In 2012 the Afghanistan IAM Community Development Project in Badakhshan doubled its Afghan staff to 12 and added 2 additional villages. The project strives to empower communities to develop themselves, therefore, staff reside in the village 3 or more nights/ week, living and interacting with the communities for 3 year cycles.
Participatory surveys help the community and the teams learn about village resources and vulnerabilities. Based on discovered needs in the communities, the CDP-BDK team developed a course for village leader committees (Shora) and is currently developing courses on agriculture, animal husbandry and health topics.
Since the start of the project, 159 families in the three villages have participated in a six week hygiene course. In addition, 52 Madrassa (religious school) students/teachers representing eight villages participated in the hygiene training. In response to the hygiene course and increased knowledge about spread of disease, the madrassa, all 44 families in one village and about 50 of 75 families in another have been assisted in building latrines.
In 2012, two hand-pump wells were dug in one village supplying 44 families with a safe water source. In 2013, a deep well with metered electric pump to pipe to a water reservoir was completed in another village supplying 80 families with a safe water source. In 2013, 13 men and 16 women graduated from a basic literacy course and 9 women are still studying hoping to graduate soon.
CDP-BDK has a goal of instituting national leaders, with the help of IAM’s Management School, (IMS) they are training a leadership team consisting of one Afghan woman and Afghan man.