Agreement signed to get more Afghans access to clean water and sanitation

Jarullah Mansoori, Afghanistan's Minister of Rural Rehabilitation and Development

Yesterday, the Afghan government signed an agreement with the US Agency for International Development (USAID) in which $52 million will be spent on getting Afghans in poor communities throughout the country access to clean water and sanitation. The agreement, Memorandum of Understanding on the Crucial Clean Water Pact, was signed by U.S. Embassy Deputy Ambassador E. Anthony Wayne, USAID Deputy Mission Director Robert Hellyer and Afghanistan’s Rural Rehabilitation and Development Minister Jarullah Mansoori.

The agreement calls for a three year long project where 4,000 water points will be developed and about 50,000 latrines will either be built or repaired and improved. The agreement also calls for some 50 water pipe schemes to be built.

The project will not only increase clean water supplies for many Afghans, but it will also promote good hygiene, which will help to further the fight against water-related diseases. The project will also help to provide awareness for the need for water conservation in Afghanistan.

October 31, 2010 · admin · No Comments
Posted in: Environmental Issues, Health News, Reconstruction and Development

Building for a girls high school to be built in Badakshan; Laboratory inaugurated for high school in Ghazni

Afghanistan’s ministry of education issued press releases this week in which they announced that a stone laying ceremony was held for a new building that will be built for a girls high school in Afghanistan’s north eastern province of Badakshan, and a laboratory has been built for a high school in the province of Ghazni.

The building that will be built in Badakshan province is for the Najibullah Shaheed High School, located in the city of Faizabad. According to the press release issued on Tuesday, October 26th, the building will take 1 year to build at a cost of $420,000.  Funding for the construction will come from the Provincial Reconstruction Team and the work will be done by the Lajwar Badakshan Construction Company.  Once completed, the building will house 24 classrooms.

On Wednesday, October 27th, an education ministry press release said that an inauguration ceremony was held for a new laboratory for the Wakeel Mohammad Jan Khan Kuchi High School in Ghazni province. The cost to build the laboratory was $4500.  The press release also said 200 beds with blankets, mattresses, and pillows were given to the school’s dormitory.

October 29, 2010 · admin · No Comments
Posted in: Education, Reconstruction and Development

Afghanistan To Establish Food Quality Testing Labs

Yesterday, Tolo news reported that Afghanistan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock (MAIL) said that food quality testing labs will be established in the provinces of Kabul, Herat, Nangarhar and Balkh. The purpose of these four labs will be to prevent the importing of low-quality conserved food and agricultural products. The labs will also play a role in helping to increase the export of Afghan food products.

“The Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock is planning to set up similar labs in other provinces of Afghanistan in an effort to standardize quality of agricultural products throughout the country”, Tolo news quoted a ministry spokesman.

“These laboratories will cost Afs50 million (around US$1.1m)”, said the Tolo news report.

October 27, 2010 · admin · No Comments
Posted in: Afghanistan's Economy, Reconstruction and Development

School for Blind Established In Herat; 2 Girls High Schools In Jowzjan Get Water System

Braille

Yesterday, Afghanistan’s Ministry of Education issued a press release stating that a school for the blind has been established in Afghanistan’s western province of Herat. This is now the second school for the blind in Afghanistan, the other is in Kabul. This school has grades 1 to 4 and will teach students Braille as well as other important lessons. According to the press release, the school was inaugurated yesterday, with education officials, community leaders, students and teachers in attendance.

Today, the Ministry of Education said that water systems were setup for 2 girls high schools in Afghanistan’s northern province of Jowzjan. The students in Eidee Mahal and Baba Ali High Schools will now have access to water, thanks to the plumbing that has been installed. Also, 8 privies were setup in the Eidee Mahal High School. An inauguration ceremony was held where education officials, community leaders, students and teachers attended.

October 24, 2010 · admin · No Comments
Posted in: Education, Human Rights, Reconstruction and Development, Women's Rights

Afghan entertainers put on concert for Afghan soldiers

In order to boost the morale of the Afghan troops, some popular Afghan entertainers like Seeta Qasemi, Wajeha Rastagar, Ahmad Fanoos, and Shafiq Mureed put on a concert for them late last week.  The concert was held in the Kabul Military Training Center, and more than 5,000 soldiers and support staff were in attendance.

