SIKA-West Weekly Bullet Points No. 106: March 18-24, 2014

The program is implemented by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and is focused on supporting the government of Afghanistan in its efforts to improve governance, economic development, and social services. One of the key components of the SIKA-West program is the provision of technical assistance to district governments. This includes training and capacity building for government staff, as well as support for the development of communication plans and the implementation of district stability councils (DSCs). The DSCs are a key mechanism for promoting stability and addressing community concerns at the district level. The program has made significant progress in the past week, with a number of notable achievements reported. In Herat Province, the Shindand District Governor facilitated a DSC meeting that resulted in the identification of 19 mitigation activities to address poverty, unemployment, and lack of education facilities. The meeting was attended by women participants who actively contributed to the discussion and proposed school rehabilitation projects to create a better environment for girl students. In Badghis Province, a refresher Stability Analysis Mechanism (SAM) training was provided to 13 government staff from Muqur and Qadis Districts. The training aimed to enable government staff to organize DSC meetings more effectively. The Badghis DRRD also held a weekly coordination meeting with the SIKA-West team to discuss previous week activities and future plans. In Ghor Province, the Ghor Deputy Provincial Governor organized a meeting with the TCRC members and assigned them to follow up on old land dispute and murder cases in the Allah-Yar area. The TCRC agreed to invite the conflicting parties to the district center for mediation after the elections. A school teacher and an active DSC member in Shindand District proposed a school rehabilitation project at the DSC meeting. The SIKA-West program has also made progress in terms of capacity building and training. A refresher SAM training was provided to five government staff in Chaghcharan, and a public meeting was organized to encourage local people to send their children to school. The meeting was attended by 40 people, including Ulema, youth, and parents, and resulted in a pledge from the Ulema to encourage people to send their children to school at their sermons. In terms of infrastructure development, the program has made progress in the rehabilitation of a 90-meter protection wall in Herat Province. The wall was completed by the Jagatai Khodrawan CDC in Kushk Rabat-e Sangi District. The SIKA-West program has also made progress in terms of grants and capacity building. To date, 280 projects valued at $6,021,016 have been approved by DRRD and IDLG in ten target districts. Currently, CDCs are implementing 164 projects valued at $3,735,094. As of the reporting date, 90 projects valued at $1,116,140 were completed. The program has also made progress in terms of monitoring and evaluation. During the week, the SIKA-West M&E Personnel and Community Development Technicians visited the work in-progress of 17 projects in Bala Boluk, Pusht-e Rod, Pashtun Zarghun, Kushk Rabat-e Sangi, Qadis, and Muqur Districts. In addition, the DRRD District Social Workers conducted 12 project site visits in Muqur, Bala Boluk, and Pashtun Zarghun Districts. Overall, the SIKA-West program has made significant progress in the past week, with a number of notable achievements reported in terms of technical assistance, capacity building, infrastructure development, grants, and monitoring and evaluation.