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USAID/OTI Afghanistan Field Report June 2004
Program Description
USAID/OTI's program goal is to increase citizen awareness of and confidence in the process of recovery, rehabilitation and democratic political development in post-conflict Afghanistan. Towards accomplishing this goal, OTI’s objectives are to:
- Increase the Afghan government’s capacity to respond to citizens’ needs;
- Increase citizen awareness of and/or participation in democratic processes;
- Increase the capacity of the Afghan Media
Working with central and provincial governments, national and international NGOs, informal community groups, and media outlets, OTI identifies and supports critical initiatives that facilitate implementation of the Bonn Agreement, which was designed to move the country further along the continuum from war to peace. OTI’s rapid support for activities in Afghanistan’s transition period also helps to establish credibility and space for longer-term development assistance. Projects are funded in 31 provinces of the country. To date, 572 grants and sub-grants have been cleared for implementation. These grants advance OTI objectives by:
- Reestablishing relationships and routines that give communities cohesiveness;
- Strengthening economic recovery by improving essential commercial and public infrastructure;
- Contributing to sustainable stability and recovery by helping the Afghan government to function outside Kabul and respond to community priorities;
- Improving communications infrastructure;
- Strengthening independent media; and
- Creating and/or strengthening linkages among the national, provincial, and district governments
USAID/OTI’s program in Afghanistan is from October 2001 – June 2005. To date, OTI has funds from various sources, including Transition Initiative Funds (TI), International Disaster Assistance Funds (IDA), Development Assistance Funds (DA), and State Department Economic Support Funds (ESF).
OTI’s current implementing partners are the International Organization for Migration—Afghanistan Transition Initiative (IOM-ATI) and Internews. IOM-ATI offices are located in Kabul, Bamyan, Gardez, Herat, Kandahar, Kunduz, Maimana and Mazar. Previous USAID/OTI partners included the Voice of America (VOA), the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), and Ronco.
Country Situation
Politics:
- President Karzai visited the U.S. to participate in the G8 summit held in Georgia and to hold high-level talks with government officials. He met with President Bush to discuss U.S. support for Afghanistan’s transition to democracy, including support for security and stability and the scheduled September elections. Dur-ing the visit, President Karzai addressed a joint session of Congress on June 15, one of few foreign leaders to be invited to do so, and received the Liberty Medal.
- President Karzai participated in the NATO summit held in Istanbul, Turkey, where he continued to urge NATO to fulfill its commitment of troops before the scheduled September elections.
Security:
- Amidst increasing unrest and insecurity nation-wide, the U.S. warned its citizens in Afghanistan of possible suicide bombings in the capital. Just after the announcement, a rocket aimed at military and diplomatic missions killed one Afghan guard in Kabul.
- The month of June witnessed a steady escalation of violence. A total of 33 assistance workers have been killed in the first six months of 2004 as compared with 14 in all of 2003. This month alone, five Medicines Sans Frontieres staff in the northwestern province of Badghis were killed and 11 Chinese construction workers were murdered in the northeast province of Kunduz. Four Afghans were killed only a week later in Kunduz in an explosion apparently aimed at a NATO vehicle.
- The UNHCR was attacked in the southern city of Kandahar during the same week that the local government’s chief of refugee affairs was gunned down.
- The country has been faced with increased factional fighting even in parts of the country previously considered relatively stable. In mid-June factional fighting in the western province of Ghor left several dead, caused citizens to flee, and necessitated the deployment of newly trained Afghan National Army troops to help restore order.
- A series of bomb explosions in the eastern city of Jalalabad injured 27 people.
- Afghanistan has asked the UN to assist with the drafting of a new anti-terrorism law to help control violence and international crime, including drug trafficking.
Elections:
- News reports point increasingly to the likelihood of delayed elections, currently scheduled for September. There has also been discussion about holding the Presidential elections in the fall and postponing parliamentary elections until early 2005, partly in response to increased insecurity and partly to give more time for voter registration and education.
- Over 5.6 million voters are said to have registered to date at the more than 1,000 registration sites operating around the country. Nearly 36% of those registered are said to be women.
- Local and international press reported a bomb attack on a bus in the eastern province of Jalalabad, which was carrying Afghan women working to register voters for Afghan elections scheduled for September. The UN reported that a child was also killed in the attack and that 12 others, all but one of them women, were injured.
