Final evaluation Netherlands participation in ISAF 2006 - 2010

to some extent successfully, to interest more donors in Uruzgan, but it longremained the largest donor.The results of the Dutch efforts were facilitated by the good cooperationwith Afghan partners. Thanks to their knowledge of the local dynamics andtheir access to the local population, even in the most remote areas, trustcould be gained and a support base created for the Dutch mission. It alsoallowed important information to be gathered which was of greatimportance to the efforts in the areas of stability and security. Theimplementation of numerous projects, endeavouring at all times to maintaina careful balance between the various population groups, contributed to aneconomic revival in Uruzgan.In Uruzgan, the implementation of programmes for socio-economicdevelopment in a fragile environment barely accessible to organisations,and programmes not rooted in the local community and with littleimplementational capacity on the ground is a difficult process. Civilianorganisations and national programmes had to be approached actively andpersuaded to work in the province. At the same time, these organisationsheld a monopoly position, particularly at the beginning, owing to the limitednumber of actors, and corruption was on the increase due to the readyavailability of donor funds. A critical attitude was adopted and a criticaldialogue opened regarding the efforts of civilian organisations. Coordinationand effective alignment with the programmes and activities of other actorsin Uruzgan were therefore essential. It was very important not to hindersectoral policy and national sectoral plans and programmes. This wasgenerally successful, with a growing trust among civilian organisations,local authorities and ISAF.ResultsA considerable amount has been achieved in Uruzgan over the four years.The local authorities, national programmes and NGOs had limitedcapacities. Due to the negative perception of this province at the nationallevel, it was not easy to find qualified personnel. Education and health careimproved nonetheless, as is evident from the various indicators of therelevant ministries and the evaluations by the AHDS and the TLO. Bothaccessibility and quality have improved in both sectors. In four years, thenumber of clinics in almost all districts has increased and there is a form ofmedical care available in all six districts of Uruzgan. In the 2006-2010period, there were increases in the numbers of operational health carefacilities (from nine to seventeen), health care staff (from 89 to 124),doctors (from 19 to 31) and community health workers (from 130 to 300).The number of functioning schools and the number of school-going childrenin Uruzgan increased substantially over the 2006 – 2010 period. Thenumber of operational schools increased more than fourfold (from 34 to166); 42,772 children go to school regularly, of whom 6,774 are girls.The economic base and activity have also increased, particularly in areaswhich gained access to local and regional markets. Food security has alsoimproved. The socio-economic development was the most substantial inand around the three largest towns, but even outside that area, activityincreased. The population’s freedom of movement increased and theprovince has become more accessible to civil servants, NGOs and IOs.Improvement of the accessibility of the province by air and by the provincialroads to Chora and Deh Rawod has had a positive effect on the socioeconomicdevelopment. The completion of the first 20 km of paved roadfrom Tarin Kowt to Chora has led to the construction of more houses in thePage 104 of 133