Solidarites - Our Programmes in Afghanistan

Our action in Afghanistan

Supporting the Afghans since 1980

Our action today:
The focal points of our action in 2006
Our programmes in 2005
Our programmes in 2004

Our previous actions:
2002 - 2003 : Saving lives, rehabilitation, reconstruction and support
2000 - 2001 : Assisting displaced families, combatting drought
1998 - 2000 : Providing food at all costs
Since 1995 : Rural development : Maïdan and Bamyan
1994 - 1998 : Water and sanitation in Kaboul
Since 1980 : Over 130 Emergency Programmes

Notes from the field ...
- Interview with a volunteer in Afghanistan: François Boher, 33, hydraulic engineer in Bamyan
- Franck Machet, Bamyan Regional coordinator

Click here to read our special report (in French)

SOLIDARITES and Afghanistan

SOLIDARITES was one of the first NGOs to take action in Afghanistan in 1980 after the Soviet invasion. The war lasted 10 years, during which over one million people lost their lives and up to 6 million Afghan refugees fled the country, taking refuge in Pakistan or Iran. As from 1984, an agricultural programme was set up in Wardak province. Since 1993, SOLIDARITES has worked continuously in Afghanistan and has an operational base in Kabul.
Our presence in Bamyan province since 1997, and the implementation of many projects have enabled us to acquire experience with regards to the complexity of the area as well as recognition by the local population. Indeed, SOLIDARITES is to date the reference organisation in this province, where we have gained in depth knowledge of the local context and populations.

Notes from the field ...
Extract from an interview with François Boher, hydraulic engineer in Bamyan.
... Which families are benefiting from these projects ?

" All of them are vulnerable families and individuals from the villages; they are often returning refugees or displaced persons. In each village, we select the most vulnerable families, who then work with us on the construction site(s) and receive pay for their work. All the villages in the area then benefit from the project's impact, and the most vulnerable families immediately receive income for their contribution to the construction work, and thus to our humanitarian projects ... " read the rest of the interview
François Boher, 33, hydraulic engineer in Bamyan

Notes from the field ...

" During a very harsh winter, our first mission was to carry out emergency food distributions (wheat, oil, red kidney beans) and essential supplies (blankets, etc.). The first time I arrived in the area, after several years of drought, there was absolutely no water in the valley for agriculture. The villagers were really counting on the food aid programme to get through the winter. "
Franck Machet, Bamyan Regional coordinator

The focal points of our action in Afghanistan in 2006:

• Continuing our activities to support and revive agriculture in central Afghanistan (Hazaradjat: Bamyan, Yakawlang, Roy Doab)

• Developing our drinking water and sanitation programmes in Kabul, in particular in the Awaii Block neighbourhood, in order to connect the decontamination network with the waste water treatment plant at Microrayon.

• Opening an operational base in the Pashtoun zone, to set up a water and sanitation programme in Zadran district (Paktia province) where many families who had previously taken refuge in Pakistan are about to return home.

Our action in Afghanistan in 2005:

In 2005, we are continuing and extending our activities out of 6 operational bases (Kabul, Yakawolang, Bamyan, Roy Doab, Kamard, Shibar).

Snow clearing and revenue generating activities

Bamyan, Shibar, Saighan, Yakawlang
Improving food security for residents of the isolated Hazaradjat area during the winter
Ensuring access to the Hazaradjat area during and after the winter.

Needs : In these mountainous areas, winter is a period during which access is very difficult and local populations are unable to carry out paid employment.

Objectives : Improve food security for 12502 families minimum.

Water and sanitation in Kabul
(Districts 13 and 7):

In the working-class districts of Dasht-e-Barshi: construction of 27 wells and 81 latrines, and, as early as possible, a second phase of 40 more wells, to prevent waterborne diseases and epidemics.

In the neighbourhood of Deh Dana : repairs to 2km of pipes, rebuilding a reservoir (90m3), installation and repairs to 125 water fountains.

In the neighbourhood of Dogh Abad : repairs to 3km of pipes, building a reservoir (75m3), installation or repairs to 96 water fountains.

Needs : Today, Kabul has a population of nearly 4 million. According to UNICEF, 26.2% of the population does not have access to drinking water, in other words 140 790 families.

