A new beginning at Islamabad

  My name is Junpei Ushikubo, assigned for the Islamabad office from the 5th of October.

  My assignment is assess　the areas of administration / accounting for the program in Afghanistan and Pakistan. For the meantime, my goal is to establish a friendly rapport with the colleagues, partners and people here. This is especially important in Afghanistan, as it is a more remote system since the 2007, and as such, the opportunity to talk to face to face is limited.

  Compared to Tokyo, Islamabad is still hot in the noontime, but in the nighttime it feels cool. Maybe for that reason, Athan (a sign for to worship) becomes an awakes me up before my alarm sounds, on the first morning, a pleasant way to be woken. These simple pleasures comfort me, and remind me why it is such a nice place to live.

  I would also just like to take this opportunity to express my deepest gratitude to the supporters, for your consistent support which is so sorely needed for pogress to continue.

For support with continuity

　JEN's ultimate goal in Afghanistan: to understand the people who participate JEN's activity; to maintain communication with the central and local government; to always seek opportunities for progress, and understand how to maximize their capability.

  When we interviewed and surveyed the inhabitants of the village, we were often told that there was no supplement for soap distributed after the project. Consequently, despite the children having learnt correct hygiene habits, they often  forget to wash their hands six months later.

  To promote the project effectively, it is necessary to communicate with the government and the local people. over bureaucratic and administerial issues. Points raised include  soap distribution rights after the project is finished and whether the budget is pre-prepared or are goods to be distributed by the community. JEN and UNICEF are discussing the continuation of this project with the Afghanistan Education Department.

  As in the case of inspecting water, the function of management after digging the well and providing clean water, is also important. It is vital to design an effective care system to follow up the project,,to clarify departmental duties concerning water inspection, as well establishing an infrastructure which enables discourse between local people and local government, in order to rectify poor standards. ,.

The Presidential Election

  On August 20th,  Presidential elections took place in Afghanistan for the first time in four years. The number of eligible voters currently stands at 17 million, and voter turnout is considered to be between 40 to 50%.

  Due to security reasons, 10% of the polls have been closed and relocated to a selection of the other 6,200 (approx.) sites.. To prevent multiple voting, qualified voters had their fingertips branded with ink, which  led to threats from anti-government militias that any voters would have their fingers cut-off. This threat was mainly aimed at women, although many still braved the polls – testament to the growing political determination in the country.　

  However, in light of security worries, JEN closed their offices in Kabul and Charikar on the day of election.  The day prior to the election, one member of the local staff was so concerned about the anti-government militias, that he escorted his wife to the polling station so that she could cast her vote unharmed..

The official announcement of the counting of votes takes place on 17th September. If no candidate (including President Karzai, who is expected to be re-elected) wins a majority, a run-off will be held in October. During the election period, it was predicted that further attacks acoss Afghanistan would ensue. However, as yet, there have been no reports regarding any terrorist activity in Parwan Province of Charikar, where JEN's activities are implemented.

Maintain good partnership

  JEN’s Afghanistan program, school rehabilitation program that started from April is proceeded smoothly. Recruiting constructors for the next coming project runs parallel as well.

  JEN has its activity in Afghanistan since 2001, but, still up to the year 2009, selecting constructors is one of the most important, tedious and the most difficult.

  That is because, since autumn 2007, major operation has been shifted to manage remotely from neigbouring country, Islamabad, Pakistan, thus, it requires a lot of effort to comply the extra works. It is an extremely tough task to maintain the good relationship with the suppliers in such circumstances in Afghanistan.

  In Afghanistan, it is not rare to receive employment applications from connection and legacy, and it difficult to find constructors that match our criteria. This time, from a multiple UN related offices in Kabul, we were introduced a number of local constructors. We are negotiating to develop partnership with them at the moment.

  In such remote management, we cannot come up with new change, unless we improve the the way to work. JEN would like to consistently dedicate our effort to develop the network with the local constructors, the government and  the international organizations from Islamabad.

