Empowering communities to build sustainable livelihoods

ACTED was founded in Afghanistan in 1993 and is currently working with 400,000 households (approximately 8% of the country’s population) in 25 districts and several urban provincial capitals. ACTED continues to build upon 19 years of uninterrupted presence in Afghanistan, with 898 staff of whom 98 % are Afghan nationals, dedicated to the people of Afghanistan and to rebuilding their country. ACTED consolidates its work in eight of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces in the north of the country. Our beneficiaries, while predominantly from rural, agricultural-based areas, typify the diversity of Afghanistan, inclusive of different ethnic groups, languages, customs and traditions.

ACTED is currently implementing 25 projects, including a 3-year holistic rural development programme for Fayab Province, funded by the Royal Norwegian Embassy, a 3-year key infrastructure building programme, as well as the flagship good-governance initiative of Afghanistan, the National Solidarity Programme, funded by the World Bank.

All ACTED programming in Afghanistan is in keeping with its 5-capital livelihood approach, overlaying multiple programmes in one intervention area to enable a virtuous cycle of local development. Its programming includes vocational courses and income-generating courses for marginalized populations, supporting livelihood activities and opportunities, fostering better social water management and agricultural development, offering sub-grants to local level community-based organizations (CBOs), building key infrastructure (including schools, teacher training centers, emergency dry storage facilities, and youth centres), promoting business women empowerement and girls education, and fostering links between communities and the Afghan government (including capacity building of government officials, conflict mitigation training at the local level, and various cross-visits between CBOs and agricultural entities).

Sustainable livelihoods security is a long term development strategy. As such, our focus is to continue providing communities with the means to identify their own priorities. Inclusion of young people and women are key priorities and we will continue to respond to emergencies if they arise, while continuing to support civil society, improve coordination and increase regional dialogue with neighboring countries.

ACTED Afghanistan employs 885 national and 13 international staff.

ACTED works in partnership with NGOs and the government to deliver key national programmes. We represent and advocate on behalf of NGOs as an elected member of the Agency Coordinating Body for Afghan Relief, (ACBAR, which represents 120 member NGOs) and the Human Rights Research and Advocacy Consortium. We also serve as a member of the governing bodies of local organizations.

Meeting challenges in the year ahead

Sustainable livelihoods security is a long term development strategy. We will continue to design and deliver holistic programmes which have shown tangible results. As such, our focus will be to continue providing communities with the means to identify their own priorities. Programmes will remain evidence-based and relevant to needs. Inclusion of young people and women will be key priorities and we will continue to respond to emergencies if they arise.

Our partnerships with national and international NGOs and the Government will be expanded and will serve to pilot and deliver key national programs, continue to support civil society, improve coordination and increase regional dialogue with neighbouring countries.

The fragmented security landscape, with increasing numbers of regular and irregular armed actors, will continue to present challenges. The handover of security from international to national security forces is expected to cover 75% of the population by the end of 2012. The Transition will impact adversely on security and morale in some areas. The international troop withdrawal (and accompanying demobilization of equipment) will impede access.

ACTED’s humanitarian projects in Afghanistan are funded by a range of donors including the European Commission (EC), the European Commission Humanitarian Aid Office (ECHO), The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, KfW Development Bank, the United States Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA), ACDI/VOCA, the United States Bureau for Population, Refugees and Migration (BPRM), the Royal Norwegian Embassy (RNE), the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), the World Bank (WB).