Below are photos and a video from the event

Seeta Qasemi, a popular Afghan-woman singer, performs at a concert honoring Afghan National Army soldiers, photo NTM-A / October 21, 2010.

Soldiers cheer during a concert honoring Afghan National Army soldiers, photo NTM-A / October 21, 2010.

October 24, 2010 · admin · No Comments
Posted in: Security in Afghanistan

2 new buildings inaugurated in Bamiyan province

Yesterday, Afghanistan’s Ministry of Education issued a press release stating that 2 new buildings were inaugurated in Afghanistan’s central province of Bamiyan.  The release stated that education officials, community leaders, students and teachers were present at the inauguration ceremony.

One of the buildings is for the Agricultural Vocational High School.  Construction on the building took 2 years to complete at  cost of  $850,000, which was provided by the Iranian government. The new building has 6 classrooms, 2 administrative rooms, a laboratory, a library, 2 dormitory rooms, 2 kitchens, 12 privies, and a masjid. A potable water well was also put in for the school. 

The other building is a female teacher’s dormitory. That building took 1 year to build at cost of $325,000, which was provided by the Agha Khan Foundation.  The new building has 4 bedrooms, 2 administrative rooms, a kitchen, a cafeteria, 2 guard rooms, 12 privies, and 6 bath stalls.

October 21, 2010 · admin · No Comments
Posted in: Education, Reconstruction and Development, Women's Rights

Development projects completed in Samangan, projects started in Zabul, and 116 Afghans graduate in Kunar with skills needed to help develop their country

15 development projects were recently completed in the Aibak district of Afghanistan’s northern province of Samangan, according to a NATO news release today. The release stated that “the projects included the construction of two water tanks, the digging of four wells, gravelling of more than 125 miles of rural roads, brick-lining more than 1,900 meters of drainage lanes, an embroidery training course for women, the construction of 14 small bridges and a 340-meter retaining wall. More than 3,000 families are expected to benefit from the projects”.

Yesterday, Pajhwok Afghan News reported that work on the construction of three roads in Qalat city had started. Qalat is the capital city of Afghanistan’s Zabul province. The PAN report stated that the 2 kilometers of road will be built in three months at a cost of $470,000. Also in the province, 47 small bridges will be constructed as well as roadside drains.

Recently, 116 Afghans graduated from the Kunar Construction Center, according to a NATO news release today. The center provides training in masonry, painting, plumbing, carpentry and electrical work for Afghans living in Kunar, Nuristan, Laghman and Nangarhar provinces. The governor of the province, Fazlullah Wahidi, was present at the ceremony and praised the men for completing the training. Another class of 100 students is scheduled to begin in November.

As the infrastructure of these provinces develop and projects are implemented to modernize the towns and cities, the demand for qualified Afghan individuals to help in the reconstruction and development process has been growing. If there aren’t enough Afghans available, then foreigners will have to do the jobs that Afghans should be doing in their own country. Skills that are being taught in this center will help keep Afghan men employed, and it will be less likely that they will be tempted to join harmful groups.

The Kunar Construction Center has added two new mail halls, two dormitory areas, six washrooms and administrative offices and is considering adding auto mechanics to its lists of trades taught. The school is located in the Shigal wa Sheltan district in Afghanistan’s eastern province of Kunar.

October 19, 2010 · admin · No Comments
Posted in: Afghanistan's Economy, Education, Job Creation, Reconstruction and Development

Another knockout for Afghan MMA fighter!

Bahadurzada raising his hands in victory

Today in Amsterdam at the United Glory Mixed Martial Arts and Kickboxing World Series, Afghan MMA fighter and Shooto Light Heavyweight World Champion, Siyar Bahadurzada defeated Derrick Noble in the first round via a TKO (Technical Knock out).  TKO stands for technical knock out and it is when the referee stops a fights after seeing that one fighter is so overwhelmed that he is no longer able to continue. Bahadurzada went to business right away, throwing strikes in quick order,overwhelming his opponent. With this win, Bahadurzada improves to 18 wins, 4 losses and 1 draw.

