2010 Annual Report: Civil Society - PartnershipsInAction

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y e a r i n r e v i e w : c i v i l s o c i e t y Master Trainers (at least three from each of the seven districts). These Master Trainers will continue training more representatives and CSOs long after the WECCB project has ended. Strengthening Local Governance in Afghanistan PROBLEM: Critical Gaps in Capacity Limit Effectiveness of Mid-Level Governance AKF’s Strengthening Sub-National Governance Program in Afghanistan focuses on building capacity in meso-level democratic local structures to increase the transparency, accountability and competency of subnational government institutions. Training modules are designed to help district and provincial level councils collaborate better on sustainable development projects such as road repair, bridge building and water management. Under the auspices of Afghanistan’s Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development, the National Area Based Development Program (NABDP) has been promoting Cluster Level Development Committees (CLDCs) and District Development Assemblies (DDAs) all across Afghanistan, with the aim to develop long-term district-level plans. The CLDCs bring together several village-level Community Development Councils to address common challenges and issues, like roads and bridge infrastructure projects, that affect larger areas and aid in facilitating broader development concerns and governance issues at the meso level. However, to date the CLDCs and DDAs have not yet been supported as
y e a r i n r e v i e w : c i v i l s o c i e t y extensively as the local Community Development Councils have under the National Solidarity Program. In most cases, the cluster and district level councils are left uncoordinated and ineffectual. At the provincial and district level, a lack of capacity and limited programmatic scope is largely due to a lack of technical capacity and resource support. Unable to modestly deliver on basic services, with scarce reach to rural areas, the line departments are limited to provincial centers. Critical gaps of strategic vision, clarity of role, low capacity and severe lack of resources limit the effectiveness of these institutions. SOLUTION: Strengthening Sub-National Governance in Afghanistan Through the National Solidarity Program (NSP), the Afghan government established local governing bodies throughout Afghanistan, creating a platform for dialogue and problem-solving. To support the NSP, Aga Khan Foundation helped train local councils and villagers to prioritize and tackle communities’ most urgent needs. Now, AKF is extending the program to larger governance groups like community clusters, districts and provinces. In support of the Afghan Government’s National Solidarity Program, AKF is extending its capacity-building program at the district and provincial levels in an effort to create transparency, accountability and democratic decision-making. Supported with funding from the US Department of State, AKF is strengthening sub-national governance in Afghanistan, giving communities the power to change their own circumstances. The program focuses on building capacity in effective meso-level democratic local structures and increasing the transparency and accountability of subnational government institutions. To consolidate and strengthen these governance structures with a comprehensive approach, the program extends vital support to local NGOs. Local NGOs are also limited in scope and capacity and suffer from a lack of direction. With regards to the local civil society organizations, AKF- Afghanistan holds the long-term view of strengthening these organizations to become the facilitating agents of development in place of international NGOs like itself. The program supports 16 local NGOs across four regions and promotes sustainable development of 19 DDAs and 136 CLDCs in the northern and central provinces of Badakhshan, Baghlan, Bamyan and Takhar. Capacity-building training include modules in Participatory Planning and Proposal Writing (for CLDCs) and Vision Building (for DDAs). Other modules for NGOs include Institutional Strengthening Model, Proposal Writing, Gender Sensitization, Participatory Monitoring and Evaluation. After training, the aim is for these clusters to collaborate with one another and tackle more complex infrastructure needs in their region, like building bridges, generating electricity or repairing roads.
Page 1 and 2: AGA KHAN FOUNDATION U.S.A. ANNUAL R
Page 3 and 4: Dear friends, As another year ends,
Page 5 and 6: The Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKT
Page 7 and 8: A G A K H A N D E V E L O P M E N T
Page 9 and 10: Ye a r i n R e v i e w : C i v i l
Page 11: y e a r i n r e v i e w : c i v i l
Page 15 and 16: y e a r i n r e v i e w : c i v i l
Page 17 and 18: S t a t e m e n t o f Fi n a n c i
Page 19 and 20: C u r r e n t P r o j e c t s Afgha
Page 21 and 22: Photography: ACDI/VOCA, Luke Bostia

2010 Annual Report: Civil Society - PartnershipsInAction

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