Schools, Roads, and Drinking Water for Afghan villages
Bringing schools, roads, and drinking water to Afghanistan’s villages
As more and more Afghan families return home after living the war years as refugees in neighboring countries, village populations across the country have swelled.
The war and civil strife for a quarter of century have seriously damaged long stretches of roads, many bridges, irrigation systems, schools, and electric power lines. The country was essentially left out of global development for 25 years, with virtually no increase in income per capita.
In the five years since the end of the Taliban rule, Afghanistan has made significant strides in overcoming decades of war and strife, and is working toward catching up on all the lost years of development.
Launched in 2003, the National Solidarity Program (NSP) is the largest ever effort to empower and develop the historically neglected rural areas by giving grants to locally elected bodies to build small scale infrastructure of the people’s own choosing.
Mohammad Yousuf lived more than 12 years as a refugee in Iran.
“ We have a school in the village for both boys and girls, our homes have electricity, and there is no shortage of clean drinking water. All the children attend classes regularly, especially those who couldn’t go to school earlier because of the distance. ”
Schools are high on the agenda for returning Afghans:
The presence of a good school in the village is always a high priority for returning refugees. Many refugee families have had the benefit of education for their children while they were away. On returning home, they want to see their children continue to study so that they can improve their economic prospects in life.
When Mohammad Yousuf returned home to Afghanistan after spending more than 12 years as a refugee in Iran, the first thing he wanted was a better life for his children and grandchildren. “When we heard that Afghanistan was finally free and peace had returned, I brought my family home,” says the 65 year old patriarch of a large extended family. (Read More)
"For drinking water, we used to store the melting snows in a big pond every spring, and drink that throughout the year. Men, women, children, and livestock – all drank water from the same pool."
Mullah Abdul Rahman, a village elder from Guzara district of Herat
Water supply, schools, roads and jobs are all a priority:
Drinking water is a major problem for most Afghan villages. With awareness and education, village people now want easy access to safe drinking water to keep water borne diseases at bay, unlike earlier when they made do by drinking from a pond shared with livestock.
Mullah Abdul Rahman, a village elder from Guzara district of Herat, recalls the time more than fifty years ago when there was no drinking water in the village and hardly any children went to school. “For drinking water, we used to store the melting snows in a big pond every spring, and drink that throughout the year. Men, women, children, and livestock – all drank water from the same pool,” he says. (Read More)
Bibi Hawa learnt tailoring when she was just nine years old.
"My sons are no longer weaving carpets; instead they go to school and are educated now," Bibi Hawa says with pride.
Microfinance for women:
On the outskirts of Herat, a ramshackle new settlement has sprouted to house the large numbers of refugees returning home after years of exile in Iran. Finding livelihoods for these large numbers has been a major challenge. Now, access to microfinance is helping many of these refugees, particularly women, to set up small businesses of their own. Over 800 very poor women have set up small shops, or tailoring and carpet weaving businesses. For many widows, this is the only source of income with which they support their children and older relatives. (Read More)
"It (the World Bank) has provided our faculty with a large number of books, chairs, and tables. The books have helped our students significantly."
Abdul Rahman Mansoori, Dean of the faculty, Herat University
Supporting Higher Education in Herat University:
Over six thousand students currently study in Herat University. Till recently, the University's 11 faculties sorely lacked basic equipment such as computers, projectors, laboratory equipment, and photocopying machines. With the Government unable to provide these facilities, the World Bank has stepped in to help the university solve its problems. (Read More)
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