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Afghanistan
SNAPSHOT
Date of independence: 1919
Capital: Kabul
Population: 31 million (2007)
GDP per person: $800
Source: CIA World Factbook
USAID IN AFGHANISTAN
afghanistan.usaid.gov
CONTACTS
USAID/Kabul
6180 Kabul Place
Dulles, VA 20189-6180
Tel: (202) 216-6288
Tel: 0093 (0) 700-234-233
Email: kabulaidinformation@usaid.gov
Afghanistan Desk Officer
Caroline Brearley
Tel: (202) 712-0518
Email: cbrearley@usaid.gov
By the end of 2006, the accelerated learning program had enrolled over 170,000 students, more than half of which were girls who were denied an education under the Taliban. (Photo: USAID/Afghanistan) OverviewNearly 25 years of war and violence devastated Afghanistan’s polity, economy, and society. In 2001, when the Taliban was forced out of power, half of Afghanistan’s people lived in absolute poverty, and virtually all of the country’s institutions and much of its infrastructure were destroyed. To rebuild the country and combat terrorism, USAID is working to create economic growth, effective and representative governance, and the human capital base needed to eliminate the conditions that breed extremism.Programs
Economic Growth
Functioning transportation and electricity networks are essential for economic growth. Roads connect farmers to markets, provide access to health facilities, and facilitate regional trade. Road construction has been a major reconstruction priority. As of spring 2008, USAID completed rehabilitation of more than 2,700 kilometers of both paved and unpaved roads, resulting in increased mobility, trade, and security.
Access to reliable, affordable power is critical to building a vibrant private sector, yet less than 10 percent of Afghans have access to electricity. USAID is working to remedy this situation by supporting the North-East Power System, a multi-donor initiative that will provide expanded access to reliable, low-cost electricity. USAID is also improving thermal electrical generation facilities for major cities, including Kabul, and rehabilitating the Kajaki Dam, the principal source of electricity in southern Afghanistan.
Rebuilding Afghanistan’s legal rural economy is an important contributor to economic growth. The estimated 80 percent of Afghans earning their living through farming need increased opportunities both on and off the farm. USAID’s work on Afghanistan’s irrigation systems has improved irrigation for nearly 10 percent of arable land and improved the health of millions of livestock. USAID is helping Afghanistan develop a market-driven agricultural sector by improving linkages between suppliers, producers, and markets and providing farmers with improved farm technologies and increased access to financial services.
USAID economic growth programs assist Afghanistan’s businesses with credit, training, and other support services. Land titling and property rights are being strengthened, while moribund state-owned enterprises are being privatized. These activities generate investment, strengthen businesses, and create job opportunities. USAID also works with the government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan to increase revenue collection, improve the legal and regulatory framework to increase private sector investment, and build the government’s capacity to manage the economy.
Governing Justly and Democratically
Afghanistan has made significant strides toward democracy since the fall of the Taliban. In five years, the country has drafted a new constitution and democratically elected a president, National Assembly, and provincial councils. Going forward, USAID support will focus on building the capacity of democratic institutions to strengthen governance and civil society and improve the management of human resources, financial resources, and service delivery of priority national ministries and municipalities.
In Afghanistan, provincial reconstruction teams (PRTs) assist the delivery of U.S. and international assistance at the provincial level. PRTs are small, joint civilian-military teams designed to improve security, extend the reach of the Afghan government, and facilitate reconstruction in priority provinces.
Investing In People: Health and Education
In 2002, when schools reopened, 97 percent of girls did not attend school. By the end of Taliban rule, 80 percent of schools were severely damaged or destroyed. To improve the situation, USAID constructed or refurbished over 680 schools and distributed more than 60 million textbooks. USAID created an accelerated learning program that enrolled over 170,000 students, more than half of whom were girls, and provided learning materials. Today, USAID supports more than 45,000 students in community-based education classes in areas where there is no access to formal schools and implements the Ministry of Education’s teacher training program in 11 provinces, supporting more than 50,000 teachers in the formal school system. As a result of the efforts by the Afghan government, the United States, and other donors, today more than 5.7 million students are in school, 35 percent of whom are girls.
The health status of Afghans is among the worst in the world; one out of every five Afghan children dies before the age of five. To provide Afghans with access to basic health services, USAID has constructed or refurbished over 670 clinics throughout the country and established over 360 health facilities providing basic health services, including the provision of all medicines and expendable supplies. USAID has also trained over 1,000 midwives to work in hospitals and clinics throughout the country, making deliveries safer for women and helping reduce infant mortality.
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