Local Governance in Afghanistan: A View from the Ground

Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit
2011
Communities greatly appreciated WFP’s “Food for Education” programme. It has resulted in increased
school enrolment and attendance, particularly of girls. Many said that even if aid were withdrawn,
attendance would not be affected since people had come to realise the value of education. The food
for training programme has also contributed to the increase of female teachers. More generally, the
“Food for Work” programmes have provided a boost to economies in some of the poorest regions
of the country. 57 Respondents drew attention to the role of DDAs and others in the distribution and
monitoring of inputs. Active DDAs would store aid and make lists of recipients, and distribution often
took place in the presence of local government officials.
However, our research evidence indicates that there are also repeated instances of WFP aid being
siphoned off by those responsible for its delivery, monitoring and distribution. Those complicit included
woluswals, MoE officials, chiefs of police, DDAs and even on occasion the NDS. Commonly one third
of food, but sometimes more, would be taken and sold in the bazaar to be bought by the very people
for whom the food was intended. Other fraudulent practices included generating fake muster rolls for
labourers or creating ghost students. Sometimes consignments would be sold and lower-quality wheat
bought and distributed. In one instance an entire consignment of milk powder was taken and sold by
a woluswal. Although these issues were sometimes reported to the wali, no action was ever seen to
be taken. Since DDA members do not receive salaries, it appears regularly to be the case that leading
members were exploiting their positions for personal benefit, either through the sale of food, or diverting
aid to their own communities, and sometimes both. It can only be deduced that these opportunities for
gain were a reason for the continued operation of rump DDAs where they were not otherwise active.
5.3 Nongovernmental organisations
Nongovernmental actors have made a substantial contribution to the achievements that have
taken place since 2002 in respect of health, education, rural development, civil engineering and
construction. This includes a number of international NGOs (INGOs) present in Afghanistan during
the Taliban period, that have long-standing relations of mutual respect with the communities with
whom they work. Where given permission by the Taliban, INGOs have been able to operate in areas
not controlled by the government to deliver health, education and support for the NSP.
The commitment, industry and outputs of INGOs are impressive across all sectors. They have combined
technical assistance and a wide range of capacity-building activities with the effective use of indigenous
knowledge. 58 The majority of their activities are managed by competent Afghan staff, and it is not
uncommon to find INGO-trained staff moving on to apply their skills in government institutions. INGOs
paid far more attention than the government to employing and using the skills and abilities of women.
The interaction between NGOs and the state is reflected in how the BPHS has been delivered. Initially,
INGO service-providers ran contracts on their own, but then went on to work in partnership with
national NGOs. This process of skills-transfer and mentoring has increasingly led to national NGOs
developing enough capacity to take over sole responsibility for provincial health delivery. In provinces
where there have been shortcomings, INGOs have stepped back in again to assist. INGOs have also
historically played an active role in education. While some run schools and provide materials, they
have had the most visible and effective impact in the field of teacher training.
INGOs are active in rural development through helping farmers to incorporate new techniques and
introducing best practice in water conservation, irrigation, cropping, orchard development and
livestock. INGOs and national NGOs also play a crucial role as facilitating partners in NSP, and INGOs in
particular have an important function in encouraging female participation in CDC activities. Alongside
NSP-related activities there were other examples of INGO innovation, such as the introduction of a
human rights-based approach to governance in Samangan. In Laghman, an INGO built upon the NSP
by assisting in the development of farmers groups.
57 “Evaluation of Afghanistan – PRRO 10427.0” (World Food Programme Office of Evaluation, 2009), v.
58 Elizabeth Winter, “Civil Society Development in Afghanistan” (London: Centre for Civil Society, London School of Economics
and Political Science and ESRC Non-Governmental Public Action Programme, 2010), 28.
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