Overview

USAID’s Community Development Program (CDP) promotes stability and supports the Afghan Government’s peace efforts by linking government officials to local populations and support counterinsurgency efforts in kinetic areas through the short-term employment of community laborers working on prized local infrastructure in southern, eastern and western Afghanistan.  Currently, the program targets key districts in Helmand, Kandahar, Zabul, Paktika, Paktia, Khost, and Ghazni provinces.

Project activities are closely coordinated with the recipient communities, local Afghan officials, and civilian-military planning units based at regional commands.  Illustrative activities include the rehabilitation or reconstruction of a critical community infrastructure, such as irrigation systems, rural farm-to-market and feeder roads, public buildings, and drainage systems.  The project also provides operation and maintenance (O&M) training to local laborers and foremen to ensure that the projects are sustained over time.  These laborers and foremen are recruited locally, which allows them to play an important intermediary role between their communities and government officials. To the extent possible, target beneficiary populations include women and youth.

Activities

• Post-Military Clearing Operations: Implement community projects to restore normalcy after the military operations and develop basic infrastructure needed for economic growth.
• Multi-Stakeholder Community Development: Closely consult with local government officials and support the Afghan Government’s development plans by strengthening relations between the government and the populace.
• Sustainable Community Infrastructure: Implement community development activities using labor-intensive methods to help generate employment and build basic community infrastructure.

Accomplishments

• Implemented more than 321 community stabilization projects.
• Increased interaction between local Afghan Government institutions and their constituents.
• Generated more than 13.3 million employment days through implementation of labor-intensive community infrastructure projects in some of the Afghanistan’s most insecure and underserved communities.