National Solidarity Program (NSP)
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The National Solidarity Program (NSP) has been established by the Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development (MRRD), Islamic Republic of Afghanistan to develop the ability of Afghan communities to identify, plan, manage, and monitor their own reconstruction and development projects. NSP promotes a new development paradigm whereby communities are empowered to make decisions and control over resources for their development through community participation.
BRAC Afghanistan, a Facilitating Partner signed an agreement with the MRRD on June 25, 2003 and started its work from September 2003 to run the National Solidarity Program (NSP). At present BRAC is working in thirty six districts under Nangarhar, Helmand , Paktika, Badghis and Samangan.
According to the NSP Operation Manual introduced by MRRD/PMU BRAC aims to facilitate community empowerment and rural reconstruction through the formation of local administrative bodies by standard democratic process (election). Working with the MRRD and the Government of Afghanistan since 2003, BRAC continued its efforts in the formation of local Community Development Councils (CDC) which governs rural life.
These Community Development Councils work as the nucleus of all the development activities in their respective communities. CDCs identify their own problems and challenges, frame out their own strategies and development plan, manage, monitor and implement all reconstruction and development process in the field level in order to bring a positive change in the life of community people
Goals and Objectives:
The goal of NSP is to reduce poverty through empowering communities with regard to improved governance, and social, human, and economic capital.
The specific objectives are:
- Lay the foundations for strengthening of community level governance.
- Support community managed sub-projects comprising reconstruction and development that improve the access of rural communities to social and productive infrastructure and services.
The NSP aims to achieve:
- The establishment of a framework for village level consultative decision making and representative local leadership as a basis for interaction within and between communities on the one hand, and with the administration and aid agencies on the other.
- Local level reconstruction, development, and capacity building which will lead to a decrease in poverty levels.
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Inauguration of Sadmarda water reserver Khuram wa Sarbagh
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Community mobilization:
The first work with the community is the mobilization process. Extensive staff field visit in each community and arrangement of community meetings is conducted throughout the community people in order to make the whole community people aware about the goals, objectives of NSP and participation in the CDC election process irrespective of men and women. Apart from the community, meetings with the Government officials, commanders, community leaders, Imams , members of the Loya Jirga, and village leaders for ensuring their participations.
Survey:
A survey is conducted in each community to enlist the family number, population, voter number, and identification of Internally Displaced Persons (IDP), refugees including their socio-economic and demographic background. Data is collected in a prescribed format and then compiled.
Cluster formation:
Clusters are formed during survey for each community based on the geographical location of households and number of families and it is formed between 5-15 according to the guideline in the NSP Operation Manual.
Process of Election and CDC Formation:
Many people remain unacquainted with the voting processes, leading them to shy away from full citizen participation in governmental elections. As a result, BRAC has worked to develop familiarity among local populations with the election processes and to convince rural administrators that their power will not be threatened by transparent election procedures
On the Election Day two ballot boxes were kept for each cluster, one for males and another for females inside the centre for maintaining privacy and pardhya. BRAC disseminated the date, time and place where the election was being held. Provincial and district level government personnel to observe CDC election in order to foster greater cooperation and understanding.
On the day of CDC election, BRAC brought voter lists, ballot papers, ballot boxes with lock and keys, formats for result sheet to the central community gathering place. Social Organizers divided voters into clusters. Volunteers kept notes with tick marks on the voter list after confirming the votes besides their names. After completion of casting votes, BRAC, Oversight Consultant, and RRD personnel opened the ballot boxes in front of the villagers for counting and completed the result sheets with confirming signatures of elected persons,. The Executive Committee of the CDC was formed from the election and declared in public. Each CDC consists of 5-15 elected representatives from the community structuring Chair, Vice-chair, Secretary, Treasurer and Members. After election CDC is registered with the Provincial RRD and immediately opens a Bank Account for receiving Block Grant money for implementing sub-project.
