New Girls’ High School To Be Built In Kabul

Students participate in the Sİr Asiab Girls High School’s ground-breaking ceremony held in Police District-6 in Kabul, May 3.

Afghan and foreign officials attended a brick laying ceremony earlier this week to mark the construction of a new High School for girls in Kabul.  The school is called Sir Asiab Girls’ High School and will accomodate approximately 3500 students.  The school will have 20 classrooms, and construction is expected to be completed by the end of this year.  This school construction project will cost $305,000, and it will be built by the American-led Kabul Task Force.

May 6, 2010 · admin · No Comments
Posted in: Education, Reconstruction and Development, Women's Rights

Jobs to be created in Zabul, dam construction starts, and development projects completed in Samangan

In Zabul province, two municipal landfills are being developed. The first one is in Qalat City, and the other is in Shajoy. This project will employ about 1,100 Afghans for the next three months. Improvement projects along the main bazaar road in Shajoy will employ another 400 workers. Over $1 million dollars is budgeted for this project and 95% of the total project cost will go to the Afghan laborers in the form of paychecks.

Last Sunday, an official from Afghanistan’s Ministry of Water and Energy said that construction work on 4 major mega water dams to meet irrigation, water, and electricity needs would be launched in three months. One dam will be in northern Faryab, another in southeastern Paktia, another in Kabul, and finally one in Herat province. Funding for the projects, which will be $220 million, will come from the central government. It is estimated that the work will take 3 years to complete. There are also plans to build an additional 3 dams.

Also, this week, an official from the Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development, said that 14 development projects have been completed in Afghanistan’s northern province of Samangan. For example, 5 water supply schemes, and a construction of a community center has been completed. Also, an 89-kilometre retaining wall was built, a 1.8 kilometer road was graveled, and literacy and tailoring courses for women were provided. Khairullah Anosh, the governor of the province said that there are 135 more projects underway.

May 6, 2010 · admin · No Comments
Posted in: Job Creation, Reconstruction and Development

School building construction completes in Nangarhar and another starts in Ghazni

Nangarhar and Ghazni

In the Trili village of Chaprihar district of Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province, the construction of a 30-room school building has been completed. Over 3,500 students will benefit from the school. As this construction comes to an end, a new school building project has been launched in southern Ghazni province. Construction on two other school building are already in process in the same province. The new school will have 14 classrooms, and will be called Wakeel Muhammad Jan Khan High School. It will be mostly used to meet the educational needs of nomadic children. Overall, There are 52 schools in Ghazni province.

May 6, 2010 · admin · No Comments
Posted in: Education, Reconstruction and Development

Afghan Airline Industry Continues To Grow – Safi Airways Plans To Expand Fleet

Safi Airplane

Afghanistan’s second biggest airlines, Safi Airways, announced today at the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) (currently taking place in Dubai) that it is planning on purchasing one Airbus A320 and leasing another this year.  The goal is to expand its fleet up to nine aircrafts by the year 2014.

The Executive Vice Chairman of the company said at the ATM that, “Passengers will be thrilled by the brand new interior, and the business class seats on these aircraft will be outstanding”.  A new logo and corporate identity was also announced. The airline decided to keep the Dari language as part of its logo to show pride of its Afghan heritage.
 
Company officials also told reporters that it has signed agreements with other airlines such as Lufthansa, United Airlines and the Dubai-based Emirates to use Safi Airways planes on some flights. 

Finally, the company announced that it is committed to international safety standards, and that they are preparing for a complete IOSA (IATA Operational Safety Audit) audit which will be completed this Fall.

May 4, 2010 · admin · No Comments
Posted in: Afghanistan's Economy, Reconstruction and Development

Pay By Cell Phone Program Implemented To Reduce Corruption In Afghanistan

An Afghan National Police officer demonstrates the proper procedure for sending messages via cell phone text messaging to inform an Afghan Policeman that his monthly salary is ready. (Photo by Staff Sgt. Jeff Nevison, U.S, Air Force)

Currently, it is difficult for an Afghan National Police officer working in a remote or high risk part of  Afghanistan to receive his or her paycheck.  The payment process is very manual and this has led to corruption where police pay is being lost.

