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Pioneering Community Involvement to Raise Living Standards in Northern Afghanistan

MANILA, PHILIPPINES (14 January 2004) - The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a grant of US$3 million from its Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction, financed by the Government of Japan, for a project to harness community participation to help improve the living standards of poor villagers in northern Afghanistan.

The Integrated Community Development in Northern Afghanistan Project will give communities the chance to participate in the processes that affect their livelihoods, develop key infrastructure, promote natural resource management, and provide access to credit and business advice to help create micro enterprises.

The community mobilization program will be carried out by nongovernment organizations (NGOs), targeting 72 communities along a road being repaired under ADB's Emergency Infrastructure Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Project, approved in June 2003.

The idea of broad participatory decision making organizations is new in Afghanistan, which has traditionally relied on a patriarchal Jirga system of tribal councils. NGOs will work with the Jirgas to create broader participatory organizations.

"Community mobilization will bring together people to help them define common objectives, identify acceptable means of tackling them, and devise ways to resolve any conflicts surrounding often scarce resources," says Sunniya Durrani-Jamal, an ADB Economist/Country Programs Specialist.

"Women will be given a voice in the formal decision-making process so that they can also gain access to resources that invest in schemes that directly benefit them."

In addition, NGOs will help communities set up monthly savings schemes that will be linked to a microcredit facility to be set up under the project.

After more than 20 years of war and internal strife, there is an absence of formal credit institutions and low, if any, savings. The recent three-year drought destroyed livestock, decreased arable land and left many people indebted as they sold whatever little assets they had, such as agricultural tools and machinery.

Besides providing easier access to credit, the microcredit component will help develop a savings culture among the people. The funds will be channeled to the communities via the Micro Finance Investment and Support Facility for Afghanistan, set up recently with the help of external funding.

A key element of the community development plan is expected to be investment in infrastructure schemes to develop community assets.

As access to safe drinking water is the most urgent need facing most communities, providing deep wells and installing piped water supplies are expected to be high priority.

Other infrastructure priorities are expected to be repair of irrigation schemes and link roads.

The natural resource management element of the project aims to boost the nutrition intake of communities. Emphasis will be on growing vegetables, promoting the growth of forest and fruit trees, and providing training in forestry and horticultural techniques.

Communities will also receive training in animal husbandry and disease prevention, and some veterinary skills.

"The program is expected to help boost incomes of the poorest households in the project area by 15% over the next dozen years," Ms. Durrani-Jamal adds.

"Also important is the fact that it will empower the communities and enhance their sense of ownership in the development being carried out, instilling a sense of collective responsibility on the use of public resources."

The JFPR was set up in 2000 with an initial contribution of Y10 billion (about US$90 million), followed by additional contributions of $155 million and a commitment of $50 million. The fund supports projects that target poor people and prioritizes innovative approaches.

More at adb.org/media

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