- In an attack on Saturday in the south-eastern province of Uruzgan, 17 people were reportedly captured by Taliban. Sources variously report that between 14 and 16 of those captured were killed when it was discovered that they were carrying voter registration cards. Several reportedly escaped.
Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (DDR):
According to local reports, the national DDR process has stalled in the face of commanders ignoring their commitments to lay down their arms. By the end of June an estimated 40% of Afghanistan’s militia were to be disarmed, while the actual number is currently estimated to be a total of 7,000 disarmed out of the 40,000 anticipated. Rising violence and fears of creating a security vacuum in areas where units are to be disarmed is also affecting the pace of DDR.
Economy:
- Despite rising insecurity, foreign investment in Afghanistan has continued to increase. During the month the Aga Khan Foundation, in cooperation with the World Bank, agreed to invest $7 million to restore the Kabul Hotel. On June 26, a senior U.S. and European business delegation visited Kabul to explore investment opportunities. Delegation members represented a variety of businesses including General Electric, John Deere, Fairchild Corp, and the Wall Street Journal.
- Iran announced its intentions to establish a new bank, Aryan, in Kabul, the first ever Iranian bank to be established in Afghanistan. Banks from Britain, Pakistan and the Netherlands already operate branches in Afghanistan.
Social and Humanitarian Affairs:
- A CIA contractor has been charged in the death of a detainee in Afghanistan. If convicted, according to news reports, the contractor could face up to 40 years in prison and $1 million fine. The charges are the first civilian charges to be brought in the investigation of prisoner abuse in either Afghanistan or Iraq.
- Five Afghan athletes are currently training in Greece in preparation for participation in the Olympics. Afghanistan was suspended from participation in 1999 for a variety of grievances including a ban on female competitors. The five athletes include three men and two women.
USAID/OTI Highlights
A. Narrative Summary
Overview:
1. Grant Activity: To date, OTI has approved a total
of 572 grants and sub grants worth $38 million. During the first week of
the month, 5 new grants valued at $1,164,643 were approved for implementation.
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 Wiring for electricity in one part of the city.
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2. Monitoring and Evaluation: OTI continued to implement
an accelerated project monitoring plan, and to assess the quality and impact
of selected on-going and completed projects around the country. OTI’s Monitoring
and Evaluation Specialist visited the southern province of Kandahar from
June 17-21 to monitor IOM-ATI projects. He also provided training in program
and project monitoring to five of the nine staff based in the Kandahar field
office. Highlights from Kandahar include:
- Installation of Power Poles: This project was recently launched in
Kandahar city with the installation of electricity poles. Through this
grant IOM is supplying poles, power cables, brackets and unskilled labor
to extend community access to electricity. Approximately 4,500 houses
(36,000 residents) which do not currently have electricity or have hazardous
connections due to low quality materials will be the direct beneficiaries.
The grant is intended to provide a safe electricity supply to improve
economic conditions in the city. Internally displaced people and returnees
in the targeted area will have safe and functional electric power as
a result of the project. Currently families use wooden and bamboo sticks
to support electric wires from the power station to people’s houses.
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Newly installed poles and wires.
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- Reconstruction of Arghandab Bridge:The bridge, which was partially destroyed
by bombing, connects Kandahar to the districts of Arghandab, Shan Wali Kot
and Khakrez.
Monitoring confirmed the reconstructed bridge provides important road access
from Kandahar to Uruzgan Province, which is located north of Kandahar Province.
Beneficiaries of the project include 250 villages (approximately 450,000
people), whose residents use the road to transport agricultural and other
products to markets in the area.
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Reconstruction of Arghandab Bridge. |
3. Security: During the month, the security situation throughout the country continued to deteriorate. The security situation, particularly in the north, east and south of the country, has directly affected the ability of OTI’s implementing partners to undertake projects and to effectively monitor and evaluate activities. Further, there have been a variety of direct threats and assaults against partners, including beatings and death threats in Kabul, and a death threat leading to the resignation of a project engineer in Uruzgan Province in the south. |
Gender Mainstreaming and Promotion of Women's Participation in Political Processes: OTI approved several new grants during the month that will support networking and information sharing among women-run NGOs, sup
- Extending the Reach of the Ministry of Women’s Affairs (MOWA): In response to past land dispute obstacles, President Karzai signed a decree stating that land for the MOWA must be allocated at no cost, and that land deeds must be provided before construction can begin on Provincial Women’s Centers (PWC). IOM-ATI field staff are sharing copies of the decree with provincial authorities in an attempt to speed up the process of allocating land for the remaining six of 17 PWCs being constructed with support from USAID. The MOWA subsequently informed OTI that it had received land titles for PWCs in Wardak and Faryab provinces, and that they expected to receive land title for a PWC in Baghlan Province in the near future. The PWC in Herat, completed with joint support from the Provincial Reconstruction Team and OTI, will be officially handed over to the Herat Department of Women’s Affairs on July 8.
