HEALTH
USAID Program Graduates 23 Midwives in Jawzjan Province: On October 18, Jawzjan province celebrated the graduation of 23 new midwives from a USAID-supported midwifery education program. The skilled midwives will be deployed back to their communities and will work from health facilities, some of them in very remote areas. They will provide care to approximately 345,000 mothers and children throughout Jawzjan, improving infant and maternal health while reducing mortality rates.
The recruitment and training of midwives throughout the country is central to improving maternal and child health in Afghanistan. USAID funds eight of Afghanistan's community midwifery programs and two hospital-based programs. All programs are accredited by the National Midwifery Education Accreditation Board to ensure they maintain high professional standards. Thanks to these programs and other health initiatives by U.S. and international donors, in partnership with the Ministry of Public Health, the infant mortality rate has fallen 22 percent since 2002.
AGRICULTURE
Afghanistan's First Juice Factory Opens: Afghanistan produces some of the world's tastiest fruit and has the potential to spread its agricultural wealth around the world. On October 15, 2009, the Omaid Bahar Fruit Processing Company opened the first juice factory in Afghanistan. Funded by USAID, the factory employs approximately 200 workers, many of whom are women. Omaid Bahar will buy fruit, including pomegranates, apples, and apricots, from approximately 50,000 Afghan farmers throughout the country. The factory already has contracts for its products with companies in India and the Middle East, and is negotiating additional contracts with European and North American firms.
At the launch event, Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock Asif Rahimi noted that the factory was essential for Afghanistan's stability and economic growth. "If you want to see what Afghanistan's agricultural future will be, look here," he stated. "This is the beginning."