See video of fight below:

October 16, 2010 · admin · No Comments
Posted in: Afghan Sports News

23 more midwives graduate in Badakhshan

In an effort to reduce the maternal mortality rate (the death of a woman during or shortly after a pregnancy) in Afghanistan, the country’s health ministry is pushing for more training for Afghanistan’s midwives. Earlier this week, in Afghanistan’s northern province of Badakhshan, 23 trained midwives graduated from the Badakhshan Community Midwifery Education School, according to a report today from UNAMA (United Nations Assistance Mission In Afghanistan).

The course is 18 months long, and it teaches students pre and post-delivery health care, techniques of safe delivery, nutrition, breast feeding, health care in the pregnancy period, birth complications and family planning. So far, a total of 88 professional and educated midwives have graduated from the school.

October 13, 2010 · admin · One Comment
Posted in: Health News

New school building completed in Kunar and another to be built in Jowzjan

Late last week, Afghan education officials announced that construction work on a new building for a school in the Jaba area of Narai district in Afghanistan’s eastern province of Kunar has been completed.  The 2-story building has officially been inaugurated.  The new building has 10 classrooms, 4 administrative rooms, a solar power system to provide electricity, and the school has also been given tables and chairs for the students. Officials said that the new building took one year to complete at a cost of $262,000, which was provided by the Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT). Both boys and girls attend this school.

Today, in a ceremony held in Afghanistan’s northern province of Jowzjan, Basat Ozturk, the Turkish ambassador to Afghanistan, laid the foundation stone for a new building that will be built for a girls school in the provincial capital of Shiberghan. The building will be constructed over one acre of land, and it will be 2-stories.  It will have 16 classrooms, four administrative rooms, a computer lab and a hall. The cost of the building construction will be $370,000, and it will be provided by the government of Turkey.  They will also give $40,000 so that school can have carpets, chairs, tables and other necessary things. The project is expected to be completed in six months.

October 11, 2010 · admin · No Comments
Posted in: Education, Reconstruction and Development, Women's Rights

Report: Afghans victorious in karate tournament

Yesterday, Afghan karate fans joined by members of parliament, 2 governors, and a delegation from the National Olympic Committee welcomed Afghanistan’s national karate team at the airport as they returned home from South Africa, reported Pajhwok Afghan News (PAN) today.  The team had participated in an international event, where teams from 35 different countries were present. According to the report, Afghanistan came in first, followed by Zambia and then South Africa. The PAN report did not mention if it was in a particular category. Ghulam Jilani Ghroob, head of the Karate Federation told PAN that Wahid Joya, Farid Agha Doorandish, Mubariz Hakimzada, Ezatullah Kalakani and Ali Asghar Muddaris won gold medals in the competition. Moreover, according to the report, four silver and six bronze medals were also won by the members of the team.

October 7, 2010 · admin · One Comment
Posted in: Afghan Sports News

Program to further strengthen Afghanistan’s agricultural sector

Karl W. Eikenberry, United States Ambassador to Afghanistan

Today in Kabul, United States Ambassador Karl Eikenberry told reporters that the United States and Afghanistan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation, and Livestock (MAIL) have signed an agreement where 260,000 small commercial farmers in Afghanistan, some of them women, will be provided with subsidized access to 13,000 metric tons of certified wheat seed varieties and nearly 40,000 metric tons of basic fertilizer.

“Farmers will also receive agricultural technical advice to gain the optimum benefit from the seeds and fertilizer.  With the hope for a good season, the potential harvest from these quality inputs could yield more than 300,000 metric tons of wheat”, said the U.S. Ambassador.

Funding for the project, which is about $90 million has been provided mostly by the U.S. ($62 million). The rest comes from Japan, France and Britain.

October 5, 2010 · admin · No Comments
Posted in: Afghanistan's Economy, Reconstruction and Development