Objectives : Provide drinking water in areas where the population currently has no access to drinking water. Fight to prevent epidemics (cholera) and waterborne diseases (diarrhoea with blood). In parallel to practical activities, courses to raise awareness about basic hygiene practices were also given.

Read a testimonial by Wali, our engineer in Kabul

Agriculture and breeding in Bamyan, Khamard, Saighan et Yakawlang :

Improvement of existing farming systems
Diversification of crops and improvement of innovative technical practices (small-scale mechanisation, programme to multiply vegetable seeds, greenhouses, demonstration gardens...)
Support for small rural companies (privatisation of a vetinary clinic, support for small shopkeepers, revival of small threshing companies, revival of the fruit tree seedlings market...)
Strengthening the capabilities of local institutions and relay farmers.

Needs : 20 years of war, persistent drought and the return of large numbers of refugees means that today the population is no longer selfsufficient in terms of food.

Objectives : Improve food security for 2600 families minimum.

Support for rural development in Yakawlang:

Increasing the quantity of irrigated land by 10%
Increasing crop yields by 15% through the introduction of good farming practices
Increasing agricultural production through improvements in sales methods
Support for vulnerable families throught revenue-generating activities (carts, horticulture using solar greenhouses)
Support for vulnerable families by reducing heating costs using improved houses (passive solar energy)

Needs : The population's living conditions and subsistence are rendered difficult by their isolation, high altitude (2000-3000 metres), harsh climate (as low as -30° in winter), insufficient irrigation systems and the consequences of 25 years of war and severe drought at the beginning of the decade.

Objectives : Improve food security for at least 1700 families and 7000 farmers.

Support for renewal of the local economy:

Micro-projects carried out by women in the Yakawlang region, with a view to improving living conditions for the community.

Our programmes in 2004

In 2004, we are continuing and extending our activities out of 8 locations (Kaboul, Yakawolang, Saighan, Roy Doab, Kamard, Shibar et Tarpach).

During 2004, our team implemented fifteen programmes in the fields of water, food security and rehabilitation, representing a budget of around three million euros. Our experience in Afghanistan enables us to carry out ambitious yet appropriate development projects, whilst retaining our presence and our ability to act quickly when emergency situations occur. Thanks to our network of 8 operational bases, where 13 expatriates and 240 Afghan employees work, SOLIDARITES is active in several areas :

Emergency aid
The emergency situation in Afghanistan is now easing. However, many areas have been left out of the reconstruction process. In the centre of this mountainous country, isolated populations are faced with extremely fragile living conditions.
It is for this reason that a programme to support vulnerable populations was implemented for the third consecutive winter in the Bamyan region, thanks to snow clearing on three mountain passes situated at an altitude of over 3000 metres. In addition to providing employment for the surrounding population, this snow-clearing programme enabled access routes to many valleys to be opened up, facilitated travel between villages and ensured continuity of economic activities.
Sometimes, a new emergency situation appears, causing us to react quickly. This was the case last July, when the Khamard valley flooded. Humanitarian needs would have been even greater if we had not quickly rehabilitated the main access road.

Rehabilitation and Development
Today, SOLIDARITES is carrying out post-emergency and reconstruction programmes to assist the populations of the districts of Khamard, Saighan, Yakawlang, Tarpach, Shibar, Khamard and Bamyan (Bamyan province), Roy-e-Doab (Samangan province) in the following fields : access to water, irrigation, agriculture, road rehabilitaiton.

Access to drinking water is still one of the main challenges for vulnerable populations. SOLIDARITES is therefore carrying out water programmes including groundwater training, and the construction of wells and reservoirs in the areas of Yakawlang and Tarpach. These programmes are being run in tandem with a hygiene awareness campaign.

The rehabilitation of roads linking the districts of Khamard and Saighan, Killigan and Laghaki or Dar-e-Chast, have enabled food security to be improved. These areas suffer from chronic food shortages, which have been exacerbated by drought, therefore the ability to access major centres and markets has had a direct impact on the populations' situation.

