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USAID/OTI Afghanistan Field Report April 2004
Program Description
USAID/OTI's program goal is to increase citizen awareness of and confidence in the process of recovery, rehabilitation and democratic political development in post-conflict Afghanistan. Towards accomplishing this goal, OTI’s objectives are to:
- Increase the Afghan government’s capacity to respond to citizens’ needs;
- Increase citizen awareness of and/or participation in democratic processes;
- Increase the capacity of the Afghan Media
Working with central and provincial governments, national and international NGOs, informal community groups, and media outlets, OTI identifies and supports critical initiatives that facilitate implementation of the Bonn Agreement, which was designed to move the country further along the continuum from war to peace. OTI’s rapid support for activities in Afghanistan’s transition period also helps to establish credibility and space for longer-term development assistance. Projects are funded in 31 provinces of the country. To date, 547 grants and sub-grants have been cleared for implementation. These grants advance OTI objectives by:
- Reestablishing relationships and routines that give communities cohesiveness;
- Strengthening economic recovery by improving essential commercial and public infrastructure;
- Contributing to sustainable stability and recovery by helping the Afghan government to function outside Kabul and respond to community priorities;
- Improving communications infrastructure;
- Strengthening independent media; and
- Creating and/or strengthening linkages among the national, provincial, and district governments
USAID/OTI’s program in Afghanistan is from October 2001 – July 2005. To date, OTI has funds from various sources, including Transition Initiative Funds (TI), International Disaster Assistance Funds (IDA), Development Assistance Funds (DA), and State Department Economic Support Funds (ESF). To date, OTI has approved 547 grants and subgrants worth an estimated $35 million.
OTI’s current implementing partners are the International Organization for Migration—Afghanistan Transition Initiative (IOM-ATI) and Internews. IOM-ATI offices are located in Kabul, Bamyan, Gardez, Herat, Kandahar, Kunduz, Maimana and Mazar. Previous USAID/OTI partners included the Voice of America (VOA), the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), and Ronco.
Country Situation
Insecurity Increases in Southern Afghanistan: In the southern province of Kandahar, the former Taliban stronghold, there has been a series of violent attacks in the past month, including an attack on a US-funded NGO implementing educational programs and an attack on a UN convoy undertaking voter registration and other elections-related preparations in the area.
Afghan Warlord Forces Contribute to Instability: Faryab Province in the northwest continues to face unrest following the movement of northern commander, General Dostum, against the Governor of the Province. The new Afghan National Army (ANA) has been deployed to restore calm, though Dostum’s forces continue to control key areas and the Governor remains in hiding. The ANA continues to be deployed in the far western Province of Herat following the murder of a government minister and rioting there last month. Nevertheless, Herat Governor Ishmael Khan has made it difficult for ANA troops to move around in Herat City.
Program to Eradicate Poppy: A major poppy eradication initiative is underway across the country. The initiative is being undertaken to respond to reports that poppy production has continued to increase over the past year despite on-going efforts to counter production and manufacturing of heroin for export. At the Berlin donors’ conference in March, the United Nations Security Council identified narcotics as one of the greatest threats to the stability of Afghanistan. Afghanistan is the world’s largest producer of opium poppies.
Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration: The National Demobilization and Reintegration Commis-sion presented a draft action plan to donors and government ministries for comment during the last week of April. The draft outlines how Phase One of the Disarmament, Demobilization, and Reintegration (DDR) process will be undertaken. The process is scheduled to begin in early May. The deputy commander of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan has said that under the DDR process, all Afghan militia forces would be demobilized by the middle of 2005. "Forty per cent of the Afghan militia forces will be demobilized by June 1, another 20 per cent from July to October, while the remaining 40 per cent will be demobilized by the middle of 2005," said Major-General Wolfgang H Korte while briefing a group of Pakistani journalists on the role of ISAF at the headquarters of international peacekeeping mission.
First International Conference Convened in More than Two Decades: A regional economic development conference was organized in Kabul by the Economic Cooperation Organization, which brought together repre-sentatives of ten regional countries to discuss ways to improve development and promote trade, with a particular focus on investment opportunities in newer member states such as Afghanistan. "The conference is an indication that Afghanistan is now open for business," Commerce Minister Sayed Mustafa Kazemi said in a statement. During the month, President Karzai and U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad donned hardhats at the ground-breaking of a Hyatt Regency hotel being built by Afghan-American and Turkish investors.
