انستیتوت انکشاف دهات افغانستان

Introduction 

The Afghanistan Institute of Rural Development was first established under the name of the Golzar Training Center and then founded in 1335 with an area of 55 hectares of land in the Chahar asiab district of Kabul Province with the financial assistance of the Government of India and other donors and It was called the Rural Development Center. The goal of the establishment of this center was to train staff members who would be responsible for key ministries in rural development programs. This was the first rural development training center founded by Prime Minister Sardar Mohammad Daud Khan.

Among the key tasks of the Rural Development Educational Center; the development of educational programs for high school graduates to train them as community worker, a multi-purpose training campus for college graduates to train Cooperative staff and other educational programs for members of the village councils.

In the year 1352, the center was called the National Institute of Rural Development (NRI), which offered bachelor and master studies in the field of rural development, and worked on the evaluation of rural development programs and projects but, due to civil wars and changes in the organizational structures of the ministries, the institute failed to implement its development plans and was subsequently divided into directorates in Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development.

The Institute was re-established after the formation of the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, to act as the Communication Institute for Asia and the Pacific (CIRDAP). And continues to work in the implementation of the Comprehensive Rural Development strategy through establishing capacity building and research programs.

In November 2007, the Strategy for the Establishment of Afghanistan Institute of Rural Development (AIRD) was established in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Fortunately, the membership of the Afghanistan Institute of Rural Development as a communications institute in Afghanistan was approved by member states.

Afghanistan Institute of Rural Development (AIRD) has been able to strengthen its communication with other institutes with its 14 member countries and provide active contributions to the preparation of Rural and Development reports from Asia and the Pacific.

Currently, AIRD in accordance with its five-year Strategic Plan in strategic areas (Research and Survey, professional Education and Training, Rural Technology Park, Scholarships and Fellowships Management, Information dissemination), as well as joint areas (women's empowerment, environmental protection, Anti-corruption, regional and international cooperation) provides services to villagers in the country.

 Vision

To provide Effective, well Balanced and Sustainable Services for Rural Development Sector.

Our Mission

   Support the implementation of Comprehensive Rural Development (CRD) toward socio-economic development and poverty reduction in Afghanistan through training and education services, provision of research as policy inputs, and dissemination of results and findings among all concerned.

AIRD offers

Researches, data analysis in order to advise and update the decision making processors, programmers and the policy formulation department. Training module development and delivery to enhance the capacity and improve the skills of all those involved in rural development in Afghanistan. Moreover, AIRD has been capable of conducting trainings all over Afghanistan, and also can facilitate such workshops within MRRD (the AIRD’s modern conference room located in Darul Aman.

AIRD Units

Survey and Research Unit

The Research and Survey Unit conducts the prioritized researches, surveys and analysis on rural development issues across Afghanistan. The unit conducts surveys and researches to ensure the effectiveness and sustainability of the development projects that had been implemented, keeping in mind that the real needs of rural people were also considered. Recently, the Research and Survey Unit conducted the Evaluation Surveys on Ghost Schools in Afghanistan as well as the Outcome Evaluation of MRRD Projects in six provinces of Afghanistan.

As per H.E president’s instruction; the Research and Survey Unit conducted a survey on identification of drought affected areas, livelihood, livestock and water points all over Afghanistan; which the result is submitted to the Presidential Palace for further action and development.

Professional Education and Training Unit

The Professional Education and Training Unit of AIRD is responsible for implementing the process of identifying needs of employees, designing and prioritizing materials and appropriate training programs for staff, Community Development Councils (CDC), District Development Assemblies (DDA) and beneficiaries every year at the central and provincial level. The unit works with MRRD programs, other ministries, and donors to improve the overall delivery of rural development services.

Rural Technology Park

Rural Technology Park (RTP) was established with a view to uplift the rural people in all aspects of life. Here, several relevant and user-friendly technologies (Solar Cooker, wheat cutter, Tunnel dryer, hydraulic brick machine etc…) are showcased which are useful for improving rural livelihoods. The Rural Technology Park was constructed on a 05-hectare land, in Dehsabz district with 15 KM distance from the east of Kabul city. RTP functions to promote the appropriate domestic and foreign rural technologies for raising the living standards and rural economy by using local and regional resources and facilities in accordance with local and social conditions of the beneficiaries and rural people.

Scholarship and Fellowship Management Unit

Scholarships & Fellowships Management Unit provides and manages capacity development opportunities for MRRD staff through Bachelor, Master, Post graduate and PhD Programs. Based on the agreements and signed MOUs with various international organizations such as JICA, KOICA, CIRDAP, NIRD, this unit has been providing and managing different scholarships and fellowships for MRRD staff. Furthermore, this unit has also signed MOUs with private universities within the country and had introduced some of the MRRD staff to pursue their higher education. It’s worth mentioning that some short term fellowships had also been managed by this unit for the MRRD staff, which are recognized to be effective for the MRRD staff in their daily activities and outputs.

Information Dissemination Unit

The Information and Dissemination Unit disseminates information about AIRD daily activities and achievements through various methods to raise awareness of the people, institutions involved and stakeholders. IDU is responsible for publishing and disseminating all activities of the AIRD using the different information tools.