Addressing Community Essential Needs

Ghoran village is located among a series of high mountains in Shwak district some 40 KM to the southeast of Gardiz the center of Paktia province. Nearly, 1,000 families live in this remote village. Considering the climate and landscape of the region, the residents of this village do not rely on their agricultural lands which produce only meager crops which indeed cannot satisfy the needs of a landlord. Therefore, the youngsters of this community are obliged to stay weeks and months away from their village in order to work and support their families.

Based on the villagers’ comments and sayings, they had a lot of difficulties. These problems included lack of safe drinking water, proper irrigation canals, a health clinic and a school building in the community. Taking the importance of their needs into consideration, the Community Development Council (CDC) in consultation with the villagers decided to give top priority to the provision of safe drinking water once the Citizens’ Charter National Priority Program of the Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development (MRRD/CCNPP) extended its operations to this village located in quite a hilly terrain.

Revealed Sarajudin, a villager: “In the past, our children and women used to fetch water on their heads, back and on donkeys from a lake located 3 KM away from the village. Both villagers and animals were drinking the same water. Since the lake water was unhealthy and contaminated, it would usually cause numerous diseases such as diarrhea, kidney stone, goiter (enlargement of the thyroid gland or a swelling in the neck), etc.”

“The number of diseases has declined dramatically upon completion of the water supply network financed by the Citizens’ Charter in our community. There is currently a tap in front of each house and we can access enough water day and night without any difficulty. The water supply project also helped us have enough water even for laundering and bathing purposes”, added Sarajudin.

The water supply network extended from a spring located 6 KM away from the village between the high mountains directly benefits 3,000 villagers in an area of 1,000 square meters across the community. The total project cost is AFN 2,419,545 disbursed by the MRRD/CCNPP including a 10% community contribution.