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Khulure Payen micro hidro power project Khuram wa Sarbagh
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Particulars |
Data |
Province Covered |
6 |
District Covered |
36 |
Community Developement Councils (CDC) to be formed |
2,003 |
Community Developement Councils (CDC) formed |
2,003 |
Reconstruction/Rehabilitation and Development projects being implimented |
906 |
Projects Completed |
2,391 |
Block Grant distributed |
US $ 38 Million |
| Nature of Development Projects : |
Karez Cleaning, Boring Well, Road Construction, Canal Irrigation, Protection Wall, Diesel Electricity, Solar Power, Public Toilet, Schools, Clinics,
Productive Asset Transfer for poor and vulnerable women etc |
Community Development Plan and sub-project preparation:
The communities are assisted in identifying their immediate needs and actions required to meet the needs through Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) methods. Communities prepare their Development Plan by themselves prioritizing their need which develop the capacity of the communities to take appropriate action for their own development.
First approach to a community development plan is to set-up priorities of the projects selected by the community and as soon as the priorities have been set-up the process of sub-project preparation is started. A detailed engineering survey is followed by a preliminary sketch survey by the social organizer. After survey required engineering drawing? Design and cost estimation are done maintaining standard construction code and norms especially following the technical manual of the Oversight Consultant.
Community sub-project submission, approval and implementation:
After preparation and through cross-checking, the sub-project is submitted to the provincial oversight consultant office for approval. Oversight Consultant verifies/checks and send it to the central ( Kabul ) Oversight Consultant office for allocation of Block Grant money against each sub-project.
Money is received by the concerned CDC members by installment wise and starts the work immediately after receiving money. A completion certificate is issued to the CDC by OC/RRD after appropriate completion of the sub-project.
Capacity Building :
The capacity building is an integral part of NSP and it is two of way-folds, one for the staff and the other one for CDCs. BRAC has identified a series of training for its staff, CDC members and communities. In addition to training, workshops, forums and exchange visits will also be organized for the CDCs as a part of capacity building.
A core team of NSP is working for preparing training modules, materials and managing the implementation of the required training courses, as planned. BRAC-NSP seeks required support from BRAC Training and Resources Centre (BTRC) in terms of training conduction, training material and hiring selective resource person as required. In addition, BRAC Staff receive required training from the Oversight Consultant.
The communities have chosen a varieties of projects which includes: hand pump, Culvert & bridge, road, pipe water supply, diesel generator for electricity, water intake,; dam and protection wall construction, aqueduct, micro-hydro power, school and public bath. A good number of vulnerable women and disabled persons have been supported with income generating activities like carpet weaving, tailoring and sheep rearing under productive asset transfer program. So far, 5355 beneficiaries have been provided with 8,466 sheep.
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Flour Mill by MHP
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NSP Scores Against Poverty
The people of the village Jaitamghali were very poor. They have not much opportunity for income generation activities. Especially the poor women, who are widows, did not have much scope to do anything for income. They were in trouble to maintain their family expenditure properly. As the people are poor so, they do not have access to drinking water, good shelter, good food, good cloths, education and medical facilities. They were suffering a lot. |
In 2003, NSP has started its activities at that village. The village is under the district Dara-I-Suf Paiyan in Samangan province. It has identified that people of this village are poor, especially the widows due to the lack of income generating activities. A CDC has been formed and the CDC people notice that they need a project, which will create employment for the poor women so that they will be empowered by income they will earn. But what suitable activity they should take? It was a question. The CDC analyzed that all the villagers are suffering for making garments problem. They have to go far distance for making garments and expend much extra for conveyance. Also there is a skilled woman who can sew cloths. If she gives training to the other women then more employment would be generated.
After getting this analysis from the people of that village, the NSP finalize to take the project with the consensus. The women also were interested with tailoring job. Fatema, the only one skilled tailor willingly wanted to involve with this project. By the headed of Fatema a group of women started to receive training. NSP also provided sewing machine and technologies related to this project. After getting three months training on tailoring 48 women got graduation. After getting supports from NSP all the participants have started tailoring business. Now their income is 160 afs per day per person, and monthly is about 4800 afs per head per month. People also have been appreciated this project because this project has been benefiting them in two ways, one: 48 women or 48 families are now leading their families nicely with good income and two: the people of this village are making their cloths or dress with minimum cost in convenient time. People from neighbor villages also are coming to this village.