- Promotion of Women’s Participation in Political Processes in Central Afghanistan: In the fall of 2003, IOM-ATI undertook a series of workshops in central Afghanistan to help inform and raise awareness among rural women about political processes and their role in them. Workshops focused primarily on women’s rights, needs and priorities, and the development of a new con-stitution. Workshops that have taken place after the new constitution was adopted in January have focused on the contents of the constitution, voter registration and elections. A total of 532 women participated in the one-day workshops, while over 3,000 additional women participated in 118 discussion circles in Kapisa and Wardak provinces. Two of the scheduled 120 workshops were cancelled due to security issues related to women’s participation in public fora.
- Women’s NGOs Overcome Security and Cultural Barriers to Women’s Participation: The Afghan NGO responsible for coordinating the workshops and discussion circles, the Cooperation Center for Afghanistan, a women-led NGO, is a study in determination. Staff suffered impassible roads, extreme cold, lack of food, demands for food and money, and aggressive men during the eight-month project. In their final report, the NGO team reports some of the obstacles they faced in reaching out to women in the two provinces. At one point staff members were threatened by unknown gunmen in two districts. In some areas men did not allow the NGO to show films, a reminder of the practice of the former Taliban regime to ban all forms of media and entertainment. Some women came to get food and stationery, and then left. For those women who were able to participate, the female staff of the NGO provided role models for women’s leadership and participation.
- Gender Training for Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation:
| Girls’ School in South-eastern Afghanistan Opens
On May 23 a girls’ school was inaugurated in Qalat, Zabul Province. At the opening ceremony the Direc-tor of the Department of Education, the Deputy Gov-ernor of Qalat, and the Director of the Planning De-partment of Kandahar applauded the work of USAID and IOM in the southern region. The support is par-ticularly noteworthy in this part of the country where most UN agencies and non-governmental organiza-tions have stopped working due to deteriorating secu-rity. Construction of the girls’ school in this culturally conservative area of the country was the result of close collaboration between the local community and government. Such close collaboration is relatively new in the area where a government presence has been limited.
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During the reporting period, OTI supported a six-day gender training for staff of the Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation at the request of the Ministry. The training used a curriculum developed by UNDP, which is providing similar training for staff of five other ministries. The training was facilitated by both male and female trainers. Thirteen women and two men from the Ministry participated in the interactive training, which included open discussion, role playing and simulation exercises. The training is expected to assist the Ministry to develop and implement appropriate gender policies and activities for returnees, with a particular focus on facilitating the reintegration of women. “It’s really important that both men and women attend this gender training,” said one male participant. “Men and women are like two wings of a bird, and a bird can’t fly with one wing.” The Ministry expressed eagerness for replicating the training for provincial representatives to promote gender mainstreaming, which will help develop more gender sensitive policies at the national level.
Media Development and Civic Education
- USAID Deputy Director Visits AINA Media Center: Barry Primm, USAID’s new Deputy Director, visited Kabul during the reporting period to receive an orientation to the USAID program. During the visit, OTI arranged for AINA Media Center to provide a comprehensive briefing of the AINA programs supported by USAID that aim to promote free and independent media. Mr. Primm toured the production facilities for film, radio and print publications, and visited an office formed to support seven regional media centers operating with USAID funds.
- AINA Radio Production Unit Inaugurated: In a ceremony held on June 27 in west Kabul, AINA officially opened its new Radio Production Unit, which was previously located within the AINA Media Center compound. The re-location is part of a larger effort to develop an independent Afghan identify for the center. During the event, management of the Unit was also transferred from a French national to an Afghan woman, Seelay Srak. She previously served as the Unit’s Production Manager for two years, after first learning journalism as a BBC correspondent. The Unit hosts the popular talk show Myane Ma (Between Us), an OTI-funded program that engages citizens in dialogue with Government representatives on important issues. OTI’s current support focuses on making the Unit self-sustaining.