Activities in the local area

  There are concerns all over Afghanistan that the security situation is becoming worse. Especially,  southern and eastern areas close to the border to Pakistan, where tend to become worse. Even though there is a high need for assistance, there are many areas that need to pull out their activities.

  Incidents targeting foreigners are taking place quite frequently all over Afghanistan and the security for the supporting staff at the local area becomes a big burden occasionally.

  Due to unexpected security costs and the time consumption for security, it makes it difficult to accomplish the project within a limited budget and periods.

  Security must be kept in mind for projects in Afghanistan, the staffs of JEN are adjusting their activities daily due to numerous factors that interfere with the project. With support from various people, the local staffs working under numerous risks are making a lot of efforts, and with the tight connection between staff from Pakistan and Tokyo , projects in Afghanistan are being carried out.

We ask for your continual support.

Teamwork 2

  Late night on July the 6th, the Program Officer who is in charge of Afghanistan and Pakistan of the Tokyo headquarter arrived at Islamabad. Even though it was late at night, the airport was crowded with people and we could feel the heat of Pakistan.

  From the next day, the Afghanistani staff, the Pakistani staff, Japanese and French staff who already arrived in Pakistan started the meeting to exchange information under the slogan “one team= two projects” removing the barriers between each countries projects.

  Opinions were exchanged, such as the progress of the program, the problems and the upcoming strategy. Since the staffs do not have a face to face meeting daily, the meeting time went very quickly and overran the schedule.

  The other night, we all had a Pakistani dinner with the spectaculer view on top of the hill. The scenery from the hill was worth a beautiful one to watch. The time was past 9PM still the weekday but the restaurant was filled with families. With the delicious dinner, we were talking about personal topics other than our work.

  Of course in an Islamic nation, under it's regulation, we are not able to drink alcohol but it was a very nice opportunity for the staff to understand each other.

  Due to the security reasons, it is not possible for the international staff to go the field office most of the time, to support our local staff on spot. But it was very fruitful for the Japanese, Afghanistani and Pakistani staff to meet together since they live apart.

  This must give a progress and strong team work to promote our projects in the future.

The “Needs” discovered from the survey

   At the moment, while reconstructing the school at Paruwan province,  we are also conducting the survey for the next schools reconstruction.

  What JEN focuses on now is the water supply and sanitation situation in each school. Local staff members are interviewing over 60 schools and surveying the surrounding villages to see the sanitation situation. Presently, we have covered 80% of the area.

  JEN learned from the survey that lot of toilets at schools only had plain holes without sewers. Schools annexed to Mosques rarely have toilets with a water system. However, with an even higher need are schools in tents where children studying there have to relieve themselves in the open field.

  The number of children at school who receive safe and clean water from spring water and hand pump wells is extremely low. Most children at school drink water drained directly from a flowing canal which has not been treated preoperly. For this reason, children suffer from diarrhea.

  The teachers at school, parents and leaders of the village would like to provide safe and clean water for their children.

Spring has come. - The day to remember -

  Spring has come in Afghanistan after a long harsh winter. The weather is fantastic. Trees, plants, and fields are covered in green in spring. We are filled with happiness although our life remains very difficult due to unemployment and lack of food. People start going out and go on a picnic.   

  In late April, we have a big event. It’s "Mujahideen Day". We celebrate the day since Mujahideen took over the control of Kabul from former president Najibullah’s communist government. It’s now a public holiday and people and children gather in mosques or in pubic halls to listen to speeches and remember the Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan. 

  As far as this year’s event in Afghanistan is concerned, there is a big one which is due to take place in summer. It’s our presidential election after Hamid Karzai the current President of Afghanistan. People worry about a considerable worsening of Afghanistan’s security situation and have a complex feeling about the upcoming election.

MAN AT HIS BEST

   Qaseem, JEN’s Driver in Afghan mission. He is a man who takes initiative for humanitarian activity. This vehicle belongs to him. This guy is so tough and is really hard working. He is taking so much care of his vehicle, maintains it very well, and wash it after the every field trip. He is also helpful for small repairs in our source of power=generators and finally, we call him “The little mechanic”.

