SIKA-WEST WEEKLY BULLET POINTS NO. 159: May 5-11, 2015

The program, which began in 2014, aims to improve service delivery to residents in the target districts. As of May 2015, CDCs and DDAs have implemented 210 projects valued at AFN 219,095,000 (approximately USD 4,381,900), which will benefit 769,410 residents across the target districts. The Pashtun Zarghun District Governor, Mr. Farhad Raufian, led a mixed Komite Sobate Woleswali meeting on May 6, where 46 participants discussed community problems and requested the District Government to provide fertilizer and improved seeds for farmers. The District Governor pledged to share this request with the Provincial Authorities at the upcoming Herat Provincial Development Committee meeting on May 18. In Kushk-e Rabat Sangi, the Do Ab Sofla CDC has completed 70% of the work on their community's secondary school in Do Ab Payen Village. The school, which will provide a better educational environment for 700 students (400 boys and 300 girls), was awarded by the Kushk-e Rabat Sangi District Government and the Herat DRRD through the mixed Komite Sobate Woleswali. The program has also made significant progress in implementing flood protection walls in various districts. In Pashtun Zarghun, a 45ML Flood Protection Wall was constructed to protect 500 Jeribs of farmland and 1,050 residents from seasonal flooding. In Yarkasi Kondalan Village, a 72.5-ML Flood Protection Wall is being constructed to protect 50 Jeribs of community farmland and 176 homes from seasonal flooding. In Guzara District, a 140-ML Flood Protection Wall is being constructed to protect 80 Jeribs of community farmland and 300 homes from seasonal flooding. Monitoring activities have also been conducted to ensure that projects are implemented in accordance with project designs and specifications. DRRD District Social Workers, SIKA-West Engineers, and M&E Personnel conducted 57 joint project site visits, which yielded deficiencies that were in need of correction. M&E Department randomly called 20 laborers on 9 project sites to verify whether they were receiving their wages in accordance with the CDC Grant Agreements. In Farah Province, SIKA-West is conducting an internal review of all ongoing grant-funded community development programming to ensure that field activities are in line with project designs and specifications. In Badghis Province, SIKA-West Engineers visited the Yarkasi Kondalan Village to inspect the work quality and progress of the 72.5-ML Flood Protection Wall, and instructed the Lemari CDC to remove rusted wire and replace it to ensure the project's completion. The program has also provided equipment to the Qadis Agriculture Vocational School in Zad Saleh Village to address the shortage of materials within the school. The equipment, which includes two file cabinets, two office desks, ten chairs, and one carpet, was provided by the Khod Amada Ha CDC to provide a better educational environment for 94 male students. Overall, the SIKA-West program has made significant progress in implementing community development projects in the western region of Afghanistan. The program has improved service delivery to residents in the target districts, constructed flood protection walls, and provided equipment to schools.