DFID-funded project brings key services back to communities
Three years ago Ahmad began the long drive along dirt roads from Danishmand, his village north of Kabul, to the capital.
His passenger was his cousin, 22 year-old Adrogul, bleeding heavily after stepping on a land mine whilst farming.
But the journey took too long: Adrogul died before Ahmad could reach the nearest hospital.
Today, Ahmad proudly shows off his community's health clinic.
A £37,000 ($60,000) grant from the UK-supported National Solidarity Programme has helped him and other members of his village to build a clinic, with its own water system and electricity generator.
This clinic has proved so popular it now provides health services to over 1,000 families in Danishmand, plus 2,000 more families in ten neighbouring villages.
The Government of Afghanistan's National Solidarity Programme (NSP) empowers communities to work together, to make collective decisions about priority needs through elected Community Development Councils (CDCs), and to build common facilities.
So far, 22,000 communities in every Afghan province have benefited, undertaking more than 32,000 projects that include constructing roads, bridges, schools, clinics and water facilities.
Sheralikhm, 38, who heads a family of eight and leads Danishmand's CDC, said:
"Before we had this clinic, the people of my village had to drive a long way to get medical help.
Our water was very poor and lots of people suffered illness from drinking it. We got to decide, with NSP's help, how we could build a better village.
Now we can provide medicine for our children and our water is clean. This grant has solved a lot of our problems."
NSP currently runs until March 2010. Its multi-donor funding includes £30 million from DFID.
A review mission to consider the future of the programme takes place early next year.