President Karzai Visits Insecure South: The President made a two-day visit to the southern province of Kan-dahar, during which he emphasized people's participation in the voters' registration process, the fight against drugs, and rebuilding of the country's economy. Focusing on the forthcoming elections, the President said: "The voters' registration card is power; a power that you can use to elect a government of your choice, and deny power to a government that fails to serve you." The President especially highlighted the need for women to reg-ister as voters.
USAID/OTI Highlights
A. Narrative Summary
Overview: To date, OTI has approved a total of 547 grants worth $34,595,204. During April, 32 new grants valued at $2.8 were approved for implementation. Assistance is being provided to develop the capacity for the Transitional Islamic State of Afghanistan (TISA) to reach out to its citizens and build their confidence in democratic processes and practices. Projects being supported include infrastructure development or rehabilitation (government buildings, roads, bridges and irrigation systems), media development, civic education aimed at mobilizing people to register to vote and participate in elections and to support national efforts to improve security, such as disarmament, demobilization and reintegration of ex-combatants and poppy eradication. All projects aim to include women as participants as well as beneficiaries to help them become partners in reconstruction. During the month, OTI made a concerted effort through its implementing partners to work with communities affected by on-going military operations to counter the resurgence of Taliban and al Qaeda or by factional fighting between Afghan militia.
Capacity Building for the TISA and its Outreach to Afghan Citizens
| Projects in Insecure Southern Province
Build Community Confidence |
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The newly elected mayor of Qalat District of Zabul Prov-ince, Khdai Daad, paid a visit to the office of OTI’s implementing partner, IOM to discuss the six OTI projects worth $266,519 that have been implemented in the Province during the past year. The mayor expressed his people’s gratitude to OTI for doing “such a wonderful job rehabilitating Zabul Province.”
The mayor also delivered the message from Zabul’s residents that they would do anything to support the OTI partner in its future activities. “There are people coming to the offices of the ministries now, asking for help,” the mayor said. “That didn’t used to be the case. The community did not rely on the government before, but things have changed.” The mayor attributed the positive change to the presence of OTI’s partner in the region.
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Support for War-Affected Communities in the South and East (Leahy Initiative): The south and east of the country (where OTI’s partner, IOM-ATI, Gardez and Kandahar offices are located) continue to be volatile and high-risk, which impacts IOM-ATI’s capacity to implement projects. OTI is supporting the development of national NGOs and private national consultants to be involved in monitoring, evaluation, and community out-reach with training based on operating methodologies for work in insecure environments.
OTI’s grant assistance to insecure areas of the country supports the Government’s capacity to work with war-affected communities to address their priorities. IOM-ATI teams traveled to Ghazni and Gardez in the south to assist communities and local government officials to identify priorities and develop approaches to jointly addressing them. A project concept was approved for Ghazni District in the south of the country. The project, which will be funded through the Leahy Initiative, will rehabilitate an underground waterway in a village recently affected by U.S. military operations.
Gender Mainstreaming and Promotion of Women's Participation in Political Processes
| Government Agencies in Kunduz Reach Out to Women |
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A Women’s Task Force, comprising gender focal points from the Departments of Rural Rehabilitation and Development and Women’s Affairs, has been established with support from USAID/OTI, through implementing partner IOM-ATI. The task force pays regular visits to OTI-supported infrastructure project sites to organize meetings with women from participating communities and to en-sure that they are given a chance to take part in the implementation work.
Women from the community of Beshkupruk recently re-quested they be included in construction of three culverts to improve a local road. The task force identified the most vulnerable women in the community, including widows, and after five lengthy meetings with reluctant men, finally reached agreement that four women will be employed to sift sand to make concrete, while a fifth will be employed as a cook.
The task force plans to further improve the link between women and local authorities by relaying women’s requests and concerns to relevant authorities in Kunduz.
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Afghan Women Call for Change in Afghanistan While the new Constitution guarantees equal political and civil rights for men and women, equal rights are far from a reality for ordinary Afghan women, many women are still not allowed to leave the house, see doctors, seek or obtain fair legal treatment. With OTI’s support, 65 women and a few men from nine Northern provinces recently gathered to discuss ways in which they could use the constitution to improve women’s lives. “We have to stand together as sisters,” said the Deputy Minister of Women’s Affairs, “that way, we will be able to make peace in Afghanistan.” The workshop concluded with a resolution to improve women’s lives in the country, especially in rural areas. OTI continued assist in obtaining the land deeds necessary for beginning construction of Provincial Women’s Centers. During the month, three titles were obtained to enable construction of the Centers, which are being built to help extend the presence and reach of the Ministry of Women’s Affairs in rural areas. One center in Parwan Province, north of the capital of Kabul, is nearing completion.
