6 JUNE 2010 | JALREZ DISTRICT, WARDAK PROVINCE, AFGHANISTAN

 

Located in the foothills of central Afghanistan, Jalrez District in Wardak Province is known as the home of the country’s finest athletes.  This reputation inspired the establishment of the Jalrez Youth Association (JYA) in 2008 through USAID support.  The JYA engages young people in organized sports, providing them with a legitimate alternative to joining the insurgency.

 

The JYA was poised to make a positive difference in the district, with departments for information and culture, counternarcotics, health, and active sports.  However, the JYA Community Center lacked appropriate office space and equipment.  The gym contained only rudimentary homemade equipment.

 

Despite these disadvantages, JYA team members continued to participate in sports events in the area, proving the JYA’s value as a resource for Wardak’s youth.  These successes did not, however, bring the association the resources it needed to secure safe athletic equipment, or to furnish office space to accommodate the expansion of the organization and its programs.

 

In December 2009, the JYA turned to the Community Development Council (CDC) for help.  The CDC worked with USAID’s Local Governance and Community Development project (LGCD) to secure funds to purchase the equipment and office furnishings that the JYA needed to succeed.  A formal handover occurred on March 30, 2010, with representatives of the local government and the JYA in attendance.

 

At the ceremony, Razziddin Shah, the head of the JYA, thanked the CDC and USAID for their support, stating, “Now we will be trusted by other organizations.  Enrollment is increasing day by day.”

 

In turn, the deputy provincial governor, Alli Ahmad Khashee, expressed his appreciation to the association for its service to the community and its role in promoting peace in Jalrez.

 

As USAID’s flagship stabilization program, LGCD engages communities in unstable areas to take an active role in their own security and addresses grievances of at-risk populations through integrated community development projects.