SIKA-West Weekly Bullet Points No. 133: Oct 28- Nov 3, 2014

Once completed, the canal will provide irrigation water for 100 jeribs of agricultural lands. The project is part of the Stability in Key Areas (SIKA)-West initiative, which aims to improve access to basic services and infrastructure in the region. In the week of October 28-November 3, 2014, several notable achievements were reported in the SIKA-West area. The Qadis Education Department developed and distributed a guideline to facilitate student transfers between schools, resulting in the timely processing of 100 applications. Three graduates of a tailoring vocational training course in Muqur District are providing tailoring services from their homes and earning an income of 4,000 AFN per month per person. The Projects' Closing Ceremony was conducted for the recently completed 10-KM Road Rehabilitation Project, Construction of 12 Culverts and an 85-ML Canal Lining in Chaghcharan. The project serves 489 families, providing easy access to the Provincial Center and water for 600 jeribs of agricultural lands. The Ghor Deputy Provincial Governor and the DRRD Director asked the residents to maintain their projects. Grants and Subcontracts Programming reported that 420 grant-funded projects valued at USD$9,478,292 have been identified and approved by MRRD and IDLG in the target districts. CDCs and DDAs are implementing 141 projects valued at USD$4,503,594, while 233 projects valued at USD$4,130,050 have been completed. Fifteen projects valued at USD$693,518 are pending with the Vetting Unit for action. Cross-Cutting Capacity Building reported that the DRRD DSWs took part in leading the Pre-Construction Technical Training to Foremen and Supervisors of 15 CDCs who are implementing Road Rehabilitation and Flood Protection Measures in Qala-i-Naw and Kohsan Districts. The training covered milestone payments schedules, drawings, technical specifications, and projects' timeframe. In-line with the IDLG District Governance Training Plan, a five-day Project Cycle Management Training (PCMT) was kicked off for 35 governmental personnel from Lash Wa Juwayn, Pusht-e Rod, and Farah Center. Monitoring Activities reported that Eureka conducted 440 interviews in 22 villages within Shahrak and Chaghcharan as part of the SIKA-West's internal Mid-Term Assessment. Monitoring and Evaluation training was provided to the Pashtun Zarghun and Muqur MRRD District Social Workers, focusing on Project site Photography and Measurement Tools to improve the capacity of government staff to conduct independent project site inspections. MRRD DSWs, Government Officials, SIKA-West Engineers, and M&E Personnel conducted 56 joint project site visits, yielding deficiencies that were in need of correction prior to the payment of milestones. In Farah Province, MRRD DSWs led the CDC Project Management Training for 9 CDC grantees in Farah Center from November 1st-4th. A joint team from DRRD and Education Department conducted a schools' equipment preliminary survey for 10 of the 25 target schools in Farah Center and Lash Wa Juwayn District. In Badghis Province, a 'General Administration' Workshop was conducted for 32 government personnel from Qala-i-Naw, Qadis, and Muqur between October 27th-29th, covering Administration Guidelines, Human Resource Management, and Performance Management.