A new project concept was approved for capacity building for male and female staff of the Department of Women’s Affairs and other government institutions in four districts in the north and northwest of the country. Assistance is intended to help men and women work together productively. Another project concept was approved during the month to support production and dissemination of the quarterly journal of the Afghan Association of Women Lawyers and Professionals. The journal publishes basic legal advice and information about human rights for women.
Weekly Women’s Forum: OTI’s Gender Specialist and IOM-ATI’s Gender Advisor organized a roundtable discussion for the Ambassador with ten women professionals representing national and international NGOs. The meeting was held to discuss women’s perspectives on the past two years of reconstruction, to identify ways to encourage the return of more Afghan women to assist the country’s recovery, and to discuss the purpose and function of provincial women’s development centers. Participants expressed general satisfaction with development over the past two years; however, they cited a continuing lack of security, good quality schools, health facilities and good salaries as obstacles to more women returning to Afghanistan.
Participants also suggested there should be more media coverage of women professionals who have successfully obtained employment or returned to take up jobs as a means to encourage more women to return to professional lives in Afghanistan. Participants highlighted the following as key concerns for Afghan women: low levels of literacy, lack of access to health care in rural areas, poverty, malnutrition, and a lack of schools. As a result of the roundtable, the Ambassador has instituted a weekly discussion forum for Afghan women professionals that will inform his scheduled presentation on Afghan women’s issues at the G8 conference in Sea Island, Georgia. The first meeting of a weekly forum for women is scheduled to begin on May 11.
OTI’s Monitoring and Evaluation Program Manager traveled to western Afghanistan and reported on the pro-gress of two grants that are being implemented to assist women’s engagement in the economy and society. In Herat City forty-five women are undergoing training in engraving, calligraphy and carving by a qualified trainer to help improve their access to income. Another 200 women in Herat, and approximately 200 in each of the neighboring provinces of Badghis and Ghor, are participating in public meetings, seminars and workshops about gender, the constitution and democracy.
Trafficking in Women and Children: USAID/OTI and implementing partner staff participated in a two-day national workshop to develop a plan of action to combat trafficking in children. The draft plan is expected to be presented to President Karzai next week. OTI also organized a roundtable discussion on human trafficking for various USG offices. The meeting featured a presentation by IOM, which has received State Department fund-ing to conduct an assessment and provide support to the Government to raise awareness and begin legislative reforms to combat trafficking.
Media Development and Civic Education
USAID/OTI’s support to develop the capacity of Afghan media focused on the establishment of independent media outlets, support for development and distribution of radio programs and print publications, and training of journalists. OTI’s support also explored using local media, including street theater, posters and discussion groups, to educate a variety of audiences—women, construction workers, religious and community leaders—about reconstruction, elections and other political processes.
Kabul’s First Independent and Commercial Television Station: A grant to Moby Capital to establish Kabul’s first independent commercial television station was negotiated. Recruitment has begun for key management, on-air, and administrative positions in Arman FM’s five-city expansion. A key element of OTI’s support will be a social contract for the new company, Tolo TV, to support journalism development and outreach through internships, sponsor public service announcements that promote national unity, and invest in charitable concerns that highlight the role of the private sector in social development. The station will replicate the successful business model adopted by Moby Capital to establish Kabul’s first independent radio station, Arman FM.
Expansion of Independent Radio Network: A cooperative agreement between USAID/OTI and Internews has been modified to increase the ceiling to $4,448,120, extend the agreement through December 2004, and expand the scope of work. Assistance will support the continued operation of 17 independent community radio stations established during the past year, create 20-25 additional community radio stations, provide radio journalism training, and produce and distribute radio programming to private and state-owned radio stations around the country in advance of elections. In addition, the cooperative agreement supports development of a local media monitoring capacity for radio.
Afghan Independent News Agency Headquarters Established: The USAID-funded Afghan Independent News Agency has established its headquarters in Kabul under direction and support from the Institute for War and Peace Reporting (IWPR). The 24-room complex will house a newsroom, training facilities, and production, logistical and administrative offices supervising eight regional news bureaus. The Kabul complex is located just minutes from Government Ministries, Embassies and the Palace and will house 85 editorial staff, including seven international trainers and managers, and 26 administrative and support staff. Approximately 90 percent of this staff is already hired and are presently receiving training. System development and testing of agency operations are already underway and IWPR anticipates an official launch on July 1, 2004.
