Tag Archives: community

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Expansion of our activities to the province of Daikundi

The expansion of our preschool program took us in to a third and fastmoving province

In 2017 Nai Qala began its preschool program in Ghazni province and following its success Nai Qala went on to expand firstly into Bamyan province in 2019, then in the spring of 2021 into the province of Daikundi. All together Nai Qala is currently running 65 preschool classes in 3 provinces. 

A young population looking for development opportunities 

Daikundi is a new province, created from the northern districts of Oruzgan province that were originally part of the Hazara ethnic region. The Province of Daikundi is surrounded, in the East, by the Provinces of Bamyan and Ghazni, where we already operate.

Daikundi, as a region, has historically suffered deep poverty resulting from an extremely tough geography and unforgiving mountainous region, that kept its people isolated and excluded from most development initiatives. The harshness of the region has created a strong social cohesion among its inhabitants which has made Daikundi one of the most stable provinces in Afghanistan.

A socio-economic survey revealed that half of the population of the province is aged 15 years or younger with the youth aged 15-24 years comprising 20.6 percent of the province’s population, implying therein a very young age structure. This supports the fact that the total fertility rate recorded in the province is high at more than 7 children per woman.

The main sources of income in Daikundi are farming and foreign labor, mainly in Iran. The cultivation of almond trees has recently come to represent a new hope, bringing some income, as the leading cash crop, and providing people with an improved horizon and some prospects for the future.

The central part of the province and the area surrounding the provincial capital, Nili, is home to many internally displaced people who have left a harsh life in the mountains where the land is barren and inaccessible, often with a persistent lack of water, in search of opportunity and a better life. In addition to these internally displaced people, many returnees from abroad are now settling and starting their lives anew in the region. 

Our Preschool program will address the need of this new rising population 

In the spring of this year, we opened 20 preschool classes in the surroundings of Nili. Our young beneficiaries are mostly from internally displaced families and are living below the poverty line. One of our classes is located in a community composed mainly of former refugees who have returned from abroad. The inclusion of refugee children in a preschool program is very important to the Nai Qala Association. Indeed, the life of a refugee is hard, they are constantly excluded, but their return home is also difficult, as resettlement may not be in the hometown, and life must start again from scratch. 

Our preschool classes also welcome a large number of orphaned children. Since Daikundi is a very poor province and very little attention has been paid to development, a remarkable number of men have left in search of work. Driven by poverty, many of them were recruited into the army and fought on the frontline but few returned home. Fatherless children often suffer exclusion and, in most cases, are even abandoned by their mothers when they remarry.

The preschool program in the province of Daikundi targets a new rising population within a dynamic and fastmoving society. People have just settled or are settling in the region of Nili, which makes our investment likely to be sustainable on the longer term. We believe that we can give hope to children and their families through a preschool program. We also have to keep in mind, Daikundi is not a prosperous province with many opportunities and developments. As many communities in Afghanistan, those in Daikundi are going through a tough path. We are especially proud to provide a chance to give a hopeful future for their children. 

We were very pleased to inaugurate our preschool education project in Daikundi and to start investing in its children’s future. We look forward to accompanying this brave community, drawing inspiration from them and together implementing important initiatives to contribute to change in this society.

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Women take the lead

Inspired by the example of the founder and president of the Nai Qala Association, the women of Sokhtagi have created a women’s council.

Impressed by the fact that an Afghan woman could lead a project in their area and inspired by the founder and president of the Nai Qala Association, women have decided to take their fate into their own hands.

During fall 2017, the women in the village of  Sokhtagi created the “Women’s Council Association”. This is the first council of this type not only in the village and in the district, but certainly also throughout the province of Bamyan.

The goal of a women’s council is to provide a forum for discussion where everyone can share their ideas in confidence. Women are aware that if they want to be able to participate in decisions, they must be clear and precise in their demands. Women’s health and literacy are part of the council’s priorities.

Creation of the council

A few months ago Momena, a fifty-something, illiterate mother of seven, grandmother and shepherd’s wife had the vision of creating a women’s council to answer their specific problems. This need to assemble women was based on the observation that a group has more weight than an isolated individual; with this idea in mind, Momena started to bring women together.

The President of the Nai Qala Association’s first visit to Sokhtagi was a trigger for Momena. She accompanied the President in each of the meetings with the community and was inspired by Taiba Rahim’s leadership and the tasks that were distributed to the community.

One of the tasks entrusted to the community was to prepare the ground for the construction of the school. Momena took it upon herself to go door to door, and collect money to rent the bulldozer that would allow the community to prepare the ground. Thanks to her persuasiveness, Momena was able to collect the financing on her own. This first success allowed her not only to gain the community’s recognition and the men’s respect but also to send a strong message to the women, so that they joined her in her project.

During Nai Qala President’s visit in December 2017, the women discussed the statutes and elected the committee members of the newly created association. Momena hired some students from Sokhtagi school as treasurer, spokesperson or secretary of the new council association.

A source of motivation

The construction of a school by the Nai Qala Association brings a village not only development opportunities for children but also strength and confidence to the community, especially for women.

Momena expressed gratitude to Taiba Rahim, President of the Nai Qala Association: “Thank you for bringing change to our village. Your presence among us, the way you speak to men means a lot to us. It encourages me to convince women to join.”

We have seen a greater participation of women in Nai Qala projects than in any other similar project in the region. The women have seen that Nai Qala’s projects are proposed and led by a woman, which makes all the difference for them. This gives them more strength and self-confidence.

 

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Community engagement

Inspired by the community infrastructures that are provided to them, local communities feel empowered and more engaged

During Autumn 2017, the community of Sokhtagi got together to discuss the school that was under construction and what their own roles would be in the future. They organized a lunch and everyone – women and men – sat in the same room and ate together. It was amazing to see how women and men talked about a common project and the future of the village, and that everybody felt included

The engagement of the community in Nai Qala’s projects increases community pride and commitment. The new infrastructures become a symbol of shared commitment, encouraging a sense of shared goals with community participation and solidarity.

Members of the communities impacted by the construction of schools and clinics have an increased role in decision-making and they collectively take part in the design, implementation and management of those projects.