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.
Non-violent conflict resolution in local communities is essential for bringing peace and stability to Afghanistan. In the recent history of this war-torn country, the most effective agents for advancing peace and security have been indigenous structures such as Shuras, Jirgas, and Maliks. Maliks are key local power brokers who serve as arbiters in family and community conflict.
Life in Akhandzada Village, located in Kandahar, has never been easy. But when its ancient water source dried up, so did the local economy.
It is not easy for journalists in Afghanistan’s south to travel to major cities for media training. Stories abound of young journalists confronted at illegal checkpoints by Taliban and other anti-government groups, where the greatest fear is that a search will reveal their journalist’s card. However, many journalists are willing to take the risk because they are committed to building a free press and an informed populace.
Long-standing land disputes spanning generations are common in Nangarhar Province. A jirgamar (elder) from Behsud recently recounted a decades-long dispute over a small piece of land situated between two area qwams (tribes). Just recently, an altercation among qwams reignited old arguments, leaving at least five people dead and 30 wounded near Jalalabad, the provincial capital of Nangarhar.
In April 2010, a truck laden with explosives crashed into a guesthouse occupied by project staff supporting USAID in Kandahar City. The ensuing explosion also threatened a program that is critically important to USAID’s Afghanistan Infrastructure and Rehabilitation Program (AIRP) and the effort to provide stable electricity to the people of Kandahar and surrounding areas.
Imagine trying to learn to use a computer with an English keyboard, having never seen the English alphabet. Add to that the fact that you’ve never seen a computer in your life and you’re in middle age. That’s the challenge for employees of the national electric company Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat (DABS) who work at hydro power stations in Afghanistan. Many of them have worked at the same power station for more than 15 years.
Miriam has only three children; although she has just given birth to her sixth child, two other infants died within days of birth. However, this birth was different from the previous ones. Miriam and her female relatives have learned from the local female community health worker (CHW) about the importance of keeping the baby warm.
In the past 30 years, Afghanistan has seen a number of interrelated and long-running conflicts. Most Afghan families have lost at least one member as a result. In many cases, that person was the only source of income for the family. In fact, according to “Beyond 9/11,” a US-based nonprofit that provides financial support to Afghan widows and children, Afghanistan has one of the highest percentages of widowed females in the world: five percent of the country’s 30 million people.
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