24 November 2009
DFID-funded project brings key services back to communities
Three years ago, Ahmad Fahim found himself in a race against time. His cousin, Adrogul, had stepped on a landmine while out farming in his village in rural Afghanistan. He was bleeding heavily and was in desperate need of medical attention. But the nearest hospital was many miles away in Kabul, Afghanistan's capital.
It was a long drive along dirt roads to Kabul and sadly Adrogul, who was 22 years old, died before he got there.
Today, thanks to the Afghan government's UK-supported National Solidarity Programme, there is much less chance of a similar tragedy striking. Danishmand, Ahmad and Adrogul's village, now has a community health clinic, built with the help of a £37,000 grant from the programme.
Ahmad for one is proud to show off the clinic, which boasts its own water system and electricity generator. It's not only people from Danishmand who benefit from the new facilities: as well as catering to over 1,000 families in the village, the clinic also serves 2,000 more families in ten neighbouring villages.
The National Solidarity Programme helps communities to work together to address their major needs. It does this by enabling them to elect Community Development Councils (CDCs), which make decisions about building common facilities, for example.
So far, 22,000 communities, covering every Afghan province, have benefited from the programme. More than 32,000 projects have been implemented and new roads, bridges, schools, clinics and water facilities built.
The leader of Danishmand's CDC is 38-year-old Sheralikhm. "Before we had the clinic, the people of my village had to drive a long way to get medical help," he says.
"Our water was very poor and lots of people suffered illness from drinking it. We got to decide, with NSP’s help, how we could build a better village. Now we can provide medicine for our children and our water is clean. This grant has solved a lot of our problems.”
The National Solidarity Programme currently runs until March 2010. Its multi-donor funding includes £30 million from DFID.