From Rubble to Schools and Clinics: UMCOR Begins New Project in
Afghanistan
01 June 2004
UMCOR Afghanistan will rehabilitate up to 60 schools
and health clinics in the Kabul region of Afghanistan with
a grant valued at US$ 4.6 million.
Paul Dirdak, chief executive of UMCOR, said that the
funds were awarded by the United States Agency for
International Development (USAID). One of the reasons
USAID selected UMCOR as the general contractor of the
quick-impact project is the agency's performance in past
projects, Mr. Dirdak said. Other USAID criteria include
program budget, implementation plan and competitiveness.
"The new Afghan project, renovating schools and
clinics, is a wonderful extension of the work of UMCOR,"
said the Rev. R. Randy Day, general secretary of the
General Board of Global Ministries of the United Methodist
Church.
Five years of drought, 23 years of war and decades of
displacement for millions of residents have taken their
toll on basic elements of society in Afghanistan. For
example, scores of children study under shade trees, in
tents or in shattered buildings. Basic healthcare services
are simply unavailable to thousands who have returned to
their pre-war homes since 2001, when the Taliban regime
fell.
Only piles of rubble remain in the region where the
rebuilding will occur. The rubble offers bleak reminders
of once-thriving homes, schools, villages, and public
buildings. UMCOR community assessment teams, working with
Afghan health and government officials and the returnees
themselves, indicated that medical clinics and schools
will provide major sources of stability for future
recovery.
The USAID grant comes to the agency as it continues
work on other construction projects in Afghanistan. UMCOR
has completed 200 houses in the Shomali Valley region and
anticipates finishing another 140 houses in the coming
months. As general contractor for the new project, UMCOR
will subcontract work to local firms in the provinces of
Kabul, Kapisa and Parwan.
As is its practice in all projects, UMCOR will involve
community leaders in the planning and implementation of
the renovation projects to ensure buy-in and community
stability, Mr. Dirdak pointed out. To achieve these goals
the agency will invite local leaders to sign memoranda of
understanding regarding use of structures, and confirming
support for the construction in each location.
This level of community 'ownership' of projects is
critical, particularly with regard to schools. UMCOR will
rebuild schools for both boys and girls. Under the
Taliban, girls and women were forbidden to attend school.
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