Every day, all over the world, USAID brings peace to those who endure violence, health to those who struggle with sickness, and prosperity to those who live in poverty. It is these individuals — these uncounted thousands of lives — that are the true measure of USAID’s successes and the true face of USAID's programs.
After 30 years of war, many Afghans have been left disabled and unable to find work. To help them become productive members of society, USAID and the Ghazni Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) are working with local NGOs to provide vocational training. With specialized training designed to meet their needs and abilities, disabled men and women are now equipped with job skills that enable them to earn a living and support their families.
Afghanistan is a large and diverse country where most citizens live in small, rural villages. Providing health care in these areas is a challenge due to poor roads, security concerns, insufficient medical facilities, and a lack of female healthcare providers in remote areas. Nevertheless, community health workers (CHWs) – male and female volunteers trained to deliver basic healthcare – are improving the health of their fellow Afghans around the country.
Afghanistan’s infant, child, and maternal mortality rates are among the world’s highest. Cultural taboos surrounding family planning, as well as a lack of education about effective healthcare for mothers and children, have led to this public health challenge. Throughout the country, there is an acute need to raise awareness about products and practices that keep mothers, children, and families healthy.
Afghanistan’s hand-woven carpets are world famous and poised to play a significant role in the country’s economic growth. However, the wool thread used to weave the carpets is, more often than not, imported from neighboring countries. Until recently, Afghanistan lacked the wool production and storage facilities to enable the country’s carpet producers to maximize their profits by weaving with domestic wool.
Roads connect communities to needed public services, such as health clinics, schools, and markets. Throughout Afghanistan, USAID is building roads and providing local communities with development projects along those roads, such as the construction of a soap factory in Nangarhar province. This community outreach approach generates income for local residents and demonstrates that roads bring development.
Besides reducing the municipality’s need for costly diesel fuel, the solar lights will improve air quality, reduce crime, facilitate nighttime traffic, extend market hours along the roadway, and improve security for Fayzabad’s citizens.
Afghanistan is home to a wide mix of wildlife unlike any in the world. Some animals, such as the snow leopard and Marco Polo sheep, are found in very few other countries. Protecting these and other endangered species is essential to preserving the Afghanistan’s unique biodiversity.
Halima Khan, a 26 year old Afghan woman, has found hope and economic independence through instruction she is receiving in literacy, gender awareness, and the art of cherma dozi – a traditional form of Afghan embroidery. Halima is one of 120 vulnerable women in the Aryub Jaji District of Paktya participating in a USAID program to provide women with educational opportunities and job skills.
Ghor province lies in the central highlands of Afghanistan, remote and lightly populated. Its self-reliant population of 615,000 is accustomed to harsh winters and the isolation that results from road closures. With rich pasturelands, livestock is the chief source of income. However, the need for external support became more pronounced due to returning refugees and high global food and fuel prices.
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