Sector Post-Conflict Reconstruction and Peacebuilding

Project Type Urgent Rehabilitation Planning and Quick Impact Projects

Project Title Urgent Rehabilitation Support Programme in Afghanistan (URSP)

Location Kabul, Kandahar, and Mazar e Sharif, Afghanistan

Client Government of Afghanistan/ JICA

Project Period 2002 – 2006

Before (2002) and after (2005) of the project in Kandahar

Problems addressed by the Project

Kabul, Kandahar and Mazar e Sharif were battlefields of the civil war. Significant needs of post-conflict Afghanistan were normalization of civilian life and rehabilitation of social infrastructure including health and education facilities, roads and wells. In education, there was limited opportunity for girls to go to school although parents wished their daughters to go to girls’ school, and the female enrolment rate was only 13% (in Kandahar province). Also, acute respiratory infection (ARI) caused by dust from unpaved roads and preventable communicable diseases such as tuberculosis were serious issues. Lack of baseline data and information concerning people’s needs was a significant obstacle for conducting support programs. In addition, although there were huge needs for a seamless transition from humanitarian relief to development, the international community tended to concentrate only on humanitarian relief activities.

The Government of Japan decided to proceed with Urgent Rehabilitation Support Programme (URSP) to improve the life of war-affected civilians and to stabilize regional security conditions through the reconstruction of damaged infrastructures and by technical cooperation to the people.

Service Provided

OC Global responded to fill the gap between relief and development through planning activities for rehabilitation of cities and construction management works for quick impact projects. Starting in April 2002, OC Global deployed more than 50 specialists to conduct sector analyses of the post-conflict situation in Kabul and Kandahar. Through the process of quick reconnaissance surveys, OC Global identified significant rehabilitation needs. Quick impact projects, known as “Urgent Rehabilitation Project,” were planned by us soon after the arrival of the consulting team, and construction management work followed immediately after the planning.

OC Global started to implement projects to pave city roads in order to reduce dust, and to reconstruct primary and secondary schools to enhance education opportunity for both boys and girls. To insure sustainability, OC Global focused both on school buildings and human resources. In Kabul, OC Global organized teacher training programs for head teachers to improve their capacity to utilize the rehabilitated school facilities.

In addition, OC Global prepared rehabilitation strategies/plans and priority project lists for reconstruction of the cities through discussions and consultations with local governmental institutions, UN agencies, and NGOs. The urgent rehabilitation program in Kandahar, for instance, included 26 high priority projects covering various sectors such as education, health, water and sanitation, urban and regional development, women’s empowerment, and security. OC Global organized stakeholder meetings with local government institutions, UN agencies, and NGOs to discuss implementation and cooperation of urgent rehabilitation programs in the future. It was the first opportunity for all stakeholders to have met together in one place in Kandahar. Some of the priority projects were implemented immediately after the meeting in cooperation with the stakeholders.

Actual Project Works

Our activities consisted of needs assessment, master planning, project formulation, training, procurement, basic design, detailed design, and construction management with technology transfer to local engineers. Our reconstruction work in Afghanistan is summarized in the table below.

Phase I (Education, Health and Broadcasting Sector in Kabul)

Short-term Rehabilitation Plan in Kabul City (Education and Health sectors) “Head Teacher Training” and “Civic and Peace Education Training” for the head teachers from 6 target

schools Education Situation Survey in Kabul City Survey of Tuberculosis Patients and MCH Clinics in Kabul City Satellite TV Broadcasting of Emergency Loya Jirga Rehabilitation/ Reconstruction of 6 Secondary Schools (171 classrooms and toilets) Reconstruction of Darulaman Medical Center (former National Tuberculosis Center) Construction of 8 Deep Wells Construction of Gymnasium (Community Hall) at Wahdat Girls’ High School (1,100 m2)

Phase II (Rehabilitation Study for the South-Western Area & Public Transportation Study of Kabul)

Urban Planning of the South-West Area of Kabul City Rehabilitation Planning for Damaged Infrastructure in the South-West Area of Kabul City Rehabilitation Planning for Public Transportation in Kabul City Quick Road Rehabilitation (13.56 km)

Phase III (Urgent Rehabilitation in Kandahar)

Urgent Rehabilitation Programme (as a priority project list, including following sectors: Education; Health; Urban and Regional Development; Water and Sanitation; Industry and Electricity Development; Refugees and IDP; Women’s Affairs; Security; and Others) Hygiene Education Training for the teachers at the 7 target schools Pavement of City Roads (8.4 km) Reconstruction of Classrooms at 7 Secondary Schools (114 classrooms and toilets) Rehabilitation of Logistical Function of Mirwis Regional Hospital Supply of 5 Commuter Buses for Kandahar Nursing School Supply of 3 Trucks for Collection of Solid Waste

Phase IV (Urgent Rehabilitation in Mazar e Sharif)

Urgent Rehabilitation Support Program for the education and road sectors School-based Education Quality Improvement Project at the 7 target schools Reconstruction of Classrooms at 7 Secondary Schools (96 classrooms and toilets) Pavement of City Roads (2.5 km)