Quarterly Report, October – December 2014: Afghanistan Community Cohesion Initiative

in collaboration with the Office of Transition Initiatives (OTI) to increase resilience in areas vulnerable to insurgent exploitation. The program focuses on strengthening community capacities to promote a peaceful transition, supporting peaceful electoral processes and outcomes, and countering violent threats to a peaceful transition. CCI is implemented in the east, south, and southwest regions of Afghanistan. During the quarter of October to December 2014, Creative-CCI concluded programming within Kandahar and Hilmand provinces in the South, and Ghazni, Khost, and Kunar provinces in the East. The program's approach emphasizes community and citizen engagement, strengthening ties between local actors, customary governance structures, and the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. Creative-CCI designs and implements small grants through a process-oriented, community-driven approach to strengthen linkages between communities vulnerable to insurgent exploitation and positive influencers. The operating environment became steadily less permissive to Creative-CCI activities during this quarter, with a continued increase in insurgent incidents across CCI's target provinces. The surge in Anti-Government Elements (AGE) activity correlates with the downsizing of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), conclusion of US combat operations, and formal handover on December 31, 2014, to the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF). As a result, the number of recorded incidents increased by 90 compared with the previous quarter, with a higher level of insurgent activity recorded in all but two of the Creative-CCI provinces. Creative-CCI's field staff report optimism in the provinces, which President Ashraf Ghani will lead his new cabinet in engaging, pursuing, and funding development strategies to continue the work started by CCI. The program has cleared 699 small grants since March 2012, totaling $27,393,936. The breakdown by value is as follows: Infrastructure $13,312,762 (48.60%), Media $3,729,001 (13.61%), Socio Cultural $2,297,326 (8.39%), Technical Assistance $3,797,607 (13.86%), and Training $4,257,240 (15.54%). Between October and December 2014, CCI cleared 0 grants, disbursed $6,863,931.57, and completed 85 activities. Creative-CCI concluded the majority of its activities implemented from the provincial and district offices, closing 145 activities and delivering final disbursements. In line with the OTI-approved closeout plan, Creative-CCI exited the provinces and closed its offices in Hilmand, Khost, Ghazni, and Kunar. The program's monitoring and evaluation system gathers information from multiple levels to assess programming success and provide information necessary to improve activities and inform district appraisals.