Stability In Key Areas (SIKA) – West / Quarterly Report – January-March 2014

The program is led by the Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development (MRRD) and the Independent Directorate of Local Governance (IDLG), in partnership with USAID. The program's area of operation includes four provinces: Farah, Herat, Badghis, and Ghor, with a total of 11 districts. During the months of January-March 2014, 21 Komite Sobate Woleswali (District Stabilization Committee) meetings were held in various districts, including Kushk Rabat-e Sangi, Shindand, Pashtun Zarghun, Qadis, Muqur, Pusht-e Rod, and Chaghcharan. These meetings brought together district government line departments, district development assembly members, community development council members, DRRD district social workers, tribal leaders, religious scholars, and district residents. The meetings aimed to identify major problems facing the districts, including poverty, unemployment, presence of insurgent groups, illiteracy, and lack of education, and prioritize solutions that could be addressed using available government resources. District Government led Tribal Conflict Resolution Committees (TCRCs) and District Women led Conflict Resolution Committees (CRCs) addressed various conflicts using existing government resources. In Shahrak District, the TCRC mediated a conflict between two villages, Masjed Negar and Kharnak, over a murder that had been ongoing since last year. The TCRC organized two meetings with the conflicting parties and partially resolved the conflict, with the parties agreeing to allow residents to travel between the villages. However, the conflict was not fully resolved due to cold weather and the Presidential Election, and a follow-up meeting was postponed to May. In Qadis District, the TCRC addressed a conflict between the Jawaleq Ulya Community Development Council and Haji Sa, which was resolved on March 6th. The program also supported the construction of a flood protection wall in Siagar Village, Pashtun Zarghun District, and a clinic in Shahrak District. Additionally, the program facilitated the rehabilitation of irrigation canals, schools, and roads in various districts. The program's activities were led by the MRRD and IDLG partners, with support from USAID. The program's focus on district-level stabilization and community engagement aimed to increase stability and pave the way for future government-led development in the targeted regions.