Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration
It is anticipated that almost 66,000 former officers and soldiers will officially enroll in the UN Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (DDR) program when the final numbers are released at the end of August. The program has two objectives: to break the historic patriarchal chain of command that exists between the former commanders and their men and to provide the demobilized personnel with the ability to become economically independent. The process of disarming the officially recognized Afghan Military Forces (AMF) came to a close at the end of June 2005, when the President formally presented the last Medal of Honor. Those men and three women have now started the process of returning to be valuable members of civil society - some having been continually involved in conflict for more then twenty years.
Through its Looking Beyond the "R" initiative, USAID is committed to improving capacity and providing creative solutions to assist DDR personnel who have graduated from the UN program. Programs under this initiative are intended to complement and further reintegration assistance provided by the UN. USAID is building upon the $700 package of training, tools and/or stock that the individual receives to identify means of providing additional capacity, leverage and sustainability. By Fall 2005, USAID commitments to Looking Beyond the "R", totaling almost $10 million, will be in place.
Improving Rural Access to Healthcare
USAID’s Rural Expansion of Afghanistan’s Community-based Healthcare (REACH) program sent monitoring teams to visit 65 health facilities and 803 community health workers (CHW) in Baghlan, Paktia, Herat and Ghazni between July 31 and August 13. During the same time period, approximately 6,700 basic health kits and 18,000 bars of soap were distributed to CHWs and provincial hospitals.
In early August, REACH conducted re-orientation seminars on proper case management of Acute Watery Diarrhea in the four main Kabul hospitals: Infectious Disease Hospital, Indira Ghandi Children’s Hospital, Maiwand Hospital, and Khair Khana Hospital. A total of 80 participants (doctors, nurses, and chiefs of service) were trained.
REACH is supporting the MOPH in the first revision of the original Basic Package of Health Services (BPHS), published and released in March 2003. The revised version, which reflects two years of BPHS experience and incorporates elements of care formerly designated "second tier" (i.e., mental health and disability) will be termed "BPHS-2005". In this revision, BPHS is expected to continue to be the foundation of the Afghan health system in providing quality basic health services to its primarily rural population for the coming years.
Provincial Reconstruction Teams
USAID’s 23 Field Program Officers (FPOs) from the Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRTs) gathered in Kabul in mid-August for a one week conference. The PRTs are joint civil-military units deployed throughout most of Afghanistan to strengthen the reach and enhance the legitimacy of the central government in outlying regions. USAID’s FPOs are stationed throughout the country at U.S. and NATO Provincial Reconstruction Teams, regional military commands and Combined Joint Task Force-76. FPOs act as USAID representatives in their region and advise military personnel on reconstruction and development.
The conference was an opportunity to address civil-military issues, improve the ability of FPOs to serve the USAID Mission, discuss program options for available funding, and receive refresher training courses. Highlights include a day-long discussion about how field staff can use their position to support the fledgling Afghan state. Participants were able to exchange experiences and best practices with colleagues, a tremendous benefit since they work independently in remote regions with military personnel.
Security Incidents
Number of Hostile Attacks: During this reporting period, there were eleven hostile attacks, with one directly affecting USAID and ten indirectly affecting USAID. Eight of the hostile attacks were election related.
Related Incidents: On Sunday August 21 a vehicle convoy, conveying three US Diplomats and three Afghan Nationals were engaged by an IED, resulting in injuries to one of the occupants and major damage to one of the principal vehicles.
