USAID is committed to supporting stability and community development in the most volatile provinces in Afghanistan.  In Nuristan, USAID’s Local Governance and Community Development program provides innovative grants that empower women and civil servants while earning the trust of local residents.  In response to needs identified by community leaders, USAID recently allocated $775,000 for development projects over the next seven months, which will create thousands of jobs for residents of the province.  As the only civilian-led U.S. effort in Nuristan’s Du Ab and Nurgaram districts, USAID’s programs will focus on rural development, health, irrigation, and agriculture needs.

The new programs will build on past successes.  In November, USAID completed a health and hygiene training program for 30 Ministry of Public Health volunteer community health workers in Du Ab and Nurgaram.  They, in turn, trained 3,000 community members, of which 481 were women.  Trained health workers – especially women – are essential to reducing preventable childhood illnesses like diarrhea, as well as ensuring that women and children have access to healthcare near their homes.

Community and economic development projects can go a long way to help stabilize the province and deny recruitment opportunities to insurgents.  “Community development is at the core of what USAID does in Afghanistan,” said USAID Mission Director William M. Frej.  “It helps the people of Afghanistan at the grass-root level while helping provincial and central government ministries deliver the services needed.”