Rebuilding Afghanistan

The United States and Afghanistan share a common vision for an Afghanistan that is prosperous, democratic, self-governing, market-friendly, and respectful of human rights.

Health:
Afghanistan has improved its health care system, with the help of $23 million from the U.S. Since April 2002, Afghanistan has:
Improved access to primary health care for 2 million Afghans living in rural areas
Vaccinated 4.3 million children against measles and treated 700,000 cases of malaria
Rebuilt 72 hospitals, clinics and women's healthcare centers
Planned to build or rehabilitate 550 health care centers
Provided medicine and equipment to 68 clinics
Provided 120,000 insecticide-treated bed nets
Revitalized the polio eradication program's surveillance system
Revised the national curriculum for midwives

Infrastructure:
The U.S. has pledged $80 million to help Afghanistan rehabilitate the main road connecting Kabul, Kandahar, and Herat. Construction of the Kabul-Kandahar portion is slated for completion next year. The U.S. is also helping to:
Repair and reconstruct 31 bridges and more than 2,485 miles of roads
Provide $1.6 million to winterize the Salang tunnel/highway
Repair more than 6,000 water well, canals, dams and water systems

Education:
The UN expects 4 million to enroll for the new school year that begins in March. Today, 3 million are enrolled. Most Afghan children didn't attend school in 2001. Afghanistan has, with U.S. assistance:
Provided more than 15 million textbooks
Provided 30,000 instructional kits
Offered salary supplements to more than 50,000 teachers
Rebuilt or rehabilitated more than 250 schools
Provided refresher training to 1,360 teachers and trained 60 teacher trainers

Empowering Women:
Afghanistan is dedicated to improving the lives of women. The U.S. is helping by:
      -    Providing $8 million for women's resource centers

Afghan National Army:
The Afghan government plans to create an army of 70,000 to defend their country. The 6th Battalion, Afghan National Army, finished basic training on February 9, yielding nearly 600 more troops for the central government. The U.S. is:
Providing assistance for military infrastructure, training and equipment, utilizing $150 million from the Afghan Freedom Support Act 
Alternating with coalition military partners as trainers for each class of Afghan recruits trained at the Kabul Military Training Center.