- Establishment of an Independent News Agency (IWPR): The Agency, set to be launched in the next reporting period, is in the final testing phase and is still negotiating licensing of the Agency with the Ministry of Information and Culture. The Agency is in the final stages of planning marketing activities for the launch. Initially, content will be distributed under the IWPR banner. After the marketing launch, all content will be branded with the Agency name and logo. Certification of eight (of out 12 trained) new Afghan trainers for the Agency’s national training program have been completed. IWPR also conducted two basic skills training courses for 40 reporters. Trainers will next be deployed to the regions (Mazar in the north, Kandahar in the south, Herat in the west, and Jalalabad in the east) to conduct four more intensive two-week basic skills courses. An additional one will be conducted in Kabul. Beginning in August, the trainers will be providing training and support to reporters to carry out elections coverage.
- Strategic Communications Support to the Office of the Presidential Spokesperson:
The Rendon Group continued to provide key support to build the capacity of the Spokesperson’s Office to prepare and deliver news from the President’s office. During the reporting period the team worked with staff of the Spokesperson’s Office to prepare a comprehensive study guide for the production unit on video/film techniques and a photo tutorial. The team conducted a video camera seminar. The Rendon Group assisted the Spokesperson’s Office with press coverage for the president’s travels to both the U.S. and to the NATO summit in Istanbul, and provided assistance to staff of the production unit to prepare for coverage of President Karzai’s trip to the U.S. to receive the Liberty Medal. Training support provided by the Rendon Group during the past week included development of a radio tutorial, and course material preparation for twice-weekly journalism seminars for the media monitoring unit staff.
- Launch of National Programming to Encourage Participation in Elections: Right on schedule, VT Merlin Communications and Internews began broadcasting on short wave from Kabul three hours of daily Dari and Pashtu programming on June 15. Programming includes Kabul produced news, civic and voter education, and entertainment. Programming is available at 11,795 KHz from 6:00-7:30 both morning and evening, Kabul time (0130 and 1330 UTC).
- Afghan Media NGO Launched:
The Afghan NGO registration high commission approved the establishment of Nai, an Afghan NGO that will eventually take over from Internews Afghanistan. Once an initial fee is paid, Nai will receive its registration documents and can begin operations. The organization will be dedicated to the adoption of an open broadcasting and internet policy in Afghanistan. It seeks to enhance tolerance and understanding through support to independent media. It will also help to further develop the media industry by working closely with electronic media outlets. Nai is the Dari word for reed and, according to a famous Mawlana Romi poem, Nai makes a gentle and nice sound.
- Status Report on OTI’s support for Private, Independent Radio Stations through Internews:
All of the OTI-supported FM radio stations (17 existing and up to 20 additional stations under development) are conceived as community operated and managed facilities. The training and capacity development of the staff and manage-ment takes significantly more time than the construction and installation of the equipment. Upon completion of the physical facilities for up to 20 new stations, Internews will begin providing support by ensuring station ac-cess to the satellite signal for Salaam Vatandar (daily national programming). Internews will then provide sta-tions with technical and journalism training, and assist with development of business plans, including adoption of sound financial strategies. The daily distribution of programming on CDs to 36 stations through Internews’ distribution network will continue.
Support for Private, Independent Radio Stations
| COMPLETED |
| Bamyan City, Bamyan |
Bamyan Radio |
100 |
49,300 |
| Jalalabad, Nangarhar |
Radio Sharq |
100 |
610,380 |
| Kabul City, Kabul |
Killid Radio Station |
100 |
1,859,047 |
| Mohamad Agha, Logar |
Millie-Paygham Radio Station |
100 |
42,034 |
| Puli-Khumri, Baghlan |
Taraj-Mir Radio Station |
100 |
162,263 |
| Qara-Bagh, Kabul |
Qara-Bagh Shura Radio Station |
100 |
253,713 |
| Herat City, Herat |
Sahar Radio |
100 |
243,646 |
| Kandahar City, Kandahar |
Radio Azad Afghan |
100 |
244,598 |
| Balkh, Balkh |
Naw Bahari-Balkh |
100 |
208,857 |
| Khost, Khost |
Suli-Paygham |
100 |
58,767 |
| Mazar, Balkh |
Rabia Balkhi |
100 |
243,997 |
| Kunduz, Kunduz |
Radio Zohra |
100 |
45,000 (predicted) |
| Ghoryan, Herat |
Neday Sullah |
100 |
60,005 |
| Chekh-Chiran, Ghor |
Radio Chikh-Chiran |
100 |
15,310 |
| Baraki-Barak Logar |
Istiqlal Radio |
100 |
80,029 (predicted) |
| PLANNED |
| Takhar |
Remodeling of an existing building is underway in Taloqun. Equipment is on site and ready to be installed. Partnerships with civil society groups are being developed to produce local pro-gramming.
