/ Programmes / Rural Development
Rural Development
In the initial stage of the of existence the Rural Development Programme the main goal will be to provide technical backstopping to SCA’s project involvement in the National Solidarity Programme (NSP), Water and Sanitation (WatSan), rural infrastructure and capacity building in participatory rural appraisal.
National Solidarity Programme, NSP
SCA has been a facilitating partner in Wardak province of the Afghan Government’s National Solidarity Programme (NSP) since 2003 when NSP was launched. NSP is now active in all 34 provinces of the country, and SCA is one of 24 implementing partners. In response to the restoration of governance structures, NSP as a country covering programme, aims to strengthen the all self-governing local community institutions. The programme has three main objectives: empowering communities, re-establishing relations between the rural communities and other development agencies including the government, and delivering emergency reconstruction of physical infrastructure. As a community-based programme, NSP creates job opportunities and strengthens the capacities at local level to make decisions and manage resources during the implementation of development projects. As part of the national building process, the communities identify, plan, manage, finance and monitor their own reconstruction and development projects, and through elected representatives build linkages and working partnership with other development organisations and the government. The programme is implemented in five phases, including awareness-raising, problem identification, election, preparation of community development plan, community project design, submission of proposals, project implementation, monitoring and evaluation. Transparency, accountability, consultation and consensus building, inclusion of vulnerable groups, and equity are core programme principles. 
Through NSP SCA has over the past three and a half years supported the establishment of 544 Community Development Councils (CDCs) with a total 93,430 families in the communities. By working with these democratically elected village committees called shuras the capacity of the local community strengthens. Women were previously not included in these local decision-making bodies, but now women are actively participating through mixed or separate shuras. Technical support is provided from SCA staff and financial support in the form of block grants from the Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development. Capacity development support is a crucial part of NSP, and to date SCA/NSP has trained 23,670 community members. Of the 377 community sub-projects that have been completed, 95% were infrastructure projects and the rest human capital development projects. With a total amount of US$18.8 of funds that the communities are eligible to receive, 22% have until now been used for projects that meet prioritized community needs, for example construction of roads, water and electricity supply, irrigation channels, bridges, culverts, canals and schools.
In 2007, SCA/NSP expands its local governance and poverty reduction work into 98 new communities in the five of six districts that SCA/NSP is working in, and consolidates its activities in communities it currently operates.
Rural Infrastructure
The Rural Contruction Unit was established in mid 1992 with limited projects (school rehabilitation, wells and road construction) in Logar and Nangarhar provinces. In 1993 it started with full capacity to construct schools, clinics, wells and minor irrigation projects.
The new Iman Saib Hospital in Kunduz
Due to fund limitation, irrigation projects were stopped in 1995 and other activities continued till now. So far the REUs constructed 236 school buildings, 101 clinic buildings, 3 orthopedic workshops, 2 hospital buildings (50 beds each), one in Maidan Shar and one in Imam Sahib district, Kunduz province. Besides building construction, the REUs constructed/improved more than 13,000 shallow wells/bored wells to provide safe water for the rural inhabitant.
Constructed schools
Most of the constructed schools (90 %) are new 8 classrooms buildings and few of them are pre-war rehabilitated schools. The REUs used its own designed standard (8 classrooms building) up to 2003. During 2004 and onward the REUs used standard drawing agreed by a technical working group for school construction under the construction department of ministry of education that SCA was its member. The size of each classroom in the new standard is 48 M2 (6x8 M).
From quality point of view, the REUs started new school construction from local available materials, as stone masonry for foundation, burnt or sundry bricks for superstructure and wooden beams for roofing. This continued till 1996. After that time, the REUs used stone for foundation, burnt bricks/stone for superstructure and pre-cast concrete beams and slabs for roofing. After 1999, the REUs further improved the quality and instead of pre-cast concrete beams and slabs, monolith concrete is used for roofing. There is still gap for further improvement, e.g. using of better quality of timbers for doors and windows. At the moment we are using Russian imported wood for that purpose.
Coming to the cost per unit building, our first year (1993) cost was about Pak Rs. 500,000, equivalent to $ 25,000 per building. It increased slowly and our unit cost during 2005 was about Afs. 3,080,000, equivalent to $ 62,000 per building.
The SCA policy states that the communities (beneficiaries) must contribute in construction (15 to 20 % of total allocated fund). Unfortunately, due to many actors working for school construction in Afghanistan without asking communities to contribute, SCA faced a problem to get full support of the beneficiaries. Any the REUs tried to get community contribution and to date we are satisfied with community contribution.
Wells construction
In wells construction, the communities must dig the wells, transport well components from production centre to well site, provide gravel and stone for apron construction, provide unskilled labours during sinking of rings and introduce one person to be trained by SCA for future well maintenance.
One of the important activities in connection to water wells is to conduct hygiene education sessions for beneficiaries about water handling, storage and water born diseases. The SCA field staff either from Community Organisation Unit or in depending employees are conduction hygiene education to male and female part the communities.
SCA is one of the international NGOs which have a good cooperation with government related ministries. e.g. wells construction is coordinated with MRRD (Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development). Before starting well construction, baseline survey, location of the projects and future maintenance of the wells are coordinated with MRRD through WSG (Water and Sanitation Group) for Afghanistan. SCA is an active member of WSG, coordinating WatSan programmes in the country. Recently the government approved new law for NGOs and put ban on construction. SCA is negotiating this issue with the ministry of economy for exemption and hope that ministry of economy will agree with SCA due to its long experience and expertise in the field of construction.
Besides all above activities, the REU in Kabul Management Office (KMO) constructed a three stories building having 45 rooms in Pol-i-Charkhi area for its use.