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.
Like many Afghans, Gul Marjan has been enthusiastic to tackle the challenges facing his country. As director of the city of Gardez Water Supply Department, Marjan and his 15 employees faced overwhelming issues, including a lack of financial resources, equipment, and office space. Moreover, the department could only cover about a third of its operating costs because too many customers were not paying their utility bills: Some customers had not paid their bills in 10 years.
Kishim has long been a stopover for truckers and passengers exhausted from trips on nearly impassable roads in northeastern Afghanistan. Long-haul and delivery trucks crowded each other and interfered with foot traffic. Clay and dust, stirred up by traffic, coated the merchandise.
After 30 years of war, many Afghan families lost their primary income earners: their fathers, husbands, and sons, leaving widows and children to fend for themselves with limited skills or resources.
The Mazar Strategic Business Unit (MSBU) of the Afghan Urban Water Supply and Sewerage Company has only 13 field technicians to provide general maintenance and emergency repair services. These technicians cover 17,000 connections across 275 kilometers of pipes that provide water to more than 210,000 people. With so many people depending on this network for water service, it is important for the technical staff to respond to emergency calls, investigate problems, and get parts and equipment to work sites as quickly as possible.
Thousands of kilometers of rehabilitated provincial and rural roads have fallen into disrepair. Deteriorating roads make it more difficult for Afghans to access key services such as health care and education. To address this issue, 23 senior officials from the Afghan government and leaders from the private sector recently gathered in Delhi at a USAID sponsored conference to hear practitioners from around the world discuss best practices and innovations in road management and finance.
The Mazar Strategic Business Unit (MSBU) of the Afghan Urban Water Supply and Sewerage Company is the third largest water system in Afghanistan. Its 65 operational wells pump a combined 8,500 cubic meters of water per day to serve 18,000 connections, providing water to more than 327,000 people. With a broad cross-section of customers – including individuals, religious sites, government buildings, schools, factories, and commercial businesses – any disruption in service affects many people.
USAID’s Afghanistan Vouchers for Increased Production in Agriculture (AVIPA) Plus program not only improves farm production in Afghanistan: it also helps create trust between farmers and their government, giving them a taste of the benefits that come with governance.
In Eastern Afghanistan’s Laghman Province, women have few opportunities to work outside of the home or go to school. However, carpet weaving has emerged as a way for women to earn income and support their families.
Like many Afghans, Ahmad Jan has the support of a large family unit bound by strong traditions. He cultivates a six-hectare plot of land in Takhta Pul located in Kandahar Province with his 11 children and another 20 family members. Although this land has been with the family through three decades of war, its ouput has never enabled them to do more than just get by.
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