  Last month, he got seriously ill and had paralysis on left part of body. He was taken to Peshawar (Pakistan) for initial treatment and was brought back for rest and medication. All staff of JEN was in shock at the news of his paralysis and feel really sorry. Now he is at his home. According to the local staff based in Kabul, his left hand is not moving but doctors says that after proper medication and rest of 6 months he will be able to work again.

  Qaseem has been working with JEN for almost 4 years and is so friendly and cooperative with each staff member. His best companion was a former JEN's international staff. He remembers many episodes and shares the stories with us. His job is the only income sourse for his family, which consist of 5 members (2 boys, 1 girl and a wife). JEN will continue to support him and his family till he comes back to work.

  During the visit to Kabul  this time, I am missing his presence. And by seeing his car without him was so painful to me. We wish and pray to God for his best health.

Uzair

Certificate of completion and success

  When we start Hygiene Education Program (HEP) in to the sites for the first time we saw the situation and life condition of the people were very bad, due to their personal and public health. People didn't have knowledge about the way of having healthy lives and they did not know the relation of health with their daily lives. MOPH with other organization are working in this regard but there hard activities are not enough for the need of people, because the people suffered long terms war and they were away from knowledge to improve their lives condition in health field.

  Now, with the cooperation of International and Local organization activities for the improvement of people's capacity building is running in every parts of the country. But it needs more time to see the progress of the improvement because the program is not enough for the current large population of Afghanistan.

  JEN, as a partner of DOPH of Parwan started providing workshop for the students and villagers around Toghbirdi village, health condition and controlling from diseases were so weak and the people were in very difficult position of society life because of health bad condition.

  After JEN provided workshop people got knowledge about the way of having good and healthy lives and prevention of diseases in their future lives and improved their capacity for having good healthy lives.

  At the beginning of our program the people were not know about our purpose and type of our activities, when it became clear for them they started their hard thanks and appreciation from JEN and JEN staff and from other hands I got many request of program from other sites of areas by their community leaders.

Also when we start it was difficult of gathering of people in to class but after very short time we got cloud of people which was out of our target numbers.

HEP staff after passing of first week of program they were as a gust of community and they spend more days for getting lunch with the community in the villages.

HEP at the starting stage was boring for all team members (FO, HS, HP, HPA) it is because miss intrusting of all related parties but for the time binge it become very distrustful for all so now HPE team members are washing the continuation of program and from other side they are so happy for learning many new things from the program, therefore all staff had happy party for the success of program.

Completion Ceremony for School Facilities Construction

  It has now been eleven months  since the remote operation management from Pakistan was introduced.

  Last month the completion ceremony for school facilities construction was conducted in two schools. There were numerous people gathered for the ceremony, such as members of the school management board, school teachers, pupils, and local leaders.

  A speech kicked off the ceremony by a member of Parliament who is originally from where the school was built, followed by the student representatives and then the Embassy of Japan that financially supported the school construction. Female students made the ceremony special  by delivering wonderful songs with eye-catching pastel colors on their burkas.

  What continues to surprise us  on occasions like this ceremony, is how powerfully the Afghans deliver their speeches. . They passionately emphasised the importance of education, and gracefully  described how much they appreciate the contributions from Japan.

The Completion oftoilets in the Orphanage

   With the support of the Chikuma International Exchange Association and others, JEN constructed four toilets in an orphanage in the Charikar region of the Province of Parwan.

  130 children, who have lost their parents and relatives in the  long war, live at the orphanage and  make the most of the opportunities offered to them in these difficult times. However, the level of hygiene  at the orphanage  is unacceptable, There was only one single toilet so the children had to go outdoors.

  Government support is insufficient for the children living at the orphanage so it is important to let them know that there are people who care about them  who are working to improve their  sanitary situation.