To help resolve this issue, the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Finance, working together with NATO have implemented a new pay by cell phone program in which police officers will get paid electronically. According to a press released issue by NATO today, “under the program, police register to become mobile money customers – a service similar to Western Union – offered by an Afghan cell phone company. Their payroll is electronically transferred to a commercial bank account, and once uploaded; the customer receives an automated text notification on their cell phone. From there the police member can either withdraw their pay at a local authorized mobile money agent using their unique PIN, or transfer the money to a family member’s phone. They can also buy airtime for their phones or pay bills electronically.”
 
The press release further stated that “after a nine month trial period, where 53 ANP [Afghan National Police] were successfully paid at the beginning of the monthly pay period, MoI [Ministry of Interior] is expanding the program to three additional districts in Wardak and Khost provinces. May was the first month for the new police officers to receive their paycheck electronically; with their addition to the program, a total of 204 police are being paid via their cell phones.”
 
This program is really good news for police officers serving in places with no banking facilities, and it minimizes corruption.  The government hopes to roll this program out to other districts and perhaps all over in Afghanistan.

May 3, 2010 · admin · No Comments
Posted in: Afghanistan's Economy, Reconstruction and Development, Security in Afghanistan

Afghanistan defeats Ireland in T20 World Cup warm-up

Dawlat Ahmadzai

When the Afghan cricket team’s coach (Kabir Khan) was asked by a reporter recently about his team’s upcoming match with India in the ICC World Twenty20 on May 1st, he said: “We are excited about facing India. We have been working hard and we want to give them a big fight. We will make it hard for them and hope to make an upset. We are not just going there just to participate.”

The team gave the world a little taste of that hunger for making an upset by defeating Ireland today in the T20 World Cup warm-up game. Afghanistan 134 for 5 (Stanikzai 39) beat Ireland 133 for 9 (D Ahmadzai 4-15) by five wickets. Three players from the team deserve a special “shout out” for their outstanding performance today. The first “shout out” goes to Dawlat Ahmadzai, who claimed 4 for 15, and then to Ashghar Stanikzai and Mohammad Nabi, who added 66 runs for the fifth wicket in six overs to seal the win and give Ireland the loss.

April 28, 2010 · admin · 2 Comments
Posted in: Afghan Sports News

India to fund construction of new schools in Kunar

Kunar Province

On Sunday, Pajhwok Afghan News reported that India, who has already contributed millions to the reconstruction of Afghanistan, will fund the building of 13 new schools in Afghanistan’s eastern province of Kunar.

According to the report, the new schools will be in the districts of Shigal, Sawkai, Narang, Dangam, Sarkani, Marawara, Khas Kunar and in the provincial capital, Asadabad.

Each school will have anywhere from 12 to 14 classrooms, and will be constructed over the next 9 months. The Indian government has already approved 11 of the new schools, and construction work has already begun on some of the buildings.

April 28, 2010 · admin · No Comments
Posted in: Education, Reconstruction and Development

New Mental Health Center Inaugurated

Dr. Suraya Dalil

Last week, Afghanistan’s Acting Minister of Public Health, Dr. Suraya Dalil, inaugurated a much needed Mental Health Center in Afghanistan’s western province of Herat. Officials from the Ministry of Public Health, as well as local officials were present in the opening ceremony. Funding for the two story building was provided by the Japanese government with total cost of $200,000. In a press release, an official from the the Ministry of Public Health wrote that, “this center is not only designed to provide mental health services for patients, but also to serve as an academic institution for training medical doctors, nurses and students as well as interns.”

April 26, 2010 · admin · No Comments
Posted in: Health News, Reconstruction and Development

Repaired Middle and High Schools Inaugurated in Balkh, & New School Building Is Inaugurated in Zabul

Balkh and Zabul Provinces, Afghanistan

On Thursday, April 22, 2010, Moqsadullah Shaheed High School in Mazar-i-Sharif was re-opened after a year long construction project was completed at a cost of $240,000. Afghan government officials, as well as teachers and students participated in the re-opening ceremony. The school now has 16 classrooms, 4 administrative rooms, a main conference room, and 5 bathrooms.
 
