SIKA-EAST Weekly Program Update: April 12-17, 2014

The program is implemented by USAID and is focused on supporting the government of Afghanistan in its efforts to improve governance, infrastructure, and economic development. The SIKA-East program has made significant progress in recent weeks. One notable achievement is the reconstruction of the Payelo Kaly Canal in Jaji Maidan District in Khost Province. The project is part of a larger effort to improve irrigation systems and increase agricultural production in the region. Training is also a key component of the SIKA-East program. During the week of April 12-17, 2014, 17 training sessions were held for 219 men and six women in all SIKA-East provinces except Logar. Since the beginning of the program, a total of 690 training sessions have been conducted, with 22,048 individuals attending, including 16,689 men and 5,359 women. The program has also made significant progress in terms of grants and engineering. Milestone payments resumed during the week, with over $238,000 being disbursed for 37 grants projects in 14 districts. To date, 137 projects have been awarded to 18 districts of five provinces, with a total value of nearly $4.5 million. Four hundred and thirty-three grant applications have been received, valued at nearly $17.3 million. In addition to these achievements, the SIKA-East program has also made progress in terms of increasing government engagement in monitoring. SIKA-East and MRRD management have agreed to redouble their efforts to ensure that government partners at the provincial and district levels accompany program staff on trips to project sites. The program has also agreed to regularly provide a monthly field visit plan for each province to PRRD directors and will work with PRRD offices on establishing GIRoA-led monitoring committees. The program has also made progress in terms of training and capacity building. The Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development (MRRD) / Community Led Development Department (CLDD) and SIKA-East finalized the English version of Participatory Community Development training. A five-day training on this module will be conducted for National Area Based Development Program staff and MRRD District Social Workers. In Ghazni Province, five training sessions were conducted during the week, including Grants Management sessions and Operation and Maintenance training sessions. Five milestone payments were made for two districts in Ghazni Province, with a total value of nearly $35,000. Two engineering designs were finalized for Dih Yak District, and a joint PRRD and SIKA-East GRC reviewed and approved three projects, worth over $79,000, for Dih Yak and Qarabagh Districts. The SIKA-East program has also made progress in terms of increasing access to education for girls. In Saydabad District in Maydan Wardak Province, a group of women created an unofficial advocacy group called Access to Peace and Justice Advocacy Team. The group worked closely with the head of the District Development Assembly, met with village elders, and worked with male leaders to negotiate with the Taliban to allow girls to attend school in Tangi Valley. As a result of the group's efforts, three home-based schools are now open, and approximately 18 new schools in the previously mentioned four additional villages are up and running and registered with the Ministry of Education.