Strengthening Strategic Communications within the Office of the President: With technical assistance from the Rendon Group (TRG), progress is being made to create a new Strategic Communications Unit within the Office of the Spokesperson of the President and to improve media monitoring to facilitate the flow of informa-tion to and from the Spokesperson’s Office. The Group also provided assistance to the Media Office to prepare a Berlin after-action report on press office activities at the donors’ conference held there (what worked and what didn’t), tested a new radio and newspaper monitoring record-keeping format, developed press-call logs, and a checklist for organizing press events. The Spokesperson’s Office received assistance to reorganize its Media Office and to increase the quality of information products such as press releases, talking points, press conferences, etc. The Spokesperson’s Office now has a planning document to improve the scheduling of coverage for upcoming events, and the office has an electronic press release system with a full time person responsible for keeping up the distribution list and sending out releases electronically. The Group also assisted the design of the front page of the President’s new web site. The site is being put together and hosted by Arman FM, an OTI partner, but will be updated from the Media Office. The Rendon Group also began assisting the Spokesperson with development of a four-month communications strategy. A team was formed to complete the project.
Other grants approved by USAID/OTI during the month for media development and civic education projects will:
- Provide operational support for a radio production unit, Good Morning Afghanistan, which records and distributes a weekly conversation with President Karzai. The Unit’s programs are broadcast on 29 government and independent radio stations.
- Support a three-month novice journalism training course at the Faculty of Journalism at Herat University. It will also support production and distribution of a quarterly youth magazine published by journalism students.
- Support development of radio programs for women on women’s roles in family and society, women’s rights and their participation in political processes.
- Support civic education for religious leaders and village elders about political processes and disarmament, demobilization and reintegration.
B. Grant Activity Summary – USAID/OTI Afghanistan
USAID/OTI Summary of Cleared and Completed Activities Since Program Start-Up in October 2001
| Civil Society Organization Support |
12 |
$985,798 |
| Community Impact Activities |
322 |
$13,790,508 |
| Conflict Management |
5 |
$157,813 |
| Election Processes |
8 |
$3,321,361 |
| Justice/Human Rights |
10 |
$899,333 |
| Media |
77 |
$8,122,477 |
| Transparency/Good Governance |
113 |
$7,317,914 |
| TOTAL |
547 |
$34,595,204
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USAID/OTI Activities Cleared in April 2004
| Radio Programs: Women & Fam-ily, Society, Rights and Politics |
Afghanistan National Participation Association |
14 independent radio stations will receive new broadcast material; women around the country |
National |
| Operational Support for Good Morning Afghanistan Radio Production Unit |
Public and Development Services for Afghanistan |
55 employees of PDSA and radio audiences |
Kabul |
| Creation of an Independent News Agency |
Institute for War and Peace Reporting |
80 employees of the Agency and readers |
Kabul, Herat, Balkh, Kandahar, Nangarhar |
| Creation of Kabul’s First Independent Commercial Television Station |
Tolo TV Moby Capital Partners |
211 employees of the station and TV audience in Kabul |
Kabul |
| Strengthening Presidential Public Affairs and Strategic Communications |
The Rendon Group |
20 employees of the Office of the President’s Spokesperson and Afghan citizens |
Kabul |
| Start-up Support for Ministry of Justice Political Parties Registration Office |
Ministry of Justice |
30 employees of the Unit; political parties |
Kabul |
| Campus Radio/Media Centers, Training in Herat University |
Sayara Media and Communications |
25 workshop participants, university students |
Herat |
| Karez Spring and Pipe System in Sarghoanday, Kadran, Paktya |
Alimohammad Khel Village |
2,500 families and six villages |
Paktya |
| Construction of Well and Pipe, Hassanzay Village, Asmail Khel, Khost |
Community of Hassanzay Village |
500 families |
Khost |
| Construction of Protection Wall and Intake, Paktya |
Community of Grash Kalai Village |
200 families |
Paktya |
| Construction of Well and Pipe, Khost |
Community of Doar Namay Village |
500 families |
Khost |
| Construction of Deep Well and Pipe, Paktya |
Community of Ragha Village |
700 families |
Paktya |
| Intake and Retaining Wall, Paktya |
Community of Pas Shaga Village |
900 families |
Paktya |
| Reconstruction of Kabul Library |
Students, Researchers and Residents of Kabul City |
250 daily library users |
Kabul |
| Electrical Upgrade for Pol-e Charki Village |
Community of Pol-e Charki |
70 families, students and teachers |
Kabul |
| Construction of Retaining Wall, Petaw Village, Ghazni |
Community of Petaw Village |
