NSP - Spinboldak and Khakrez in District of Kandahar

Background and Objectives

UN-HABITAT has been supporting the Government of Afghanistan for the implementation of the National Solidarity Programme (NSP). NSP works to establish elected Community Development Councils (CDCs) and build their capacity to prepare and effectively implement community development plans. NSP then provides financial allocations directly to CDCs for the implementation of priority projects. It also seeks to link CDCs to government agencies, NGOs, and donors to improve their access to services and resources.

CIDA is a major contributor to the Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund (ARTF) and committed financial support for NSP implementation across Afghanistan. In this regard, CIDA requested UN-HABITAT to support the expansion of NSP to two previously uncovered districts: Spinboldak and Khakrez in Kandahar Provonce. The Project supports the roll-out of NSP to Spinboldak and Khakrez and follows the standard NSP methodology to create and support 20 CDCs in each district. Community members have been mobilized and trained so that CDCs produce community development plans, prepare projects and implement them following the mainstream NSP's principles and practices.

Activities

The main activities include:
* Establishing contact with community representatives;
* Holding small meetings to raise awareness about NSP and to build trust and confidence;
* Coordinating a large gathering to reinforce the need for and importance of a CDC to take charge of community level development activities;
* Assisting communities to recognize community resources and identify the community problems;
* Facilitating CDC members for analysing problems and strategy to solve them;
* Encouraging communities to identify projects to be implemented without outside support;
* Facilitating the planning process for male and female groups separately;
* Assisting communities to consider non-infrastructure projects such as human capital development and income generation projects;
* Provide social mobilization and technical support following standard NSP phases and training relevant to the phases.

Results (2009)

* A total of 40 communities have participated in the NSP with CIDA's direct funding to UN-HABITAT involving a total of 9,488 families and benefiting 66,416 people;
* 40 communities have completed CDCs elections;
* The elected CDCs have been provided necessary training;
* All CDCs have prepared Community Development Plans (CDP);
* Prepared a total of 57 project proposals submitted and approved by the programme;
* To the approved sub-projects USD 1.44 million has been disbursed to the communities;
* Completed 16 infrastructure subprojects;
* Social mobilization and engineering supports are being provided to 14 ongoing projects and the projects in the pipeline.