  Shar Muhmmed (14) living at the orphanage exclaimed , “Before JEN put in the toilets, we only had one  that was very dirty. Now we have new toilets, and it is very clean.”

  JEN hopes to continue  the improvement of education and sanitization at orphanages with your support.

Achievement and Appreciation

10 months have passed since Remote Management from Pakistan was introduced.

The construction of 2 schools were completed by July 2008.

We had a banquet to thank the staff, who have operated projects and  put in their best efforts at the field sites on the front line, and  shared the achievements and burdens, which we overcame together.  We enjoyed the local cuisine such as Kabab, Kofta and Palaw with great relish and the natural view at a rustic restaurant along the riverside.  Just those things made everyone absolutely delighted.

We have had banquets like this every time a project was completed.  This time we felt even more achievement than usual as the project operation was done by Remote Management in the mid-flow of the project.

Khadejatul Kobra girl’s school and Chubakhshi Rabat School are Nearly Complete!

  With the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, various organizations and of course the supporters of JEN, two schools have been renovated. Khadejatul Kobra girl’s school and Chubakhshi Rabat school in Charikar of Parwan Province and Bagran Province are now nearly complete.

  This project started in August 2007, and is now near completion after having overcome multiple hurdles such as a deterioration of the security situation, the switch to remote management, a harsh winter, and land issues caused by the former Muhajideen Commander. Children, who have been observing the progress of the project, can’t hide their excitement over the completion of their school. 

Watching the near-complete school and the smiles of these children, it is clear that ‘assistance’ is not only the provision of the materials and the building itself, but this assistance reaches the hearts of the children as well.

Delivery of safe water

JEN with the support by Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan and individual donnors have been conducting the installation of water pipes which connect water storage tanks and public water pipes in order to supply safe water to students as a part of the construction of schools.

In Afghanistan, sanitary conditions are very bad in most schools. The students of Cobura school  whom JEN is supporting still use dirty water from the channel next to the school for drinking.
Polluted water comes from cities through the channel, so there is no safe water that protects students’ health there.
　
Over a long winter, the construction of water storage tanks has been restarted and the constructions have been advanced to pre-foundation of stones. JEN has been conducting activities in order to make up sanitary conditions that can allow students study safely as soon as possible.

（Photo: The completed base of water storage tank）

Spring has arrived!

JEN’s project site, Parwan province, was hit by a very cold winter from late December to mid-February, which turned it into a land of silver snow.

This winter was especially harsh. A few hundred deaths were reported across the country and in Parwan, temperatures dropped to -22C. In January, we received an order from the school construction board to temporarily suspend construction efforts due to the cold. Unfortunately, JEN had to delay construction efforts until February 24th.

During the last week of February, the temperature made a drastic upturn and shot up to 15C and we were finally able to resume our much anticipated construction efforts. With the end of a long winter, the springtime has brought a renewed energy and motivation!

Afghanistan is the Link

It has been four months since we moved the operation center for our Afghanistan mission to the neighboring country, Pakistan.

Here in Pakistan it is very easy to see the things that Pakistan and Afghanistan have in common. Actually, many second and third generation Afghans live in the regions where there are large former-refugee populations. Amongst these people, there are some whom have never even been to Afghanistan.

These people show great enthusiasm when I greet them in Dali, or tell them that I was recently in Afghanistan. In fact, sometimes I even get discounts and additional vegetables when I go to the local vegetable store!

These people, despite being Afghan, have never been to Afghanistan. Yet I, Japanese, have lived in Afghanistan and am now using Pakistan as a platform of exchange and interaction. It is a strange phenomenon, but it was a moment that provided warmth to my heart.

(PICTURE: A juice-stand in the market)

Reasons to Break the Wall

Last December, a man who is known as the Head of the village unexpectedly claimed that a portion of the school was being built on his own land. In his anger, he proceeded to destroy one of the school walls that were still undergoing construction.