In Bamyan and Samanghan provinces, the SOLIDARITES team, including four agricultural specialists, has been running agricultural programmes since 2002. Activities include training for farmers, distribution of seeds and fertilizers, building up stocks, animal breeding, as well as a certain number of pioneering projects in the field of agricultural infrastructure (irrigation, solar greenhouses) which are carried using a participative approach. It is important to note that although agricultural support programmes commenced in 2002 in these provinces, we have also implemented this type of project as early as 1984 and 1992 in the Jalrez valley (Wardak province) to the west of Kabul.

Main partners:
European Union (ECHO, Europaid)
United Nations (UNAMA, WFP, FAO, UNOPS, UNICEF)
Other agencies or organistaions: IOM,DFID (Coopération Britannique)
Field partnerships: GERES, Afghanaid, MADERA, MSF-Spain, MSF-France

2002 - 2003 : Saving lives, rehabilitation, reconstruction and support

SOLIDARITES' humanitarian action in 2002 and for the years to come, aims to meet the civilian population's most vital needs in the areas worst affected by drought and fighting, and to assist them in commencing reconstruction.

Objectives:
During the emergency phase, providing relief to vulnerable populations in the areas worst affected by drought and fighting through the provision of food aid, shelter and essential survival materials.
In parallel to and following the emergency phase, assisting these populations to move back to their regions of origin through specific reconstruction programmes in which the populations participate directly (rehabilitation, reconstruction of homes and certain public infrastructure, improvement of food safety, distribution of seeds, rural engineering). Finally, an ambitious agricultural support programme in the particularly vulnerable Hazaradjat region in central Afghanistan shall be put into operation.

To implement these aid programmes, SOLIDARITES has a team of 20 expatriate volunteers and 400 Afghan employees operating from 7 locations (Kabul, Jalrez, Mazar-I-Sharif, Bamyan, Roy-Doab, Saighan, Yakawlang), using 31 vehicles, 39 radios… et 5 satellite telephones.

Saving lives
In 2001-2002, SOLIDARITES carried out emergency aid programmes in response to the humanitarian crisis resulting from three years of drought, and from the consequences of 9/11 in Afghanistan.

How: distribution of food aid, essential survival materials and seeds
As part of the emergency operations set up by SOLIDARITES following the 11 September 2001 attacks, 35,991 families in the Balkh and Samangan provinces received food aid (14,500 tons of wheat and supplementary rations) and essential survival materials. SOLIDARITES also carried out distributions of seeds (202 tons) and fertiliser (151 tons).

Rehabilitation
Rural rehabilitation programmes (rehabilitation of irrigation networks, building wells, reservoirs, dams, water supply and sewage systems).

These programmes are mainly implemented in parallel with emergency distribution programmes. They were therefore carried out in the same provinces as previously mentioned. In practice, the beneficiaries of emergency distributions are called upon to actively participate in the rural rehabilitation and reconstruction projects.
These projects have enabled over 13,400 families to receive financial aid, through their participation in community projects.

During the particularly difficult winter period, a specific road and mountain pass access programme is carried out, with the assistance of Afghan labourers and bulldozers. This programme seeks to keep the roads open through snow removal, and thereby allow humanitarian aid, healthcare and economic exchanges to reach the most isolated, vulnerable areas.
During the 2002-2003 winter, SOLIDARITES committed to keep 5 mountain passes open in Hazaradjat province, an extremely isolated and mountainous area in central Afghanistan. Keeping these roads open is of the utmost importance for mountain villages so that they can maintain access to emergency healthcare, receive humanitarian aid, and continue trade. It also allows the reconstruction of destroyed houses to continue. Through this programme, SOLIDARITES also allows the hundreds of Afghans employed to receive 14 kg of wheat per day, enough to get them through the winter until the first seeds are sown in the spring, and they can once again find work as labourers.

From October 2002 to March 2003, SOLIDARITES carried out a programme to improve access to vulnerable populations in Balkh and Samangan provinces, as well as supporting and resuming revenue-generating activities.

This programme is made up of two parts:

Rehabilitation of five roads providing access to vulnerable areas in Charkent, Roy Doab, Keshendeh, Dar-I-Suf and Sholgara districts. Vulnerable local labourers were employed to carry out the rehabilitation work, thereby providing them with financial aid for themselves and their families.

Installation of seven sewing and weaving training centres, whose objective is to reduce the vulnerability of families whose breadwinner is a woman, by enabling them to carry out a revenue-generating activity.

