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- West Bank/Gaza, 06/05: Kafa Kids Get a New School
[pdf, English
/ Arabic]
- Egypt, 05/05: First Lady Laura Bush Meets Egypt's
Alam Simsim Muppets [html]
- West Bank/Gaza, 05/05: USAID Invests $6 Million
in Job Creation [pdf, English
/ Arabic]
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Flat Stanley Visits Afghanistan
American storybook character Flat Stanley set off for Afghanistan
this spring. After a long, long ride in the suitcase of a friend
from USAID, he arrived in Kabul, the capital, ready for an adventure.
Soon he was off to Qalat in the southeastern part of the country
to meet the new provincial reconstruction team. He knew these
teams were an important part of helping the Afghan government
improve security and reconstruction and help people in the more
distant villages, so he was eager to see them at work.
Who Is Flat Stanley?
For anyone who does not know, Flat Stanley is a young boy
who was flattened by a bulletin board one night while he was
sleeping. He was not hurt, and now he can do all sorts of
interesting things, like visit faraway places in suitcases
or through the mail. Kids in schools across the United States
are sending their own Flat Stanleys around the world, learning
about geography and other cultures along the way. He even
visited the White House. (www.whitehouse.gov/kids/flatstanley/01.html)
This Flat Stanley came from Braintree, Massachusetts. He
belongs to MaryKate, a third grader at Liberty School. MaryKate's
mother heard about Flat Stanley from friends, so she and MaryKate
decided to make one as a family project. Before visiting his
new USAID friends at the Mission in Afghanistan, he traveled
to Greece and to Colorado. California may be his next stop
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Flat
Stanley met this young girl while she was waiting with
her classmates to perform for the launching of the Qalat
Provincial Reconstruction Team on April 22, 2004. She
is dressed in traditional Afghan clothes. The governors
of Zabul and Ghazni province; the U.S. Deputy Chief of
Mission, David Sedney; General Barno; the Afghan Ministers
of Health, Justice and the Interior; and a representative
from the Ministry of Women's Affairs participated in the
ceremony. |
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USAID Afghanistan
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Flat Stanley Meets the Provincial Reconstruction
Team with USAID in Qalat
Qalat district has about the same population as Braintree,
Massachusetts (not quite 35,0000), but there the similarities
end. Braintree is a relatively well-to-do community 10 miles
outside of Boston. Qalat, on the other hand, is poor, like
much of Afghanistan. There are few schools, and many people
do not have electricity. Most people work in agriculture,
but recent droughts have made it hard for people to earn a
living.
USAID has worked hard to help Qalat. The new provincial reconstruction
team launched during Flat Stanley's visit is one of 13 joint
civil and military teams working throughout the country. Each
team has about 70-80 people, including members of the Afghan
and U.S. Governments, representatives from other participating
governments and the military.
The provincial reconstruction teams often work in areas that
other organizations cannot because they are hard to reach
or are not secure. They help provide security for people building
schools or roads or working on other projects. They also build
relationships with local governments, tribes, non-profit organizations
and other leaders to make sure the work gets done. Often they
help coordinate projects or referee disagreements between
local groups or tribes. They monitor important political,
military and reconstruction developments and share security
information with local officials.
USAID at Work in Qalat
USAID's participation in Qalat's Provincial Reconstruction
Team is just one part of its work there. The first part of
the highway, linking Kabul and Kandahar, USAID is building
goes through Qalat's province of Zabul, dramatically reducing
driving time. Soon USAID will start a provincial road from
Qalat to Shinkai. Among other things, roads help farmers get
their crops to markets, kids get to school, and people get
supplies for businesses or their homes.
Since December, the U.S. Government has provided power to
parts of Qalat and is working to electrify more of the city.
Last year, USAID paved the city's main street and put in drainage
canals. To help the farmers water their crops, they built
an irrigation canal. They also built a new school for girls.
Afghanistan has one of the world's lowest literacy rates,
especially for women. Building schools and training teachers
are an important part of USAID's work.
This year, USAID will work on the municipal water system,
build three new schools and renovate eight more in the province.
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Learn More About Qalat
Qalat district is the provincial capital. It is surrounded
by moutains, and the Tarinak River flowing through it
provides water for most of the villages. Houses are
made of mud with wooden roofs. Many were destroyed during
the war with the Soviet Union. Over 10,000 people from
Qalat district fled to Pakistan to escape the war and
the harsh Taliban regime. Many are now returning to
live with relatives while they try to rebuild their
homes. [Source: UNHCR Sub-Office Kandahar, District
Profile, July 2003]
USAID
in Afghanistan
About
Afghanistan
About
Flat Stanley
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