Challenges:
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.
Examples of Impact:
It’s the only government program to have reached all the country’s 34 provinces, enhancing the lives of 13 million villagers.
• 20,000 communities now have consultative local governance institutions.
• 28% of the population gained access to drinking water and improved sanitation.
• 25% have better roads to access markets and services.
Approach:
• Give grants to locally elected bodies to build small scale infrastructure of the people’s own choosing.
• Build community ownership where they contribute about 10 percent of the cost of each project through voluntary donation of cash, labor, or construction materials.
• Form village accountability and financial transparency.
Challenges Remaining:
One of the main remaining challenges concerns the deteriorating security conditions in certain parts of the country. The east and the south especially pose a serious handicap to the effective implementation of the project in these areas.
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