Reconstruction

Reconstruction programmes:
Before the winter of 2002-2003, SOLIDARITES carried out programmes to assist the reconstruction of destroyed homes in Bamyan, Saighan and Yakoalang districts (Hazaradjat region). These programmes targeted vulnerable families, often refugee or displaced families returning home. In total, we assisted in the reconstruction of 3,900 houses, through the distribution of the necessary materials (beams, doors, windows) then by assisting reconstruction work. Elsewhere, along the same lines, 500 other houses were rebuilt in Dar-I-Suf district (Samangan province) in the north of the country.

At the beginning of 2003, vulnerable beneficiaries of the reconstruction programme in the Hazaradjat region received additional emergency aid comprising essential supplies and heating equipment. This aid was distributed in the form of kits, including stoves, coal, coats, patous (traditional capes), gloves, socks, as well as kitchen utensil and crockery kits. In addition, the families most at risk also received food aid, 100 kg of wheat per family. In total, around 5,000 families in the areas around Bamyan, Shiban, Kaman, Saighan and Yakaolang received additional aide coupled with the distribution of reconstruction materials for their homes.

Providing support
How: agricultural rehabilitation programme in the Hazarajat
region - 2002-2004
Duration: this programme will run for 30 months from April 2002

Location:

Districts concerned	Bamyan, Saighan, Khamard, Shibar and Roy-e-Doab
Provinces	Bamyan and Samangan
Geographic location	Hazarajat (central Afghanistan)
Total population	45250 families in 5 districts
Major ethnic groups	Tadjik, Hazara and Tartare
Main agricultural crops	Spring wheat, potatos, fruit
Main breeding activities	sheep, goats and cattle

Overall programme objective
Improve the region's food safety so that local families can remain in the area and to encourage the return of displaced families.

Activities
Crops
Teaching of agricultural skills and techniques through regular training of farmers and provision of information
Distribution of improved cereal seeds (wheat, soy and and paddy) and potatos
Distribution of mineral fertilizers to optimise yield from the seeds provided
Improvement of fruit and vegetable production
Enlargement of farmable land through the use of terraced plots
Animal breeding
Teaching of animal breeding techniques to improve farmers' skills
Reconstitution of the cattle and sheep herds
Improvement of animal health

2000 - 2001 : Assisting Displaced Families, Combatting the Drought

In addition to its agricultural development and stock breeding programmes in Maïdan and Bamyan, SOLIDARITES is also engaged in large-scale relief programmes to assist Afghan citizens who are victims of the war which has driven them from their homes and are suffering from the worst drought in 30 years.

Today, 85% of the Afghan are farmers and live off their crops and livestock. The drought has wreaked havoc with the country's agricultural production, and the food shortage is estimated at 2.3 million tons of cereals. 50 to 85% of livestock has been decimated ... and the war is still going on.

SOLIDARITES programmes in 2000-2001 have sought and seek to meet the food needs of the Afghan population:

Distribution of food aid (rice or wheat) to 3,270 families in the Samanghan province; this programme also includes the rehabilitation of traditional irrigation and drinking water facilities.

"Food for work" programme in the Balkh province: this programme allows 24,883 workers to take home between 4 and 8 Kg of rice or wheat per day in return for their work on large-scale projects to rehabilitate or rebuild the hydraulic facilities which are essential for agriculture: traditional irrigation networks (karez), rainwater reservoirs, dams, wells. These projects aim to provide water for 13,180 families.

Distribution of emergency food aid to 5,700 familles in the Mazar-i-Charif region (rice, beans and oil).

Distribution of emergency food aid to 3 250 displaced families in the Balkhab, Sangcharak and Dar I Souf districts, Samanghan and Sar e Pol provinces: 50 Kg of wheat have been distributed to each family. SOLIDARITES used mules to transport food aid throughout these regions to which access is difficult.

Families fleeing the drought in August 2000
(Jalrez district - Wardak province)

Distribution of emergency food aid to 11 424 families in the Roy Doab district, Samanghan province: the food aid distributed totalled 5 277 tons of wheat, or around 462 Kg per family, which represents a stock of food for 120 days.
This programme also includes an agricultural support project which aims to prepare for future harvests: 280 Kg of seeds will be distributed to 8 100 selected farmers whose land is cultivable.
Finally, part of the food aid will be distributed through a "food for work" project, whereby the beneficiaries will participate in the rehabilitation of roads and irrigation systems to improve the local population's situation.