(PICTURE: The broken wall)
From the very offset of this project, village representatives, teaching staff, the school principle, and the members of the education council were put together to constitute a well-balanced School Management Committee, whose very purpose was to avoid such problems. Under this Committee, JEN felt that we are doing our best to both prevent and resolve conflicts involving rights to information and land.

However in spite of our efforts, a problem had arisen is the midst of such a small village and the explanation for this can be linked to many factors.

One possible cause is employment. In a remote region where the unemployment rate is close to 100%, a construction of a school provides a unique opportunity for employment. However, this chance of employment cannot possible benefit everyone; it is possible that bitter sentiments due to the missed opportunity may have been the root of this conflict. Often armed groups that have been active through the time of the Cold War or civil war may be behind such problems.

Both the aforementioned causes contributed to our problem. As these individuals are armed, even the village leader has a hard time persuading them to compromise. Finally, the Head was convinced by the School Management Committee to step aside.

This shows that it may be some time before we can reach peaceful times here in Afghanistan.

The Pros and Cons of Remote Management

Three months have already passed since we transferred our project operation center to a remote location. Communication limited to phone and emails has resulted in several accounts of miscommunication. At times we have difficulty communicating exactly what we need with the Afghan people. Tasks that could be completed in 5 minutes if we were communicating on a face-to-face basis, are instead taking 1-2 days.

There are many challenges that we are facing, but we should also note some of the positive outcomes that have resulted. Previously, the staff did not act unless instructed to do so, but they have now started to take their own initiative in finding solutions to the obstacles faced. Of course, this newfound attitude is still in the beginning stage, but we believe that this is an important step forward to reaching the objective of self-initiated development. With that in mind, JEN will continue to support these developments.

(PICTURE: A potted plant that we are growing at the Overseas Office)

A Holiday-less New Years

Afghanistan is a largely Muslim nation, and therefore, unlike the Christian tradition, New Years pass without any holidays. With the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, representatives from organizations, and individuals, we are continuing the ongoing school construction.

However, Afghanistan is undergoing a harsh winter, and unfortunately, due to the bitter cold and snow, construction is not proceeding as smoothly as we had hoped.

During most days, the temperature during the day ranges from 2°C to 5°C, but the temperature drops to around -15°C at night. Moreover, there was a heavy snowfall as we entered January, which prevented us from doing construction work for about one week.

However, we are hoping to see the bright, smiling faces of the children come springtime when they are due to start school. With that hope in mind, we will not let the cold get to us!

Kabul： Just an ordinary scene

　We often see schoolgirls, aged from five and six years old to the junior high students dressed in traditional style school uniforms, all black with a white scarf, walking on the road to the girls school nearby our Kabul office.  It is nothing special, but nevertheless, heartwarming, to see a small girl trying hard to catch up with elder students who are chatting and laughing with her friends.

I see a good future for Afghanistan by looking at this.  It is hard to imagine, but once girls were not educated in this area.  There are many schools we need to rebuild or repair damaged by the long internal war, but it is important to provide a place that all the students can study without worries.

School construction work started!

JEN started construction work of the Cobra School and Chubakhshi Rabat School in August.  We also made a construction ceremony when we started foundation construction work for Chubakhashi Rabat School. 

The ceremony turned up to be a big event attended by people from local government, TV broadcasters from the Parwan state, school related personals, and moreover by almost all the people for the community!

Your image of the school may be different from the ones we are building.  Over 500 students were studying under the heat and packed at a leased half-broken earth-made house from the foundation of the school in 2006.  

The construction of the school, therefore, is a big event for the community with enormous joys and expectations. We learned that form the smiles of children we met which lead more efforts and ties to staffs of JEN and school administrative committee.

