Central Asia Development Group Toplines for the USAID Community Development Program October 2010-October2013
Jun 14, 2015
Central Asia Development Group
Toplines for the USAID Community Development Program
October 2010-October2013
Goal 1: Stabilize troubled districts in the South, East and West of Afghanistan by employing at-risk residents on infrastructure repair projects
Two Program Goals
Goal 2: (After Jan 2012) Use infrastructure repair projects to improve relations between Afghan Government (GIRoA) stakeholders and local communities in troubled areas
3 Years (Oct 2010 to Oct 2013), 19 Provinces, 257 Projects
~120 Expat staff members and 1,000 Afghan staff members (at peak)
Light Footprint
Staff members work directly with community members in the field without employing arm’s length subcontractors
Local communities are responsible for security- no independent security contracts with Dyncorp/ G4S etc.
Where did the program operate?
Image: 2,500+ project worksites drawn from 257 projects
How did CADG do over those 3 years?
Afghan Residents Employed: 213,488 Person Days Of Work Generated By
Afghan Community Members: 9,930,172
Canals Repaired: 1,188 Miles Sidewalks Repaired: 8,247,857 ft2
Karez Well Systems Repaired: 2,681 Roads Graveled: 380 Miles
Water Gates Repaired: 817 Roadside Canals Repaired: 259 mi
Flood Protection Walls Repaired: 17,726,020 ft3 Municipal Canals Repaired: 56 Miles
Intakes Repaired: 241 School Buildings Repaired: 36
Check Dams Repaired: 44 Health Center (Clinic, Hospital) Buildings Repaired: 15
Reservoirs Repaired: 61 Other Buildings (Shop Stalls, Government Buildings) Repaired: 266
These are fairly big numbers. We put some of them in context on the next few pages…
Number of Afghan residents employed: 213,488
2010 Population of Irvine, CA: 212,375
Clearing land leading to an intake in Sharana district, Paktika Province
Women employed: 2,523
Repairing sidewalks at a Girl’s school in Nangarhar province
Miles of canals repaired: 1,188 miles
Driving distance from New York to Kanas City: 1,193 miles
Sidewalks repaired: 8,247,857 ft2
Equivalent number of American football fields: 143
Sidewalk repairs in Qualat District, Zabul Province
Water gates repaired: 817
Water gates used to control tides in the Everglades national park: 150
Restoring a water gate in Nimroz province
Flood protection walls repaired: 17,726,020 ft3
Equal to roughly half the volume of the Empire State Building
Repairing a flood protection wall in Khost province
Farmland protected by flood control measures (est.): 842 mi2
Size of Los Angeles, CA: 468.7 square miles
Community members in Paktya province finish repairs to a flood protection wall as
waters overflow in the foreground
Roads Gravelled: 380 MilesEqual to 74% of the streets in
Manhattan, NY (508 mi)
Leveling a road near a displaced person’s camp in Zhari district, Kandahar province
Estimated number of community members who
received skills training: 60,400
A master mason inspects concrete drain covers in Zabul province
Total number of buildings repaired: 317
Number of skyscrapers in Boston, MA: 336
Repairing the damaged roof on a bazaar shop stall in Naw Zad, Helmand Province
This program succeeded by keeping itself simple and by focusing on execution
The approach used in this program should be available to any development firm willing to work directly and in the field