USAID/LGCD

Paktika Provincial Governor presents a toolkit to a trainee.

Paktika is a remote province bordering Pakistan, where few employment opportunities exist for unskilled labor and there is limited arable land for agricultural production. The Department of Labor, Social Affairs, Martyrs and the Disabled (DoLSAMD) requested support from USAID’s Local Governance and Community Development (LGCD) project for three vocational training workshops in Sharana City for tailoring, small-engine repair, and generator repair. At the end of the workshops, representatives from DoLSAMD, USAID, LGCD, and the implementing partners granted the ten best trainees from each workshop supplemental toolkits. These included signs for potential shops and additional supplies, in addition to the toolkits and certificates given to every trainee. This training to the beneficiaries of vocational training is meant to help them find employment and/or start their own businesses. On January 22, Paktika Provincial Governor Muhebullah Samim, led the graduation ceremony of over one hundred working-aged men from the workshops. This graduation ceremony was one of the highest-profile closing ceremonies ever held in Paktika. In Khair Kot Castle District of Paktika, 30 women graduated from tailoring training on January 19, during a ceremony led by the district governor. Through vocational training, the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan is helping to build the capacity of Afghans and improve economic growth.

USAID/Afghanistan Program Highlights: 1/15/2011-1/31/2011