SIKA-EAST Weekly Program Update: September 5-11, 2013

In Saydabad District, Maydan Wardak Province, six women have formed the Women's Advocacy Team, which has been instrumental in bringing development to their communities. The team, comprising members of the District Development Assembly of Saydabad, has been trained in advocacy and resource dialogue by USAID/SIKA's Advocacy and Resource Dialogue training. They have successfully established a Women's Advocacy Team and have been working to promote peace and stability in their communities. The team's leader, Fahima, organized a group of women at Baratkhil and, with SIKA-East's help, identified a local partner to provide literacy classes. The Women's Education Center agreed to provide the classes, which will enable mothers to help their children with their schoolwork and increase their families' standing in the village. The women also requested the Swedish Committee for Afghanistan to provide midwifery courses to respond to the high maternal and infant mortality rates in Saydabad. In addition, the Women's Advocacy Team was instrumental in reopening schools for girls in Saydabad's Tangi Valley, a notorious stronghold of the Taliban. The team brought together community elders, parents of school-age girls, and other stakeholders to discuss the issue, and a delegation of the team approached the Taliban to lift their opposition to girls' education. The Taliban eventually agreed, and several schools reopened at the end of August. In other districts, various districts have been actively engaged in implementing projects and conducting training sessions. In Ghazni, the Program Management Unit (PMU) disbursed the second milestone payment for two projects in Dih Yak District. The PMU also conducted a Grant Review Committee (GRC) meeting for two projects in Andar District, which were approved and sent to the Kabul office for further processing. In Dih Yak District, the district engineer visited the Ramak Aklai stone-masonry canal lining project to check on progress. The men's and women's communication committees held their sixteenth meetings, discussing problems faced by women in the district and deciding to approach the Department of Women's Affairs (DoWA) to share their concerns. In Jaji Maidan District, a GRC meeting was held, and the committee members discussed their responsibilities, grant responsibilities, and GRC consensus. In Khwaja Umari District, the DSU developed four project applications for Cycle 1, which were endorsed by official representatives of the sponsoring CDCs. The DSU staff conducted Fund Training for 52 men and 48 women from the DDA+ and CDCs. In Qarabagh District, the DSU completed a Resilience and Governance Foundation survey, which involved meetings with the DDA, CDCs, and other influential people from the district to gather data. In Khost, the District Governor hosted a meeting attended by the Khost PMU manager, tribal elders, the head of the DDA, and district community development workers. The meeting succeeded in nominating 40 elders and religious leaders to conduct a survey of influential stakeholders in the district. In Gurbuz District, engineering surveys for Cycle 1 projects began, and the DSU staff conducted Project Design and Development training for CDC and DDA members. The participants learned about the scope of projects, project management, and technical activities. In Jaji Maidan District, a five-day Grant Process and Application Development training for men began, which will be completed next week. The training will cover the preparation, submission, and award of grant applications. In Gurbuz District, a five-day Grant Process and Application Development training for women was conducted, which covered the preparation, submission, and award of grant applications. The participants learned how to prepare a grant application, including the required documents and procedures. Overall, Sika-East has been actively engaged in promoting stability and development in eastern Afghanistan, with a focus on empowering women and promoting peace and stability in their communities. The program has been successful in implementing various projects and conducting training sessions across various districts, with a focus on promoting social awareness, reducing corruption, and increasing access to education and healthcare.