009

Reconstruction and Energy Press of Afghanistan (REPOA), which reports on the reconstruction efforts of both the international community and the Afghan government, with information tailored for the Afghan public. Infrastructure The Strategic Provincial Roads (SPR), a USAID-funded program, was launched in January 2007 to construct 1,500 kilometers of engineered gravel road in southern Afghanistan. These roads are expected to play a significant role in facilitating the efficient movement of agricultural goods to market; increasing access to government and social services; promoting positive links across tribal boundaries; improving regional stability through access to security; increasing Afghanistan’s capacity for road construction; and providing significant employment opportunities. Afghan national contractors are used for all road construction activities. Prior to any construction work, the community is mobilized to commit their support for the construction of the roads. In return for their support, other community needs are identified and secondary activities are developed to enhance community development. While construction workers are generally men, SPR has employed 900 local women in finance and administration in Kabul. Female community development councils, community development groups and Shura community leaders ensure that women's needs are met. Agriculture The Afghanistan Vouchers for Increased Production of Agriculture (AVIPA), a USAIDfunded program, was launched in September 2008 in response to prolonged drought conditions. Working closely with the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation, and Livestock and the Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development, IRD has distributed more than 30,000 tons of high-quality wheat seed and fertilizer at a reduced cost to nearly 247,000 farmers and their families in 18 provinces of Afghanistan. Farmers who participate in the program receive vouchers and contribute a farmer “co-pay,” which is reinvested in the program to support other activities such as training farmers on best practices and cropping strategies to sustain the program’s effectiveness.

Photo: International Relief and Development

45 InterAction Member Activity Report: Afghanistan September 2009

International Rescue Committee U.S. Contact: Avigail Ziv, Program Officer, Asia & Caucasus 122 East 42nd Street New York, NY 10168-1289 Tel: +1 (212) 551 3058 Fax: +1 (212) 551 3185 Email: [email protected] Website: www.theIRC.org Field Contact: Bob Kitchen, Country Director House #61, Kochai Afghana, Shash Darak, Nahia 9 Kabul, Afghanistan Tel: +93 (0) 772 200001 Tel: +93 (0) 799 160119 E-mail: [email protected] Photo: International Rescue Committee

Introduction The International Rescue Committee (IRC) is a leading private, nonsectarian nonprofit organization providing relief, protection and resettlement services for refugees and victims of oppression or violent conflict for 70 years. IRC is committed to freedom, human dignity and self-reliance. This commitment is reflected in well-planned global emergency relief, rehabilitation services, resettlement assistance and advocacy for refugees. International Rescue Committee in Afghanistan For over 25 years, IRC has earned the trust of the Afghan people, operating one of the largest aid programs in the country and working alongside them to rebuild their shattered communities. In 1980, IRC began by providing emergency medical relief to Afghan refugees fleeing to Pakistan to escape the Soviet invasion. IRC expanded its rehabilitation work to inside Afghanistan’s borders in 1988, preparing for the return of refugees from neighboring countries. IRC continued to assist Afghans during the Taliban regime and its collapse, and following Afghanistan’s first elections in 2005. IRC continues to focus on providing conflicted-affected communities and returning refugees with assistance in the sectors of Education, Child Protection, Vocational Education & Training, Environmental Health & Engineering, and Governance & Community Development. IRC’s programs in Afghanistan work to achieve durable solutions for our communities, and are grounded in the five guiding principles of Protection and Promotion of Human Rights, Participation, Capacity Building, Partnership and Holistic Programming. Infrastructure and Governance IRC is a leading facilitating partner of the Government of Afghanistan’s National Solidarity 46 InterAction Member Activity Report: Afghanistan September 2009

Program (NSP), which lays the foundation for community-level governance by helping communities identify, plan and manage their own development projects. Over the past six years IRC has helped to establish 1,376 community-elected Community Development Councils. In turn, the councils have spearheaded over 2,757 projects with a total budget of $43.5 million, reaching over 1.8 million beneficiaries. Projects under NSP range from the constructions of roads, schools, hospitals and irrigation systems to the creation and implementation of literacy and vocational education classes. Project locations include Hirat, Khost, Logar and Nangarhar provinces. Business Development, Cooperatives and Credit Recent changes in Afghanistan’s political, economic and social environment have created a high demand for skilled workers, which cannot be met by the current labor market. In this changing environment, many people lack the necessary skills to earn a living. Poverty is widespread, and the overall unemployment rate is estimated at 40 percent. IRC’s Economic Recovery and Development team assesses market and labor opportunities and works with local partners to train people in a range of construction, technical, mechanical, service and agriculture skills through center-based training and apprenticeships with master trainers. In addition to these vocational skills, program participants are taught basic literacy, math and business development skills. Since 2008, through the program, over 1,159 people (including over 674 women) graduated from apprenticeship and center-based training programs; the majority of whom realized significant wage increases after graduation. To address weak livelihoods conditions and a lack of capacity among national NGOs to implement comprehensive livelihoods programs, IRC also targets 800 vulnerable and female-headed households in four rural districts, as well as with three local organizations. The households benefit from a variety of activities geared toward the strengthening of livelihoods. The local organizations benefit from technical and organizational capacity building related to market-oriented livelihoods programming. Project locations include Hirat, Nangarhar, Paktya and Laghman provinces. Education and Training For over 10 years, IRC’s Education Program has established quality community-based education in villages where there are no schools. IRC establishes community-based schools in rural areas, trains teachers, establishes school management committees, conducts adult literacy and early childhood development classes and supplies classrooms with education materials. As part of the Partnership for Advancing Community-based Education in Afghanistan (PACE-A), IRC is working in five provinces to bolster Afghanistan’s education system and providing education support to former refugees who have returned home. Since the start of the PACE-A project, IRC’s education program has supported over 874 community-based education classes with more than 23,838 students. IRC has also integrated over 291 classes, with more than 8,410 students, into government schools since the start of the project. In addition to PACE-A, IRC works closely with the Ministry of Education (MoE) to build an effective student-tracking database that connects the MoE Kabul to the Afghan MoE Attachés in Peshawar and Quetta. The database facilitates the process by which students transfer schools when repatriating and within Pakistan, and 47 InterAction Member Activity Report: Afghanistan September 2009