 Two days later, on April 24, 2010, Afghan official re-opened a middle school name after the famous Afghan poet, Khuja Abdullah Ansari. This school is also in Mazar-i-Sharif, and was originally built 16 years ago. However, the school was badly damaged through the years. Now, a second story has been added to the building, and the school now has 11 classrooms, a library, and a computer room with 15 desks. The school was repaired at a cost of $87,000 and it took one year to complete the project.
 
Funding for both the Middle and High School was provided by the German government.
 
Also, on the 24th, in Zabul province, Afghan and foreign officials opened a brand new school building. The school, called Sheikh Mati Primary School, has dozens of classrooms, and a 330 meter surrounding wall. It took 6 months to complete construction on the school, at a cost of $164,000. Education officials stated that previously, the students in the area had to study under tents or outside. Now they are happy that they have a brand new school building to study in, and school can be conducted even when the weather is bad.

April 25, 2010 · admin · No Comments
Posted in: Education, Reconstruction and Development

9 hydrometric machines installed in Logar

Logar Province, Afghanistan

This week, an official from the eastern province of Logar told the media that nine hydrometric machines were installed in the province.  The equipment is very beneficial for agriculture.  It is used to determine the amount of underground water, and wind direction. This new technology will  help Afghans determine drought levels as well as provide information for weather forecasts.  The project was funded by the Czech Republic at a cost of $230,000.

April 24, 2010 · admin · No Comments
Posted in: Environmental Issues, Reconstruction and Development

New Textile Factory Opens In Jalalabad

Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan

Yesterday, a brand new textile factory was opened in Jalalabad, the capital of Afghanistan’s eastern province of Nangarhar. Funding ($40,000) for the factory came from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The hope is that the factory will be able to process (wash, dye, press and label) raw materials from Kama, Dara-i-Nur, Rodat and Batikot districts. This is one step further in promoting the growth of Afghanistan’s textile sector, and making Afghans less dependent on textile-processing services in Pakistan. The factory is owned by Mr. Saboor Alakozai.

April 22, 2010 · admin · No Comments
Posted in: Afghanistan's Economy, Reconstruction and Development

Afghanistan’s Mustafa Zahir Wins Major Environmental Leadership Award

Mustafa Zahir

Today, in Seoul, South Korea, Mustafa Zahir, who serves as the Director General of the National Environmental Protection Agency of Afghanistan, and 5 other individuals from around the world were given the 2010 Champions of the Earth Award by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).  Mustafa Zahir is also the grandson of Afghanistan’s last king, Mohammad Zahir. The Champions of the Earth Award was established in 2004, and is given to people who embody commitment and vision towards environmental leadership through their actions and their influence.  Past winners include former U.S. Vice President and environmentalist, Al Gore. The award recognizes achievements in areas of: Entrepreneurial Vision, Policy and Leadership, Science and Innovation, Inspiration and Action, and a special category for 2010, Biodiversity and Ecosystems Management. Mustafa Zahir won in the Inspiration and Action category. More than 100 nominations were submitted from around the world, and from that 6 winners were chosen. 

Achim Steiner, UN Under-Secretary-General and UN Environment Programme (UNEP) Executive Director, told the audience that Mustafa Zahir won because: “Prince Zahir has transformed environmental policy and laid the foundation for sustainability in one of the most challenging countries on the planet at this moment in history. He has balanced the day-to-day realities of Afghanistan with a determination that his country will have clean air and healthy water-backed by laws- upon which a sustainable and peaceful society can be built.”

The awards were presented as part of the 4th annual Business for Environment (B4E) Global Summit in Seoul. The aim of the B4E is to foster dialogue and business-driven action towards a global Green Economy. Topics such as resource efficiency, renewable energies, new business models and climate policy and strategies are discussed.

April 22, 2010 · admin · 2 Comments
Posted in: Environmental Issues