Partners for a second station in Chah Ab are also being pursued.
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NA |
TBD |
| Badakshan |
The partner in Faizabad has applied for the license, a five-room building has been donated, and a team member is already in Kabul for training.
A second station is being explored in Jurm.
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NA |
TBD |
| Kunduz |
The first stage of construction is com-pleted in Imam Sahib and the mast for the antenna is being transported to the site. The staff is being identified and will be among the first group of trainees for the new stations |
NA |
120,000 |
| Baghlan |
Land has been secured in Baghlan Jadid, but there are political issues with the partners that need to be sorted out before proceeding further. Ethnic diversity among the staff is a requirement and activity by warlords needs to be addressed. |
100 |
107,000 |
| Kabul |
In Paghman, a piece of land has been donated to the station, but local com-munity issues, including veiled threats against the building of a station house, are complicating further development. Additionally, local mullahs are against the inclusion of a female DJ on the team. Construction is on hold until the issues are resolved. |
NA |
TBD |
| Wardak |
Construction of the station building in Sayedabad (20,000 people) is almost complete. Installation will commence shortly. Partners in the station include the 65 students at the Wardak Journalism Institute.
Another station in Chak (13,000) is also being pursued. |
NA |
20,00 13,00 |
| Helmand |
There are two potential partners for a station in Lashkaghar. Negotiations are underway |
NA |
TBD |
| Nangahar |
The two possible locations with good partner possibilities include Ghani Khel and Shinwari. |
NA |
TBD |
Other potential locations being pursued:
- West and South: Shindand and Enjil in Heart; Farah
- East: Ghazni and Jaghur in Ghazni; Sharan, Paktika
- Central Highlands: Naili and Daikundi
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B. Grant Activity Summary – USAID/OTI Afghanistan
USAID/OTI summary of cleared and completed activities since program start-up in October 2001:
| Civil Society Organization Support |
14 |
$1,077,726 |
| Community Impact Activities |
325 |
$13,905,484 |
| Conflict Management |
5 |
$157,813 |
| Election Processes |
8 |
$3,321,361 |
| Justice/Human Rights |
11 |
$902,938 |
| Media |
92 |
$11,003,578 |
| Transparency/Good Governance |
117 |
$7,828,741 |
| TOTAL |
572 |
$38,197,642
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USAID/OTI activities cleared in June 2004:
| Strengthening strategic communications and capacity within the Office of the President’s Spokesperson: Media Training for TISA Office of the President |
$400,000 |
Kabul |
| Independent Commercial Television in Kabul: Studio Production Equipment |
$286,531 |
Kabul |
| Independent Commercial Television in Kabul: Administration and Office Equipment |
$108,640 |
Kabul |
| University Media Centers and Journalism Training |
$277,972 |
Balkh, Kabul,
Kandahar and Khost
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| Shortwave Transmission for National Radio Programming in Afghanistan |
$91,500 |
National |
C. Indicators of Success
Radio Program Captures Imaginations of Children of War:
It is not easy for a child to escape the hardships of life in Afghanistan. The world opens up, however, through a radio program that has captured the imaginations of tens of thousands of its young listeners. The radio program Sharak Atfal, or “Children’s City”, is set in an ideal imagined city, which features an interactive radio, an invisible parrot and a flying carpet. The geography, history and current affairs of Afghanistan are brought to life through the characters’ adventures. At the same time, the program addresses issues of post-conflict psychology from a child's perspective. The radio program was recently awarded second place by UNICEF/One World for the best radio show for, by, and about children.
The program produced its sixty-fourth edition this week and is so popular that in one town they now broadcast it on a local television station. Funded by USAID/OTI and produced by Internews, Sharak Atfal works with six children, three girls and three boys, to keep the show relevant. Distributed by Internews’ Tanin Distribution Network, the Dari/Pashtu bilingual program is played weekly by thirty-six stations across Afghanistan. “The children’s programs are particularly popular with our listeners. We play every edition of Sharak Atfal two or three times,” said Noor Mohammed, the station manager at Samangan Radio.