maintains accurate and up-to-date records of all Afghan refugee students and at MoEregistered schools. In five provinces and approximately 50 communities, IRC’s Education Program has also successfully integrated over 90 children with visual and hearing impairments into mainstream government school classrooms and trained 279 teachers in sign language or Braille, in addition to techniques for including children with disabilities into mainstream classes. Project locations include Hirat, Khost, Paktya, Kabul, Logar, Nangarhar and Laghman Provinces. Refugee and Migration Services From 2002 to 2007, more than 3.5 million refugees returned to Afghanistan from Pakistan and Iran. The communities to which they are returning, stressed by war and drought, often lack basic resources to safely support the existing population, let alone additional returnees. Since 1990, IRC has worked with returned refugees, internally displaced people and vulnerable host communities to address critical water, sanitation, irrigation and shelter needs. IRC digs wells and builds water supply networks and irrigation systems for people who have no or limited access to water; constructs shelters for people without a home; and builds latrines and conducts hygiene training to reduce death and illness associated with waterborne and sanitation-related diseases. In 2008, returnee reintegration activities expanded to include child protection, economic recovery and community-driven reconstruction in and around the Government of Afghanistan’s Land Allocation Scheme sites for refugee returnees and in communities of high refugee return in eastern Afghanistan. In 2008 alone, IRC facilitated the construction of over 1,579 shelters and 1,713 latrines, sunk 204 wells, constructed 3 pipe schemes, helped cultivate 1,100 hectares of land through 3 irrigation projects and gave thousands of families the basic tools to prevent the spread of waterborne disease through hygiene awareness training and the distribution of hygiene kits. Project locations include Hirat, Nangarhar, Paktya and Laghman provinces. Cooperative Efforts With Other Agencies IRC Afghanistan partners with the following local NGO’s to implement programming:  Welfare Assistance for Development of Afghanistan (WADAN)  Agency for Rehabilitation and Energy-Conservation in Afghanistan (AREA)  Watan’s Social and Technical Service Association (WSTA)  National Association for Blind (NAB)  Coordination of Rehabilitation and Development Services for Afghanistan (CRDSA) CARE International is the international partner in the PACE-A project. IRC is an active member of the Agency Coordinating Body for Afghan Relief (ACBAR), and a member of the Advisory Board of the Afghan NGO Safety Office (ANSO). 48 InterAction Member Activity Report: Afghanistan September 2009

Lutheran World Relief U.S. Contact: Trevor Knoblich, Program Associate for Emergency Response 700 Light Street Baltimore, MD 21214 USA Tel: +1 (410) 230 2823 Email: [email protected] Website: www.lwr.org U.S. Focal Point for Afghanistan: Joanne Fairley, Program Director for Asia and the Middle East 700 Light Street Baltimore, MD 21214 USA Email: [email protected] Introduction Lutheran World Relief (LWR) works with partners in 35 countries to help people grow food, improve health, strengthen communities, end conflict, build livelihoods and recover from disasters. Lutheran World Relief in Afghanistan LWR works to supply basic humanitarian supplies to those affected by conflict or weatherrelated emergencies in Afghanistan. Our aim is to provide relief to those most in need, without regard to race, gender, ethnicity, or religious or political affiliation. Cooperative Efforts With Other Agencies LWR works with local and international NGOs, which request items such as blankets, quilts, school supplies, basic hygiene supplies, baby care items and other essential materials, and distribute the items to those most in need. Special Concerns Security and basic logistics in severe weather conditions have been our primary concern. For example, severe cold and similar inclement weather has often slowed distribution of items at a time when they are most needed.

49 InterAction Member Activity Report: Afghanistan September 2009

Mercy Corps U.S. Contact: John Stephens, Senior Program Officer 45 S.W. Ankeny Portland, OR 97204 Tel: +1 (503) 896-5000 Email: [email protected] Website: www.mercycorps.org Field Contact: Christine Mulligan, Country Director PO Box #838, Qala-e-Fatullah Kabul, Afghanistan Tel: +93 (0) 797-162-551 Email: [email protected] Introduction Mercy Corps exists to alleviate suffering, poverty and oppression by helping people build secure, productive and just communities. Since 1979, Mercy Corps has provided $1.7 billion in assistance to people in 107 nations. Our worldwide team of 3,700 professionals is improving the lives of 16.4 million people in more than 40 countries. Our global programs are supported by headquarters in North America and Europe and field offices in some of the world’s most troubled and challenging regions. Mercy helps people in the world’s toughest places turn the crisis of natural disaster, poverty and conflict into opportunities for progress. Driven by local needs and market conditions, our programs provide communities with the tools and support they need to transform their own lives. Mercy Corps in Afghanistan Mercy Corps has been active in Afghanistan since 1986, and implements a broad portfolio of programs in Kabul and 12 provinces across the north, east and south of the country, including the volatile southern provinces of Helmand and Kandahar. Across the country we employ nearly 550 people, 97 percent of whom are Afghan nationals, and have assisted more than 2.5 million Afghans together with funding from donors such as USAID, USDA and the U.S. State Department, U.K. government and European Union. Our efforts focus on enabling Afghans to improve the quality of their lives through strengthened economic livelihoods, increased social engagements and building productive relationships among the government, civil society and private sectors. With 85 percent of the population relying on agriculture and natural resource-based incomes, our programs aim to improve agricultural production and market linkages, community and agricultural infrastructure, animal and livestock health, natural resource management and access to financial services.

50 InterAction Member Activity Report: Afghanistan September 2009

Agricultural Livelihoods Mercy Corps is helping Afghans restore the once vital agriculture sector through programs that increase production, build underlying economic infrastructure, create market linkages and transfer knowledge and traditions. Incentives Driving Economic Alternatives – North, East and West (IDEA – NEW) is a five-year, multi-component program funded by USAID, whose aim is to promote sustainable, legitimate livelihoods and commercially viable sources of income for Afghans living in rural communities in six provinces in the north, west and east of Afghanistan. Launched in March 2009, the program brings together a consortium of organizations to work closely with local and community leaders, ministries, agencies and the private sector to improve agricultural production and livestock health. The program also seeks to improve community and agricultural infrastructure (irrigation channels, canals, culverts and water pumps), increase farmers’ access to financial services, provide farmers with tools, seeds, fertilizer and training, and link them to markets to sell their crops. With funding from the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Mercy Corps is implementing a multicomponent, three-year program called the Afghanistan Agri-Business and Agricultural Development (AABAD) program. The program, which is operating in six provinces in the northeastern and southern Afghanistan, is building the capacity of farmers, agriculture producer associations, entrepreneurs and the Ministry of Agriculture to improve and increase the production and sale of fruits and nuts. The program also seeks to build and strengthen a large network of 22 Veterinary Field Units (VFUs) that help farmers care for livestock. With funding from the U.K.’s Department for International Development (DFID), Mercy Corps has been working closely with the Afghan Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock (MAIL) to improve agricultural education, production and irrigation infrastructure through a program called Helmand Agricultural Solutions for Improved Livelihoods (HASIL). This program includes a number of approaches. Mercy Corps is helping farmers transition to growing high-value fruits, nuts and vegetables by providing information, training, technical assistance, saplings and cuttings. Nearly 90,000 Helmandis have already benefited from HASIL’s critical inputs and training. In partnership with Purdue University and the Czech NGO People in Need (PIN), Mercy Corps is developing an academic curriculum for use in agricultural high schools throughout the country. Mercy Corps has already constructed an agricultural high school in Helmand Province, which will provide 600 young farmers a year with the critical skills and knowledge they will need to build more productive and profitable farms. HASIL is also working with farmers on other important inputs, such as extensive canal construction, livestock and agricultural trainings, and sapling distribution. Since 1993, Mercy Corps has worked with more than 100 contract seed growers to produce improved varieties of wheat seed so that they now produce 1,000 metric tons annually of quality declared seed (QDS). Through two centers in Kandahar and Helmand, the seed is cleaned, tested, bagged and sold on the open market. Enough wheat seed is produced annually for 6,000 households, and the improved seeds have doubled average yield. In 51 InterAction Member Activity Report: Afghanistan September 2009

2009, with seed sales revenue, the QDS program registered as a private enterprise and will continue to provide quality seed to farmers in southern Afghanistan. Market Development and Microfinance Through the Strengthening Market Chains for Afghan Raisins and Pomegranates program, Mercy Corps and its Alliance partners are working with grape and pomegranate value chain participants in Helmand, Kandahar and Parwan provinces to improve their technical skills and increase sales. With USAID support, the project is linking over 600 pomegranate and grape farmers, traders and a major processor to domestic and global markets and introducing appropriate technologies to disseminate market information. To date, the program has benefited over 3,000 people and Mercy Corps has assisted in securing a partnership with Fullwell Mill in the U.K., a major international supplier of fair-trade products that is helping to register Afghan raisins as fair-trade certified. Unilever/Ben and Jerry’s have agreed to eventually purchase these raisins through Fullwell Mill. We have also teamed with Roshan Telecommunications to provide timely market information, via SMS text messages, to participants across the entire grape value chain, and are piloting integrated voice-recording technology to communicate information to the population of illiterate farmers. In 2003, Mercy Corps established Ariana Financial Services, one of the country’s first microfinance institutions, providing high-quality, fair-priced savings and loan products to help clients increase their incomes, expand their businesses and improve the quality of their lives. Ariana has supported more than 45,000 clients with $12.5 million in loans. It currently has 11,000 active clients, 72 percent of them women who have started or expanded microenterprises in such areas as weaving, carpentry, tailoring, hairdressing, knitting, leather working and animal husbandry. Helping Afghan Refugees and Returnees — Jobs and Food Security Agriculture Productivity Enhancement for Afghan Returnees (A-Pear) is a one-year program funded by the Bureau of Population Refugees and Migration (BPRM) that aims to improve food security for rural populations in Eastern Afghanistan. The program concentrates on providing enhanced economic opportunities to returnees, especially landless youth, and host communities in the Nangarhar and Kunar provinces. It includes high-impact community development infrastructure projects that support and enhance agriculture productivity; provides inputs to agro-enterprises that support production, consumption and income generation; and provides capacity building to communities to enable them to better respond to their local economic and agricultural needs. Mercy Corps, along with program partner Save the Children U.S., is leading a cash-for-work program targeting poor and vulnerable households in the northern cities of Mazar-e-Sharif, Kunduz, Pul-e-Khumri and Bamyan. This USAID-funded project, Food Insecurity Response for Urban Populations (FIRUP), is designed to increase incomes and access to food for urban residents who have been especially hard-hit by the global food crisis and the rising cost of living. In cooperation with provincial and district officials and community leaders, Mercy Corps and Save the Children U.S. are employing residents to do labor-intensive 52 InterAction Member Activity Report: Afghanistan September 2009

projects that improve community infrastructure and assets while enabling them to earn money so they can purchase food and other essentials. We expect to expand this program to several new provinces and rural areas in 2009. Natural Resource Management Through programs funded by the European Community (EC), the Kunduz Integrated Water Initiative (KIWI) and the Catchment Development Program, Mercy Corps is strengthening the livelihoods of 5,000 families in the Kunduz River Basin. These projects center on the management of forests, pastures, rangelands and water, as well as livestock care and soil conservation. The programs also promote the active involvement of extension services and staff of the Ministry of Agriculture to ensure that the projects are integrated into and support the Kunduz River watershed system. In the northeast, projects focus on addressing the need for better water distribution and management so farming communities can have equal access to water resources and boost their crop yields. Special Concerns While Mercy Corps has been able to continue our work assisting vulnerable Afghans in some of the most volatile parts of the country, we remain gravely concerned about the general deterioration of security for the general population, NGOs and our staff and their families. It is vital that NGOs continue to be perceived as independent and impartial actors in order to continue to safely and effectively provide the full range of our assistance programs.

Photo: Mercy Corps

53 InterAction Member Activity Report: Afghanistan September 2009

Relief International U.S. Contact: Karen Hirschfeld, Program Director, Central Asia 1100 H Street, Suite 1200 Washington, DC 20005 Tel: + 1 (202) 639 8660 Email: [email protected] Website: www.reliefinternational.org Field Contact: Marco Aviotti, Country Director, Afghanistan Street 5, Qala-e-Fatullah Kabul, Afghanistan Tel: +93 (0)77 728 7655 Email: [email protected] / [email protected] Introduction Relief International (RI) is a humanitarian nonprofit agency that provides emergency relief, rehabilitation, development assistance and program services to vulnerable communities worldwide. RI is solely dedicated to reducing human suffering and is nonpolitical and nonsectarian in its mission. RI's mission is to: "Serve the needs of the most vulnerable, particularly women and children, victims of natural disasters & civil conflicts, and the poor with a specific focus on neglected groups and cases. Provide holistic, multi-sectoral, sustainable, and pro-poor programs that bridge emergency relief and long-term development at the grassroots level. Empower communities by building capacity and by maximizing local resources in both program design and implementation. Promote selfreliance, peaceful coexistence, and reintegration of marginalized communities. Protect lives from physical injury or death and/or psychological trauma where present. Uphold the highest professional norms in program delivery, including accountability to beneficiaries and donors alike.” Relief International in Afghanistan RI’s mission in Afghanistan is to connect people to their local, district and provincial government authorities as well as to enhance the capacity of these government officials to respond to the population’s needs. Furthermore, RI aims to respond to the immediate needs of newly returned refugees, to restore livelihoods, improve agricultural outputs and enable increased access to markets and to help repair and rehabilitate the physical infrastructure of Afghanistan. Cooperative Efforts With Other Agencies RI works in close cooperation with the Ministries of Agriculture and Rural Rehabilitation and Development for the implementation of improved livelihood, agriculture extension, water and sanitation and local governance activities. RI is one of the most successful 54 InterAction Member Activity Report: Afghanistan September 2009

facilitating partners of the National Solidarity Program (NSP), a nationwide Government of Afghanistan and World Bank-funded local governance program that works through local “Community Development Councils”. RI is an active member of the UNICEF-led WASH (water, shelters and hygiene) coordination cluster. Currently, RI is implementing partner of ARD Inc. for the USAID-funded Alternative Development Program (ADP). Special Concerns RI works in the some of the most dangerous and underserved provinces in Afghanistan and we can do so through years of carefully built relationships with local village councils, interest groups and district and provincial assemblies, as well as with the national government. RI currently works in Kunar and Nangarhar in the East, and is one of the very few INGOs working in Nimroz province, the most southwesterly province, bordering both Iran and Helmand, and one of Afghanistan’s most insecure provinces.

55 InterAction Member Activity Report: Afghanistan September 2009

Save the Children U.S. Contact: Erika Willumsen Thrasher, Associate Director, Asia Operations 54 Wilton Road, Westport CT 06880 Tel: +1 (203) 221 4064 Email: [email protected] Website: www.savechildren.org Introduction Save the Children’s mission is to create lasting, positive change in the lives of children in need. Save the Children in Afghanistan Afghanistan’s turbulent modern history is a result of decades of regional and internal conflict and extreme natural disasters, especially drought. With an estimated population of at least 25 million, this landlocked country at the historical crossroads of Central Asia is extremely poor and highly dependent on foreign aid as it struggles to rebuild. While agriculture, carpet weaving and trade with neighboring countries are Afghanistan’s main legal economic activities, illicit poppy cultivation is both a major concern and a major source of income for some families. Since 1985 Save the Children has been responding to the needs of Afghan children and families, whether in Afghanistan or refugee sites in Pakistan, by working to help them improve their lives through programs in health, education and child protection. We have done this throughout years of war, sociopolitical turmoil, drought and oppression. The challenges are daunting, especially for children and women. Even though political and economic uncertainty and personal and community insecurity still prevail in much of Afghanistan, Save the Children is committed to helping Afghan families and communities. Challenges for Children In the past eight years progress has been made, but Afghanistan still faces many challenges. It has high infant, child and maternal mortality rates; low immunization rates; chronic nutritional deficiencies among children that are becoming more acute in the face of the current global food crisis; low literacy levels; low school enrollment and high drop-out rates, especially among girls; and difficulty protecting children and promoting their rights. Health The health care system in Afghanistan was largely destroyed by decades of conflict— particularly services for women and children. In partnership with the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH), Save the Children works with families, communities and health care workers in homes, health posts, clinics and hospitals to promote basic health, well-being and survival, particularly for children younger than five and for women of childbearing age. 56 InterAction Member Activity Report: Afghanistan September 2009

Each year, 4 million babies die in the first 28 days of life—the neonatal period. Most of these deaths occur in developing countries. In response, in Afghanistan Save the Children partners with the MoPH, WHO, UNICEF and other health service delivery providers with a focus on improving the access of mothers and newborns to low-cost, low-tech interventions. Recently, we led a qualitative research study in partnership with the MoPH and UNICEF to learn about practices during pregnancy, delivery, and the postnatal period and for newborn care.* Based on these findings and in consultation with the MoPH Technical Advisory Group, Save the Children is developing a demonstration project focused on extending postnatal care to mothers and newborns at home through the existing Community Midwives and Community Health Workers. In all health initiatives we encourage people—from school children to health officials—to take part in improving the health of Afghan children, mothers and families. In addition to government health care leaders and administrators, Save the Children supports doctors, nurses, community midwives and other clinicians. As importantly, we support community health workers, who staff home-based health posts in some of the poorest and most rural areas of northern Afghanistan. Education In partnership with the Ministry of Education, Save the Children is increasing access to education through school support, teacher training and community mobilization in poor, remote districts. Support for parents—to promote education for girls as well as boys and to encourage them to take part in decision making about their children’s education—is also key to our education initiatives. Teacher training is helping communities improve the quality of education children receive by helping teachers improve knowledge of child development—physical, nutritional and emotional development as well as intellectual. By leading community-based early childhood development programs that increase community and parental awareness of the importance of child development—including play—in children’s lives, we are strengthening communities’ ability to prepare their children for success once they reach school. Since 2006, we have been part of a consortium to design an approach to school administrator training that improves teaching and learning, and is now part of Ministry of Education-approved national training. In addition, Save the Children constructs schools in areas where large numbers of children, especially girls, are out of school due to a lack of facilities. Similarly, we construct latrines and wells, and provide much-needed health, nutrition and hygiene education through community-based, child-led health classes. These classes are held in homes outside of school hours, with volunteer child/adolescent facilitators. Both students and out-of-school children attend, leading to improved health outcomes for all children. Child Protection Afghanistan is an unsafe place for children, and there are many girls and boys who are subjected to corporal and psychological punishment in schools and homes. Building on past *

In Afghanistan 85% of deliveries occur at home and most are attended by untrained birth attendants and/or relatives.

57 InterAction Member Activity Report: Afghanistan September 2009

successes, Save the Children now leads child protection initiatives through community-, school- and preschool-based activities to mobilize communities to respond to childidentified protection issues—ranging from child survival health topics and home safety to complex issues such as the fear of kidnapping. Together with our Save the Children Alliance partners, UNICEF, other child-focused organizations and relevant ministries, we facilitate the Child Protection Action Network, which aims to address child protection issues with action and follow-up. We are especially active in helping children raise their voice to community, regional and national leaders, and in helping raise awareness of government responsibility to child rights and well-being. Looking Forward for Children Despite ongoing challenges, including reignited civil and military unrest in many parts of Afghanistan, Save the Children is committed to supporting and sustaining humanitarian and development efforts for Afghan children and families, especially mothers, by continuing to:  Deliver integrated, community-based education and protection programs, especially for girls and preschool children.  Partner with communities and local public health professionals to improve young children’s nutritional status and offer opportunities for their mental, emotional and physical development.  Support the Ministry of Education to further strengthen and improve school leadership, management, environments and instruction for child-centered teaching and children’s learning.  Support the Ministry of Public Health’s ability to innovate, expand and deliver services, including those to meet the emerging challenges of acute malnutrition for children and of HIV/AIDS prevention education.

Photo: Save the Children InterAction Member Activity Report: Afghanistan September 2009

58

United Methodist Committee on Relief U.S. Contact: Melissa Hinnen, UMCOR Staff Writer 475 Riverside Drive, Room 330 New York, NY 10115 Tel: +1 (212) 870 3815 Email: [email protected] Website: www.umcor.org U.S. Focal Point: Alan Moseley, Program Officer, Europe & Asia 475 Riverside Drive, Room 1374 New York, NY 10115 Tel: +1 (212) 870 3552 Email: [email protected] Field Contact/Focal Point: Jonathan Bartolozzi Interim Head of Mission Qall-e-Fatullah, Street 5, House P247 Kabul, Afghanistan Tel: +93 799 314 458 Email: [email protected]

Photo: United Methodist Committee on Relief

Introduction The United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) is the not-for-profit global humanitarian aid organization of the United Methodist Church. UMCOR is working in more than 80 countries worldwide, including the United States. Our mission, grounded in the teachings of Jesus, is to alleviate human suffering—whether caused by war, conflict or natural disaster, with open hearts and minds to all people. UMCOR responds to natural or civil disasters that are interruptions of such magnitude that they overwhelm a community's ability to recover on its own. UMCOR’s NGO Unit provides development and relief assistance internationally by establishing field offices and working with local communities to assist them in building peace, restoring social stability, revitalizing community structures and empowering their members to retake control of their lives. United Methodist Committee on Relief in Afghanistan UMCOR Afghanistan was established in 2002, with its main office in Kabul. In a country that has faced decades of war and natural disasters, the mission focuses on creating sustainable and stable communities through holistic reintegration programs including reconstruction, income generation, vocational training and emergency response and 59 InterAction Member Activity Report: Afghanistan September 2009

intervention. Since its inception, UMCOR Afghanistan has worked in Kabul, Kapisa, Khost, Logar, Panjshir, Parwan, Paktya, and Wardak Provinces on large-scale programs targeting underserved and vulnerable populations. UMCOR Afghanistan coordinates with many international and national humanitarian partners in Afghanistan, including UNHCR, UNAMA and the Afghan Government’s Ministries of Refugees and Repatriation (MoRR) and Rural Rehabilitation and Development (MRRD). Integrated Returns Program UMCOR’s Integrated Returns Program, with support from the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration (USDOS – BPRM), UMCOR and community contributions, has assisted some 38,250 people in Khost, Paktya, Wardak and Kabul Provinces. Between September 2004 and June 2009, UMCOR completed five projects supporting the sustainable return and reintegration of refugees from Pakistan, Iran and other countries. A sixth integrated return project began in September 2009. Internally displaced persons returning home as well as other vulnerable members of return communities have also benefited from UMCOR’s Integrated Returns Program work. UMCOR uses a self-help methodology whereby the majority of beneficiaries receive materials, support and technical oversight, but construct their new shelters and latrines themselves. In addition to shelters, UMCOR has helped returnees to start new livelihoods, providing milk-bearing goats as well as vocational skills training. Construction of wells and hygiene training, along with new latrines, promotes improved hygiene and health. Winterization packages, which include blankets, stoves, firewood and other basic materials, help recent returnees survive the often brutal Afghanistan winters until their shelters are completed. With UMCOR-provided materials, support and technical assistance, returnee households have constructed over 1,965 new shelters and latrines; over 2,300 winterization packages have been distributed; 1,000 persons have received vocational skills training or livestock training; livestock has been given to over 1,650 returnee and IDP families; fruit trees have been distributed to 250 especially vulnerable families;10 wells have been built; 50 karizes (underground water canals) have been cleaned; and 2,000 meters of streams have been rehabilitated. Winterization & In-Kind Material Aid Program UMCOR’s Winterization and In-Kind Material Aid Program, with support from the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the U.S. Agency for International Development Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (USAID/OFDA) and UMCOR, has assisted over 76,000 people in Wardak, Khost, Paktya and Kabul Provinces. UMCOR has distributed materials that have benefited vulnerable people, including basic items for daily needs and to survive the winter. Most materials distributed were donated by Methodists and shipped to Afghanistan from UMCOR’s Sager Brown Depot in Louisiana, U.S.A. The most popular Methodistdonated items distributed were health kits (hand towel, soap, toothbrush, toothpaste, comb and other hygiene items) and school kits (school bag, paper, scissors, pencils and other school supplies). Other items donated by UMCOR or procured through funds from donors 60 InterAction Member Activity Report: Afghanistan September 2009

include blankets, wood stoves, clothing, soap, layette and sewing kits. UMCOR often distributes in-kind items to complement other program work underway, for example, providing school kits to former child soldiers supported through a UNICEF-funded project. Additional winterization support for families has been provided through UMCOR’s Integrated Returns Program. UMCOR has successfully shipped from the U.S., received, warehoused and distributed seven containers of in-kind materials, assisted hundreds of families to survive the harsh Afghanistan winter, and distributed over 33,000 health kits, 27,900 school kits and 15,200 blankets. Health Care UMCOR Afghanistan's holistic approach to the reintegration of returning refugee and IDP families includes health and sanitation training in an effort to improve their health and well-being. UMCOR has trained more than 20,000 people in health, hygiene and water sanitation practices and provided more than 11,000 beneficiaries with access to clean water. From 2004 to 2006, UMCOR Afghanistan constructed and refurbished 26 schools and health clinics servicing more than 130,000 beneficiaries. Project sites were in Kabul, Kapisa, and Parwan Provinces. Child Protection Working together with UNICEF, UMCOR Afghanistan facilitated the reintegration of 1,500 former child soldiers and organized vocational training and job placement for 400 waraffected children in Kabul, Logar, Parwan, Wardak, Kapisa and Paktya Provinces.

61 InterAction Member Activity Report: Afghanistan September 2009

U.S. Contact: Richard Alleyne Tel: +1 (212) 686 5522 Email: [email protected] Website: www.unicefusa.org Field Contact: Mail address: P.O. Box 54, Kabul, Afghanistan Tel: + 93 7 9050 7000 Email: [email protected]

© UNICEF/HQ02-0007/P. Bronstein

U.S. Fund for UNICEF

Photo: US Fund for UNICEF

Introduction The U.S. Fund for UNICEF (USF) works for the survival, protection and development of children worldwide through education, advocacy, and fundraising. The USF is one of 36 national committees that support UNICEF’s mission as well as its emergency relief and long-term efforts in Afghanistan. UNICEF in Afghanistan UNICEF in Afghanistan works in Education and Training, Health Care and Child Protection to improve maternal health and child survival and to increase child protection infrastructure and educational opportunities. Education and Training In partnership with the Ministry of Education, the main objectives of UNICEF’s Basic Education and Gender Equality program are to increase primary school enrollment, especially among girls, and to increase literacy rates among adults, focusing on females age 15–49. In addition, interventions to restore education in emergencies are targeted in collaboration with key humanitarian agencies. In September 2007, a three-year plan to promote girls’ education was developed in Kabul during a workshop organized by the Ministry of Education and UNICEF, in collaboration with Afghanistan’s Girls’ Education Initiative working group. Over 50 representatives from ministries, United Nations agencies and nongovernmental and research organizations working in the area of girls’ education participated in the workshop. The plan seeks to accelerate girls’ enrollment by promoting girl-friendly schools, providing nutrition services in schools, training female teachers and reaching out to girls who are out of school. To address the shortage of qualified teachers in Afghanistan, UNICEF and the Ministry of Education plan to train 80 master trainers and 16,000 female teachers from 11 provinces with courses in pedagogical skills, teaching methodologies, classroom management, lesson planning and child development.

62 InterAction Member Activity Report: Afghanistan September 2009

UNICEF and its partners already have trained 30,000 teachers and supplied educational materials for 4.87 million students. In areas with no schoolhouses, tents, teacher training and learning materials have been provided to offer informal learning opportunities for 250,000 children. With UNICEF support, 57,766 teachers of primary grades were oriented on new textbooks for grades two and five. Health Care The purpose of UNICEF’s Health and Nutrition Program is to support national efforts to reduce maternal mortality and under-five mortality rates. UNICEF is working to increase access to and utilization of community-based health services; to reduce the burden on the heath care system of vaccine-preventable diseases such as tetanus and measles; and to improve the availability and quality of maternal health services. While insecurity remains a major constraint, notable progress has been made in immunization coverage and the spread of communicable disease. Leaders and volunteers from the communities that worked to make the public aware of the need for immunizations contributed to a severe drop in polio cases last year. To combat the spread of polio, an immunization program is being carried out at the Spin Boldak border crossing in Kandahar Province. Over 8,000 people cross this border each day and teams on both the Afghanistan and Pakistan sides of the border immunize approximately 800 children under five each day. Vitamin A supplementation campaigns were conducted in 2006, reaching 6.6 million children—100 percent of those targeted. Combined measles and tetanus immunization campaigns also took place in eight provinces. The coverage reports show that over 1 million children had received measles vaccine and over 700,000 women of child-bearing age had received tetanus immunization. Four more provinces have completed similar campaign and results are awaited. Standard service delivery guidelines, protocols and training packages were developed to facilitate the integration of maternal and child health services. Essential supplies were procured, 310 outreach sites were selected, 70 district health shura (committees) were established and training of service providers is in progress. In order to combat malnutrition, therapeutic feeding programs have been created in 20 hospitals and five new therapeutic feeding units were established in draught-affected provinces. Supplies were provided to 26 feeding centers nationwide, which treated 3,103 malnourished children as compared to 2,030 treated in 2005. Capacity to manage severe malnutrition was enhanced by training 150 doctors and nurses. Five new salt iodization plants were also established to help reduce iodine deficiency. Child Protection UNICEF’s child protection program aims to develop and implement appropriate protection policies, legislation and measures to safeguard women and children from violence, 63 InterAction Member Activity Report: Afghanistan September 2009

exploitation and abuse. Given the current security issues, UNICEF is focusing on demobilizing child soldiers, in addition to preventing child trafficking and child labor. UNICEF and its partners have made a great effort to demobilize and retrain child soldiers. With $250,000, UNICEF has set up vocational schools in Kandahar for 500 children. Girls learn tailoring, and in a separate facility boys learn carpentry, electronics, motor repair, plumbing and ironwork. Thanks to efforts by UNICEF and the European Union, 10,000 street children from Kabul, Herat and Mazar-i-Sharif benefit from the Aschiana Project, a shelter where children learn art, music, carpentry and plumbing. In 2006, 49 master trainers and 1,637 health personnel were trained on prevention of child abuse in 19 provinces. In addition, 1,019 teachers were trained on how to prevent violence against children in schools. Mine-risk education programs have reached nearly a million people, reducing landmine-related accidents by 10 percent. Special Concerns The lack of basic services in Afghanistan has contributed to the sad reality that one-quarter of all children will not live to see their fifth birthday. Many children in Afghanistan die from treatable or preventable illnesses and diseases. Afghanistan has long had one of the highest mortality rates for mothers—second in the world only to Sierra Leone—and insecurity and a crumbling infrastructure are placing access to health facilities further out of reach of women. Health workers lack access to over 40 percent of the country, and even those areas that can be reached are under constant threat. Due in large part to isolation from health services, in 2006 nearly 900 children under age five died every day. In addition, more than 60 women died every day in 2007 from complications relating to pregnancy. Nearly 40 percent of all children under age five suffer from malnourishment, and nearly 60 percent have stunted growth. Access to education is another issue in Afghanistan, especially for girls. According to the Education Ministry, at least 1 million girls of schools age are not enrolled—35 percent of the total population of girls. While there are often equal numbers of girls and boys enrolled in primary schools, boys outnumber girls at secondary schools by as many as five to one. The picture is especially bleak in the war-affected south, where schools have been attacked by insurgents. Parents prefer to keep their kids at home, choosing safety over literacy. In rural parts of this region, literacy rates are as low as 2 percent. A particularly disturbing feature of the conflict in Afghanistan has been the use of children as combatants, both as child soldiers and as suicide bombers. Children are commonly recruited by warlords and used in tribal warfare. Some children were forced to fight in the armies that overthrew the Taliban. Others were used as guards, cooks or personal servants or were exploited for sex or cheap labor. 64 InterAction Member Activity Report: Afghanistan September 2009

World Learning U.S. Contact: Colin Davies 1015 15th Street, 7th floor Washington, DC 20005 Tel: +1 (202) 494 6994 Email: [email protected] Website: www.worldlearning.org Field Contact: Arti Duggal, Senior Business Consultant Capacity Development Program (CDP), Team Lead – Training Management Unit Deloitte Consulting LLP Kabul, Afghanistan Tel: +93 799 144 365 Email: [email protected] Introduction World Learning’s mission is institutional strengthening. World Learning in Afghanistan Program objectives in Afghanistan include capacity development for public, private and NGO sectors, higher education and English language training. Program locations include Kabul, Herat, Kandihar, Qalat, Baraki, Balkh – Mazar-e-Sharif, Nangerhar, Bamyan and Takhar.

65 InterAction Member Activity Report: Afghanistan September 2009

World Vision International U.S. Contact: Christine Beasley, Country Program Manager 300 Eye Street, NE Washington DC 20002 Tel: +1 (202) 572 6392 Email: [email protected] Website: www.worldvision.org Field Contact: Enzo Vecchio, National Director, Walayat Street, Amariat Blvd. Heart, Afghanistan Office: +93 40 224 568, Mobile: +93 799 252 799, Fax: +93 40 224 568 E-mail: [email protected] Photo: World Vision International

Introduction World Vision (WV) is a Christian humanitarian organization working to create lasting change in the lives of children, families and communities living in poverty and injustice. World Vision serves all people regardless of religion, race, ethnicity or gender. World Vision in Afghanistan WV’s mission in Afghanistan is to support the efforts of Afghan families and communities to restore and develop sustainable livelihoods, improve the quality of education and improve access to quality healthcare. WV works closely with Afghan government ministries and with Afghan NGOs. Education WV is implementing its fifth year of USDA Food-for-Education (McGovern-Dole) programming. This project involves three primary objectives in Badghis and Ghor provinces. Objective 1: Increase the enrollment of school-aged children and support teachers and staff through food distributions in schools Objective 2: Improve the quality of instruction at primary schools through training and capacity building within the provinces of Badghis and Ghor. In particular, WV is focusing on increasing the pool of female teachers in culturally conservative areas with low femalestudent school attendance by providing women’s literacy courses Objective 3: Improve the educational infrastructure of the rural communities and the MOE through capacity building for the MOE, constructing and furnishing schools and providing school kits for teachers and students. 66 InterAction Member Activity Report: Afghanistan September 2009

In addition, WV is implementing privately funded adult literacy and vocational training projects for women in Ghor and Badghis. The Women’s Economic Literacy and Livelihoods (WELL) project provides women with functional (business and trade-related) literacy education and vocational skills to enable them to undertake income-generating activities and improve the welfare of their families. The outcome of the project will be the creation of sustainable income-generating enterprises run by female cooperatives. Health Through the Health and Education Initiative in Ghor (HEALING, funded by USAID) WV is implementing an integrated community-based health, nutrition and agriculture project that seeks to reduce food insecurity, improve household resiliency and enhance community empowerment for almost 400,000 people over three years. Because of its harsh climate, Ghor is heavily dependent on food from outside the province. The majority of households in Ghor produce only wheat because it is the main dietary staple and nearly 60 percent of households in Ghor consume no vegetables at all. One objective of HEALING is to increase the production of fruits and vegetables in addition to staple grains to decrease the incidence of scurvy. WV is also providing training in health, hygiene and nutrition for mothers. WV is implementing a Midwifery Education Program at the Institute of Health Sciences in Herat and a Community Midwifery Education Project in Ghor province. These projects are providing high-quality midwifery education to students as well as clinical services at maternity wards and maternal, newborn and child health (MNCH) services in rural areas. Students are recruited from rural areas through a community mobilization process and return to their communities to provide desperately needed health care services where previously there was not a single female health care provider. In 2008, WV received an award from the Afghan Midwives Association for excellence in midwifery programming. WV, through its private funds, also established a neonatal unit at Herat Maternity Hospital to provide care for the most fragile of lives. An average of 20 premature or low-birthweight infants are successfully treated here each week. WV, with support from the government of Australia, has established the first sexually transmitted infections (STIs) clinic in Western Afghanistan. Based at Herat Regional Hospital, the goal of the project is to expand the knowledge base in order to facilitate planning, implementation and evaluation of STI/HIV and AIDS programs.  To reduce the risk of infection among the general population through an increase in awareness levels.  To reduce prevalence and prevent transmission of STIs both as an important public health issue in its own right and as part of the effort to reduce HIV transmission.  To reduce the risk of transmission of HIV and other bloodborne infections through blood transfusions.

67 InterAction Member Activity Report: Afghanistan September 2009

With support from USAID and Procter & Gamble and in close partnership with Afghan partners, WV’s Better Health for Afghanistan Mothers and Children (BHAMC)/Child Survival project is contributing to improved maternal and child health outcomes in five districts of Herat province. Technical areas of intervention include control and management of diarrheal disease, pneumonia case management, immunization, infant and young child feeding and maternal health. In Afghanistan, widespread poverty, lack of education, the low status of women, suboptimal health and nutrition practices and limited access to quality health services, coupled with prolonged insecurity, has led to some of the worst maternal, neonatal and child mortality rates in the world. World Vision’s BHAMC project will contribute to the Afghan Ministry of Public Health’s (MoPH) Basic Package of Health Services (BPHS) and lead to sustainable improvements in MNCH outcomes for nearly 300,000 beneficiaries in five districts. Rural Livelihoods WV is implementing a USAID-funded project, Food Insecurity Response for Urban Populations (FIRUP), in Herat and Ghor province. FIRUP is a Cash for work project that seeks to increase household income through improved agricultural production and marketing opportunities; increase resilience of crop systems through diversification; reduce malnutrition in children under five (particularly children 024 months); and improve nutrition and health practices of pregnant and lactating women. WV’s Nurseries and Women’s Kitchen Gardens Project, funded by the government of Australia, supports three demonstration nurseries as agricultural training centers and production sites for improved seedlings/saplings. Ten smaller nurseries situated within villages have been established, specializing in cash crop production of trees such as pistachio. Farmers have been trained in how to select and produce crops, increase their variety and yield, nurture their soil and care for their environment. They are also learning how to utilize their surplus crop, improving their food security and variety, either through sale, barter or retention for planting again. The 800 women participants have already worked with WV and have an interest and commitment to learning and development. WV will enhance their training in crop development on a smaller scale, as they are only able to tend land within their own residential property. Improved nutrition will be emphasized—the knowledge of how to grow, keep and prepare a larger range of food in order to better care for their families. WV is supporting a revolving livestock circle in Western Afghanistan as a sustainable means of generating income for families. Livestock enables families to be more resilient against hardship, staying closer to the household and improving health (through milk and meat production) and income (through sale of milk, wool or meat). Farmers are also receiving training in better animal care. WV is also implementing beekeeping activities. There is a demonstrated market for honey, which will remain constant, and bee populations grow easily, so they do not require great cash inputs to begin development— merely a hive and some bees to start. In addition, it is possible for women to implement the activities within their homes. 68 InterAction Member Activity Report: Afghanistan September 2009