To the paradise filled with roses

It may surprise you, but Afghanistan is famous for its roses. On the contrary, thinking of Afghanistan, you might picture war-torn images of the country. However, in the summer season, if you visit someone’s home around the city of Kabul and look in the garden you will find the most beautiful roses.  You can enjoy roses in our small garden as well! It is a relaxing moment to find oneself in the garden, reading a book or drinking a cup of tea in the pleasantness of evening time, since normally it is hard to get out of the office due to security reasons.  Prior to the Soviet Union invasion, Afghanistan was once said to be like a paradise for tourists from South-Asia with true Afghan hospitality and beautiful gardens filled with roses. It is a great pity that now there is such a long way to go to get back this reputation due to the worsening security of the country.  JEN will continue to contribute our efforts to rebuild this peaceful paradise through our educational support programs.

An insight into local culture from a receipt!

As we conduct our activities overseas, we encounter a variety of people crucial to the daily processes of our projects besides those who are direct participants to our projects.  Just to name a few: for example, a local government agent, or the various vendors that we use for our projects.  We experience particular local culture through daily interaction with these people.

Afghanistan is not an exception; indeed, local culture in Afghanistan has an outstanding uniqueness.

You know this from looking at a receipt brought back by our local staff (we cannot go out to buy the products, due to security reasons); it can show you an insight into the uniqueness of life here.  First of all, almost all the receipts are handwritten in the local language, Dari.  Secondly, we cannot figure out the dates, since they are dated using the Afghanistan calendar, which is different from ours  Finally, the numbers are written in Arabic script, which we can barely recognize.  Even processing a single payment is a difficult task, as everything needs to be translated by our local staff.  Moreover, you can encounter “loose” receipts time to time when you take a closer look.  Dates are missing, there are incorrect calculations, so on and so on and then we have to ask again to get the correct one.  All this is necessary, as we need to be accountable to the supporters for our activities and make appropriate reports.

I have often thought that it is necessary for us, who support the people, to learn further a sense of delicate balance between respecting local cultures and maintaining the policies and standards for our activities.

Afghanistan Pride

One observation of Afghan people is their sense of pride; they will do anything to hide feelings of shame from others.  It is one of the important aspects that we need to pay attention to in relation to our staff management, as pride is an inevitable part of what motivates Afghans, including those who work at our office.

When we held a security workshop for the drivers, we were surprised to hear one of the drivers describe how it was the most unbearable shame to be asked not to resist and to obey the orders of the armed group when caught by them. 

Pride in Afghanistan has survived in the way that throughout their history, the Afghans have never surrendered during war or invasion. Through this they feel that they have never lost the respect of and for the individuals, families, and even their nation despite the suffering of everlasting war and poverty.  The driver’s statement symbolized their worry that by not resisting, their actions would betray Afghanistan’s sense of pride.

  Due to its geopolitical importance, Afghanistan has always been used and suffered interference from the stronger countries. Consequences of this include twenty-five years of long civil war coupled with internal conflicts from religious and political aspects that can be triggered at any time by external interference.

Pride in Afghanistan is crucial to rebuild the nation while co-operating with and integrating the religion of the country.  Outsiders like us should not impose the projects and interfere their life, and need to strongly support and unobtrusively co-operate to accomplish the rebuilding of Afghanistan together with them.

t that it is necessary for us, who support the people, to learn further a sense of delicate balance between respecting local cultures and maintaining the policies and standards for our activities.

Staff in JEN Afghanistan Office

Distributing Dream Bags!

We have again started distributing dream bags to children this year!

This is the third consecutive year that we have carried out this project, which started in 2005. With the collaboration of RKK (Rissho Kosei-kai) 9,549 dream bags have been sent to Afghanistan. The dream bags are handmade by kids and their families in Japan, and they are as big as a supermarket bag.

They are full of stationery and toys that Japanese kids thought would make really nice presents. On June 26th we distributed 186 of these dream bags in KEIBO elementary school, located in the Akrobat region of Bamiyan Province.

The distance from Kabul to Bamiyan is 220km, or a one-day trip; and from there to the School is only 26 km but it takes one and a half hours due to the bad road conditions. A local NGO, as well as teachers and students, participated in the distribution of the dream bags.

The teachers and students welcomed us saying "thank you for bringing such wonderful presents to this remote region"

We still have 9,363 dream bags to distribute during 2007. