SIKA-EAST Weekly Program Update: April 19 – 24, 2014

The program is implemented by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and is managed by AECOM. The program's primary focus is on supporting the government of Afghanistan in its efforts to improve stability and security in the region. During the week of April 19-24, 2014, six projects worth nearly $162,000 were completed in Khost Province. These projects were completed in less than four months, demonstrating the program's ability to deliver results in a timely manner. The Baraki Barak District Governor and DDA+, with support from SIKA-East, held a major meeting to introduce their recently developed communications plan. The Qarabagh Communications Committee in Ghazni Province reported that they had successfully relocated the Qarabagh District Court from its temporary location in Ghazni City back to the district. Training was a key activity during the week, with 26 training sessions held for 368 men and 13 women in all SIKA-East provinces. Since the beginning of the program, 22,429 individuals have attended a total of 716 training sessions. The training sessions covered a range of topics, including infrastructure project implementation, grants management, fundraising, resource dialogue and advocacy, and operation and maintenance. Additionally, two unity building sessions and one lobbying session were held for 64 men and 12 women from PRRD, provincial coordination meeting in Khost. The program also facilitated a provincial coordination meeting in Khost, which provided an opportunity for key sectors and the Provincial Governor's Office to share information on recent activities and challenges. The meeting was attended by the Provincial Governor, key line directors, District Governors and DDA+ members from the four districts where SIKA-East is active, tribal elders, and members of the media. The Provincial Governor observed that Khost has been heading in the right direction in terms of development and praised SIKA-East for its contributions to the province's progress and stability. Capacity building was another key focus area during the week, with SIKA-East staff conducting training in photojournalism and video editing for DSWs and the staff of Provincial and District Governors' offices in Maydan Wardak Province. The training aimed to enhance the capacity of the governmental staff and entities in these technical areas. Expansion plans for new districts were also discussed, with a work plan drafted for the expansion of SIKA-East into eight new districts in the provinces of Ghazni, Khost, Maydan Wardak, and Paktya, as well as into the new province of Paktika. The plan takes into consideration the available budget and transition mechanisms projected for the option period. There was a marked increase in the level of participation by DSWs, members of DDAs, and other government officials in the monitoring of SIKA-East projects in all five provinces. SIKA-East provided a monthly field visit plan for each province to PRRD directors and worked with PRRD offices on establishing GIRoA-led monitoring committees consisting of representatives of the Provincial Governor's Office, PRRD, the District Governors, and other relevant stakeholders.