23 families |
Ghazni |
| Construction of 8 Culverts in Qanum, Kunduz |
Community of Qanum |
7,750 people |
Kunduz |
| Civic Education for Elders and Mullahs |
Cooperation Center for Afghanistan |
300 elders and mullahs |
Kunduz |
| Rehabilitation of Four Bridges, Kandahar |
Community of Kakarano Ashogha, Panjwai District |
4,000 people |
Kandahar |
| Rehabilitation of Drainage System, Loya Walla, Kandahar |
Community of Panjwai District |
5,000 residents |
Kandahar |
| Rehabilitation of 50 Culverts in Loya Wala, Kandahar |
Community of Loya Wala |
5,000 people |
Kandahar |
| Rehabilitation of Irrigation Canal in Panjwai District, Kandahar |
Community of Panjwai |
30,000 families from 17 villages |
Kandahar |
| Construction of 20 Culverts for a Road in Dand District, Kandahar |
Community of Dand District |
12,000 people from 7 villages |
Kandahar |
| Construction of Three Bridges and One Culvert in Balkh |
The communities of Balkh District |
600,000 people |
Balkh |
| Rehabilitation of Sultan Aziz Bridge, Samangan Province |
Community of Samangan |
Residents of various districts and towns |
Samangan |
| Construction of Three Water Reservoir Pools, Samangan |
Community of Aybak |
800 families |
Samangan |
| Construction of Drainage Canal and Retaining Wall, Jawzjan |
Communities of Mangotai villages and Sherberghan District |
3,300 people, including 52 families of IDPs |
Jawzjan |
| Raising Awareness on Human Rights and Elections in Northern Afghanistan |
CCA and communities of northern Afghanistan |
1,000 construction workers, local community members and local government representatives |
Baghlan, Balkh, Jawzjan, Samangan, Sari Pul |
| Four Outreach Workshops for Government and NGO Staff |
Rabia-e Balkhi Advocacy and Skills Agency |
24 participants per workshop (primarily women) |
Badakshan, Baghlan, Faryab, Sari Pul |
C. Indicators of Success
USAID/OTI’s Monitoring and Evaluation Program Manager traveled to project sites in the western province of Herat to monitor selected on-going projects, evaluate selected completed projects, and help to inaugurate a recently completed village water scheme. The following are selected highlights of the monitoring visit.
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Construction of Western Region Teacher Training College:
The construction of a new building to house a teacher training college will benefit teachers in western Afghanistan (704 schools and 8,330 teachers). Grant support included construction of 22 classrooms and offices, a library, and conference room to increase the capacity of Herat, Badghis, Ghor, Farah and Nimroz provinces to train and re-train teachers. Inauguration of the building is scheduled for April 19.
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Community Water Scheme Inaugurated in Shaidahee Village, Herat Province: This grant through OTI part-ner, IOM-ATI supported construction of an 11.44m3 stone masonry reservoir and filter house, and installed six standing water taps. It also provided hygiene, water management and sanitation training for 120 people in the village and trained two community members to maintain and repair the pipeline. The community contributed unskilled labor to complete the project. The direct beneficiaries of the water scheme are 12,000 people living in and around the village of Shaidahee. The project was inaugurated by OTI’s Monitoring and Evaluation Program Manager, Saboor Miakhel. Hundreds of people, including the Mayor of Herat, the District Governor, representa-tives of various government ministries, the UNAMA representative, and IOM-ATI staff participated in the ceremony. Speakers at the event acknowledged USAID’s support for the project.
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| Radio Station Inaugurated in Western Afghanistan: Internews launched the 15th station in their USAID-funded network, surpassing original plans to support the establishment of 14 stations. Radio Nadai-Sub was opened in Ghorian, Herat Province on April 7th. The event was marked by the presence of several hundred people including the Ghorian District Governor, Fazal Ahamad Zakri. The photo shows Sanjar Qiam, Radio Network Coordinator for Internews addressing the assembled dignitaries and community members at the opening of Radio Nadai-Sub in Ghorian, Herat. |
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NEXT STEPS/IMMEDIATE PRIORITIES
During the month of May 2004, USAID/OTI will:
- Continue implementation of the USAID media strategy
- Work with implementing partners to increase awareness and mobilize project beneficiaries to register to vote and participate in elections
- Increase programming in the south and east of the country to help build confidence among people in insecure areas that democratic governance can respond to their priorities
- Travel to field sites to monitor programs
- Confirm program exit strategy and hand-over of activities to USAID Mission for longer term development
For further information, please contact:
In Washington: Elizabeth Callender, USAID/OTI/ANE Program Manager, Tel: 202-712-4078, ecallender@usaid.gov
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