NSP has changed the livelihood of this village. 48 women have got job those had not anything to do earlier. Now these families are self-dependent. The children of these families are going to school. People are keeping themselves clean and well dressed. Women also now aware, and empowered. They can take decision themselves. NSP has scored success against the poverty here. |
Sheep Rearing Project |
NSP Rescues People
It is a story of some villages in their unity and dignity, how they rescued themselves from a difficult life that they are maintaining for a long time by the help of National Solidarity Program (NSP). The villages are named by Pushtiband, Qainer olia, Qainer Sofla, and Qainer Marbulaq in Khuram Wa Sarbagh district. Earlier, they did not have any road to move towards markets, hospitals/clinics, water sources, schools and others necessary sports for their livelihood. The people of these villages are living on the top of the mountain.
Majority of the peoples are farmers and they could not sell their crops to the markets easily. They had to expand minimum two days to get marketing facilities to the nearest district markets. It was also very difficult to carry a patient even a pregnant mother to the nearest clinic immediately due to the lack of road communication. For that a significant men and women were died without medical treatment. Earlier the people thought that if some one attack by diseases just nothing to do without wait or to die.
When NSP offered the opportunity, these village people jointly decided to construct a road. They took a road construction project. The villagers equally participated and contributed in the project and enthusiastically completed it.
Now they are well communicated with the district nicely. They are enjoying good facilities for agricultural marketing, meeting their livelihood demands and can serve in the emergency period. Very recently three persons were seriously ill due to appendicitis and pregnancy, they were immediately rushed to the clinic and they are saved. This was only the result of good communication and it was for the said road, which was constructed by the communities jointly and of course with the help of NSP.
People of these areas are appreciating a lot to the activities of BRAC NSP Afghanistan and they satisfied on the contribution of the organization.
Finally, it can say that NSP has brings a big change in the life of people, which is people's oriented and by addressing the demand of the community.
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Road-Wakil sadi |
NSP Brings Significant Changes in People Life
Water is sometimes called life. But in Afghanistan water scarcity is the main barrier for well-being livelihood. People of some CDC areas are suffering a lot from scarcity of water. The people were collected water from far distance or drank dirty water. They did not seem that a day might come with some miracles when they will get relief and save their life. This story is of the village of Tagchi , under Dara-I-Suf district in Samangan province. People of this village were not aware about the activities of NSP. Diseases regarding water were their normal phenomenon. |
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When the NSP team went to the village, the villagers are became surprised, they thought eoh yes, some helping hand can safe our life, no need to go beyond the trust of Almighty Allah', they have realized. People have understood the objectives of NSP, agreed with them and commonly decided to implement the project of deep water well. All technical supports were given by the NSP, but the project was implemented by the community (CDC). They prepare Deep well along with two reservoirs. The villagers now have access to drinking water.
At the end of the project we went to evaluate the project, we talked to some people, one of them Abdullah the son of Md. Nazir was sharing his exiting feelings with us. gNow our children are safe, we are safeh he was telling. Furthermore his shared on pathetic accident about his beloved children. Once in 2005, his 3 children were attacked by diarrhea, due to drinking of contaminated water, there was no any safe water at that village at that time. The children were suffered a lot, finally one of his son died. When he was sharing this fact in front of us he was crying. Again he said, gOkay, now we have available safe water in our village. NSP gave us this scope to have this gift, and we are safe now Insha-Allahh.
From the other activities of NSP the women of this village received orientation training on NSP Orientation, Leadership Development, Gender Awareness, Enterprise Development and Accounts and Procurement Policy. All the community people were involved with this process. By this way they became empowered. Also, both sexes are gender unbiased and they belief that men and women can bring development by working together. This conceptual knowledge has changed their attitudinal behaviors, which will bring development in all aspects no doubt. |
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