Overview

Through the Community Cohesion Initiative (CCI), USAID/Office of Transition Initiatives (OTI) seeks to increase resilience in areas vulnerable to insurgent exploitation by (1) strengthening ties between local actors, customary governance structures, and the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (GIRoA) and (2) increasing cohesion among and between communities. CCI operates in seven Provinces in the east, south, and southwest regions of Afghanistan. CCI is one of three principal stabilization programs in the USAID/Afghanistan Stabilization Unit, along with the Community Development Program (CDP) and Stabilization in Key Areas (SIKA), designed to respond to the demands of various stakeholders such as NATO forces, regional USG civilian platforms, and GIRoA; and to target a phase of the stability continuum (clear, hold, build and transition). CCI uses an Afghan-first approach to programming in order to support and empower Afghan leadership. Therefore, CCI has a limited expat presence in the field, on both the OTI and Implementing Partner side, and programming is led by Afghans, supported through a robust remote management system. 

Activities

• Designs and implement clusters of small grants through a process-oriented, community-driven approach.
• Utilize both "soft" (community-leadership shuras, District Governor outreach visits) and "hard" (small scale infrastructure) activities to strengthen linkages between communities vulnerable to insurgent exploitation and positive governance influencers.
• Conducts on-going District Assessments to provide situational awareness and strategic analysis of CCI’s areas of operations.  These assessments will inform the development of District Workplans.
• Build a robust Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) system, as well as a rolling assessment and workplan process, in order to assess programming success and inform District Assessments.

Accomplishments

• Initiated 44 projects in 12 districts in southern and eastern Afghanistan worth approximately $950,000, which targeted nearly 7,000 beneficiaries.
• Sponsored two one-day events in recognition of “International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.”  The Department of Women’s Affairs in Kandahar and Zabul hosted the events.
• Facilitated two Municipal Sub-Office (MSO) Open House gatherings in Kandahar City.
• Funded a youth cricket tournament in Kandahar City in collaboration with the Kandahar Sports Department and the Kandahar City Mayor’s Office.
• Supported organizational assistance and civics training for youth organizations in Khost, Ghazni, and Kunar provinces.
• Developed strategic communication grants to support Afghan Government district outreach.
• Implemented community cohesion meetings (jirgas) across the target provinces.