Internews Survey of Community Radio Stations: Internews conducted surveys of eight of their community FM radio stations stations to better understand community concepts of local stations and to seek ways to improve their accessibility to listeners. The surveys produced interesting results from individual stations. For example, of 50 people surveyed in Kunduz in north-eastern Afghanistan, 100% prefer listening to local FM stations over regional AM stations. In Pule Khumri district, 100% of 50 people surveyed claimed to understand the content of local radio station programming. However, in a survey of a Shia community in Samangan, 62% of women did not understand the content of any regional AM or local FM stations.
President Karzai Supports Development of the Media Sector in Afghanistan: President Karzai mentioned the emergence of independent radio stations in a short-list of Afghanistan's post-Taliban achievements—along with roads, re-opening of schools and millions of returned refugees—in a clip from a western press conference that was aired on CNN and BBC. He briefly stressed the existence of media not under the control of the government as an indicator of progress.
Accelerated Learning Opportunities Reaching Rural Audiences Left Behind by Conflict:
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An IOM-ATI team recently visited the new Panjshir Province in eastern Afghanistan to monitor an OTI-supported accelerated learning project for youth and young women being implemented by Catholic Relief Services and local NGOs. Of the 55 accelerated learning centers in this conservative area, 41 are for women. On entering one class some of the girls left fearing that foreigners were coming to take their photographs to publish in magazines and show on television. After being reassured that their faces would not be shown, the girls re-entered the classroom. In one village a female community leader commented on the usefulness of the accelerated learning opportunity, “I am one of the students of this course and have been learning for one year to improve my knowledge. I want to learn computers also because I want to teach it to my children. I want to be an employee and work for the gov-ernment in the future.” One 12-year old boy participating in another class commented that he wanted to attend the course to “increase my knowledge and to make something of myself.” A 41-year old ex-combatant, sitting with children as young as eight, explained, “I want to gain knowledge to serve my country better.” Teachers have been given special training in participatory and interactive teaching methods. When asked what he had learned from this training one teacher said, ‘The students should be involved, play games and it should be fun.’
Talent Emerges at OTI-supported Institute for War and Peace Reporting: Some stars are already emerging as journalists complete the IWPR training program and take on responsibilities within IWPR's newly established independent news agency. At the top of the class is Zainab Mohamadi, a 19-year-old Hazara woman. Miss Mohamadi was born and grew up in Mashad, Iran, where her family ran a magazine for Afghan refugees. As a high school student she took extracurricular journalism courses, and freelanced for two Afghan women’s maga-zines. Miss Mohamadi likes journalism because it satisfies her curiosity. “I want to find answers to all ques-tions,” she said. Despite her youth and small stature, Miss Mohamadi is accepted and respected at IWPR by even conservative classmates as one of the best of the class. IWPR Training Director, Lisa Schnellinger says, "Zainab can out-argue anyone, logically and clearly. She has no problem asserting herself, even with men who are far older and more experienced.” Miss Mohamadi will start as a Senior Reporter within the agency, filling in as a local editor once or twice a week.
AINA Provides First Internet Connection in Khost Province:
This week the USAID-funded NGO AINA opened the first public internet connection in the southeastern province of Khost. The facility now allows stu-dents, university faculty, and journalists instant access to the rest of the world. The AINA facility in Khost is one of seven OTI-supported media centers around the country supporting local journalists, students, cultural leaders, NGOs, and government employees. With seven computers and a satellite connection, the Khost facility is now a fully functional media center. Another AINA internet facility was recently inaugurated in Kandahar.
Civic Education in the Northern Province of Kunduz:
IOM-ATI recently sponsored a civic education work-shop for mullahs and male elders—highly influential religious and community leaders—to learn about political processes, including the importance of registering for and supporting national elections. The workshop was de-veloped to complement an activity previously undertaken to create an enabling environment for women’s par-ticipation in the political process. In response to positive feedback from participants and community members, IOM-ATI will proceed with another six workshops, covering all seven districts of Kunduz province. A total of 150 village elders and 150 mullahs are expected to complete the training.
NEXT STEPS/IMMEDIATE PRIORITIES
During the month of July 2004, USAID/OTI will:
- Continue to take steps to accelerate monitoring and evaluation of on-going and completed projects.
- Increase the proportion of closed to on-going grant activities.
- Complete close-out procedures for certain field offices as OTI concentrates its resources in the north, east and south of the country in advance of elections.
- Undertake activities that continue to support development of a free and independent media.
For further information, please contact:
In Washington: Elizabeth Callender, USAID/OTI/ANE Program Manager, Tel: 202-712-4078, ecallender@usaid.gov
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