Distribution of emergency food aid to 1 306 families in the Jalrez district, in the Wardak province.

This food aid totals 462 Kg of wheat per family, which represents 4 months worth of food.
In addition, the programme includes a road rehabilitation project, as well as the construction of 19 wells and 6 reservoirs. The aim of the hydraulics project is to provide 567 families with a minimum of 160 litres of water per family.

1998 - 2000 : Provide Food at all Costs

In partnership with the United Nations agencies (PAM, UNOCHA, FAO, ENVIRONMENT) and the European Union ( ECHO ), SOLIDARITIES implemented several programmes to supply food resources to the vulnerable populations of Hazaradjat:
Purchase, transport and urgent distribution of 2.700 tons of wheat;
Rehabilitation and construction of 3 main roads and 4 bridges, and maintenance of a fleet of heavy goods vehicles, to facilitate supplies throughout the region.
These construction sites allowed the "cash for work" employment of over 880 heads of vulnerable families in the area;
Production and distribution of improved seeds, as well as training of farmers, to prepare for the next harvests.

During 1998, the alarming nutritional situation in the Hazaradjat province caused SOLIDARITES to implement an emergency food aid programme for the winter of 1998-1999. This programme was targeted at a thousand families supported by isolated women or farmers without land.

The area, encircled by mountains, was the scene of violent fighting and was subject to a blockade decreed by the Kabul regime. Thousands of families have been chased from their homes, and 11.000 of them did not have anything to eat until the next harvest, in June 2000.

In addition, SOLIDARITIES is pursuing its agricultural programs in Maïdan in order to help the local population to develop sustainable agricultural production.

Opening up the area and providing food resources to its population are SOLIDARITIES' priorities in Hazaradjat in 1999 and 2000.

Since 1995 : Rural Development

Maïdan Agricultural Center
Benefiting over 20 000 families
This centre, with its team of agronomists and agricultural technicians and its infrastructures, has become a reference in the field of rural development.

Supply of fruit trees, higher yield seeds, fertilizers, training of farmers, revival of bee keeping activities;
Building 3 regulating dams;
Refarming of agricultural land by directing the Jalrez River back to its bed;
Rehabilitation of the road between Jalrez, Syah Khak and Sanglakh;
Stock breeding : creation of a school, assistance and technical training, development of agricultural production
Building of a hydraulic dam and an organic energy recycling plant.

Benefiting 600 families
Cereal production programme in Bâmyân, with the distribution of 17 tons of higher yield wheat seeds produced in Maïdan

Bamyan Agricultural Center
benefiting 1 000 families
Following the success of the methods implemented in Maïdan, our agricultural programs were extended to central Afghanistan with the opening of a new agricultural center in Bâmyân in 1997:

Plant production: supply and production of higher yield seeds, supply of fertilizers;
Rural engineering: rehabilitation of roads and building of 3 bridges; renovation of a working center;
Assistance and technical training in order to increase agricultural production;
Creation of vegetable gardens.

1994 - 1998 : Water and Sanitation in Kaboul

Benefiting 665,000 people

Water supply:
Building of the 1,000th well;
Management of 27 water supply networks.

Sanitation:
Construction of 50 septic tanks in 40 schools and 10 hospitals;
Installation of sewerage pumping stations and draining of septic tanks for 1 orphanage, 2 prisons, 8 hospitals (for which we also collected and disposed of contaminated medical waste);
Drainage of the Wazir Abad Canal;
Rebuilding and restarting of 2 water purification stations in the Microrayon district.

Since 1980 : Over 130 Emergency Programs

"The Caravans of Hope" from 1980 to 1988
Rehabilitation of irrigation networks for agriculture, south of Kandahar
Assistance for schools 1983 - 1987 (running, books, rehabilitation)
Agricultural program in the Wardak province from 1984 onwards (cereal banks, crop treatment products, light machinery)
Launch of "water" programmes in Kabul in the summer of 1994 (building of wells, restoration of water supply and sewerage networks, sanitation)