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SCA is continuing its development activities in Afghanistan
August 28, 2007
Swedish Committee for Afghanistan (SCA), in collaboration with the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH), has been the implementing partner for the Basic Package of Health Services (BPHS) - a standardised package for providing health services for the population in rural and underserved areas. SCA was the first organisation in Afghanistan to implement BPHS in the northern province of Kunduz.
SCA has now handed over the BPHS project in Kunduz to Medical Emergency Relief International (Merlin)/Care of Afghan Families (CAF) and in Nuristan to International Medical Corps (IMC). SCA’s Country Director, Mr Anders Fänge says: - “The hand over process has been running smoothly and according to plans and we wish both organisations a successful continuation of the health services in Kunduz and Nuristan.
SCA remains active in both Kunduz and Nuristan provinces. SCA is running HIV/Aids projects and Learning for Health Life (LHL) which is a 9 months literacy course for women and children. The LHL training teaches women how to utilize health services and provides them with health education. This enables them to make good decisions regarding their own and their family member’s health.
Mr Anders Fänge underlines: - “In addition to the ongoing health projects in Kunduz and Nuristan, SCA is also running activities in the areas of Education, Rehabilitation of Afghans with Disabilities, Rural Development and Human Rights & Gender”.
SCA programme activities in Afghanistan
SCA Health Programme – SCA has been engaged in health activities in the country since it started its work in 1982. At the moment SCA implements BPHS in the two provinces of Wardak & Paktika. In addition to that, SCA is providing LHL trainings and HIV/Aids projects in Kunduz, Nuristan Wardak and Paktika. SCA is also running a Community Midwifery School in Maidan Shar, Wardak.
SCA Education Programme
- SCA has since 1984 supported primary education and is continuing to do so. At the present SCA supports around 54 000 students in 44 models schools where 34 % of the students are girls, 784 Community Based Schools with 23 400 students, 1540 teachers and 450 girls’ annexes.
Rehabilitation of Afghans with Disabilities (RAD) - The RAD programme contains of five components and the aims are to promote and protect the rights of children, women and men with disabilities. RAD is implemented in more than 1500 villages of 38 districts in 13 provinces in three regions that hold four orthopedic workshops, 40 physiotherapy clinics and 50 rehabilitation centres and sub-centres in the northern, north-eastern and south-eastern parts of Afghanistan.
SCA Rural Development Programme - the aim of this programme is to promote sustainable community development through participation-based multi-sectoral interventions. The programme currently includes Water and Sanitation, Rural Infrastructure, Livelihoods Development, Agriculture and Capacity and Institution building. SCA is the facilitating partner for the National Solidarity Programme in Wardak province.
SCA Human Rights & Gender Unit - SCA has a three year strategy for working with gender and human rights. The immediate objective is to initiate, implement and follow up activities to increase gender awareness and understanding of human rights issues. The second step is to use the strategy of mainstreaming with direct impact on reaching equal accessibility to services. The third step is going to be advocacy work on gender and human rights issue findings in rural areas in cooperation with different civil society groups.
Anders Fänge, Country Director
Swedish Committee for Afghanistan