“The United States Government is proud to work closely with the Kabul municipality to provide a cleaner environment for the residents of Kabul city and provide cash for work employment opportunities for the most vulnerable and food insecure families of Kabul,” said US Ambassador E. Anthony Wayne.

The US Government is supporting Kabul Municipal Government’s Sanitation Department to clean the piles of solid waste throughout the city that has not been removed for the past several years via a $60 million cash-for-work program.

The project will remove more than 80,000 cubic meters of solid waste from the city, contributing to the overall aesthetics of the city and reducing the hazards of diseases borne from the waste.

This activity will be implemented under the cash-for-work program designed to reduce food insecurity, as well as provide short-term cash-for-work employment opportunities to 3,000 of Kabul’s most vulnerable persons during the winter months.

The Food Insecurity Response for Urban Population Program (FIRUP) is a USAID/PRT funded program, aiming at providing cash-for-work opportunities to vulnerable population centers at risk of food insecurity.  The cash for work opportunities will serve as the means of livelihoods for the target beneficiaries and as a result contribute to stability efforts across the country.  This is part of a bigger program employing tens of thousands of Afghans that will continue until January 2012.

The program is serving to enhance stability and improve small scale infrastructure within the City of Kabul where the program is being implemented.

“There are two sides of benefit from this project,” said Director of Sanitation Nesar Ahmad Habibi.  “On the one side, there is the cleanliness of Kabul in the city, and the other is to provide job opportunities for the breadwinners of most food insecure families.  We are happy that USAID is supporting activities like this.”

“The United States Government is proud to work closely with the Kabul municipality to provide a cleaner environment for the residents of Kabul city and provide cash for work employment opportunities for the most vulnerable and food insecure families of Kabul,” said US Ambassador E. Anthony Wayne.

“USAID is proud to be part of this initiative to clean up Afghanistan’s capital city,” said USAID Mission Director William M. Frej.  “This project is an important step toward beautifying the city of Kabul, but also providing a healthier urban environment for Kabul residents.”