SIKA-EAST Weekly Program Update: May 24–30, 2013

In Ghazni, service providers are registering to participate in a Service Providers Fair to be held on June 17. Sixty service providers have registered so far, and logistical arrangements for the event are progressing well. The Program Management Unit (PMU) gender officer met with Ms. Hamidah Gulistan, a member of the Ghazni provincial council, to discuss motivating women from the province to participate in the fair. In Andar District, community members held separate meetings to discuss their concerns regarding service provision by public and private organizations operating in the district. The community members' requests and issues discussed during the meetings have been recorded and will be shared during follow-on sub-coordination meetings with Provincial Rural Rehabilitation and Development (PRRD) and other service providers. The Andar DPP was signed by the DDA, Community Development Councils (CDCs), PRRD Director, PRRD social organizer, and PMU manager. In Dih Yak District, the District Governor met with SIKA-East staff to delegate responsibility for tasks related to the program. The District Support Unit (DSU) grants team prepared final grant application documents for several projects, and the DSU communication officer organized a meeting to share the Dih Yak communication plan with committee members and the District Governor. The village of Robat, with about 2,000 families, has had serious flooding issues, and the communication committee coordinated with the District Governor to arrange a meeting with the Ghazni High Peace Council representative. The Council approved a 200-meter wall and coordinated with the PRRD, and construction is estimated to begin in the next couple of weeks. In Khwaja Umari District, anti-government elements attacked the District Governor's compound on May 27, using mortars and small arms. The attackers were reportedly Taliban from Maydan Wardak's Jaghatu District. The Stability Planning Process training for men from Khwaja Umari DDA, DCC, CDCs, and other influential community members was postponed due to the attack, but resumed in Ghazni City on May 29. An average of 40 men took part in the training. In Khost, DSU staff visited the provincial Department of Economy to receive a list of all service providers operating in the district. PMU staff have begun collecting information for a new Khost Service Providers Catalogue. Stakeholder surveys are under way in all three districts where SIKA-East is being implemented. The recruitment of staff for the PMU and district offices continued during the week, with 26 positions filled out of a total of 50. In Gurbuz District, the renovation of the DSU office was completed, and the building will be ready for operation once the necessary furnishings and equipment have been received. The District Governor and others proclaimed their full support for SIKA-East and promised to respect all the rules and regulations associated with implementing the program. In Jaji Maidan District, office equipment has been procured for the DSU office and is expected to arrive next week. In Tani District, the renovation of the DSU office by Spectrum Construction Company got underway on May 28. In Logar, the PRRD Director held his weekly coordination meeting, which was attended by representatives of SIKA-East, NSP, and National Area Based Development Program (NABDP), as well as PRRD rank and file. The PRRD Director asked SIKA-East to provide his organization with social organizers when needed and to supply him with a list of all participants at program trainings. In Baraki Barak District, the District Governor met with the SIKA-East DSU manager to receive an update on program activities and promised his support and assistance. The district engineer conducted technical surveys for the surrounding walls of three schools and three deep wells in Chalozai Hawza. In Khoshi District, Stability Planning Process training was conducted for an average of 55 male members of the Khoshi DDA and CDCs. The men learned about resources available to them in their province and ways to access them. They were given copies of the Logar Service Providers Catalogue and shown how to use it to implement projects designed to address sources of instability listed in their DPP.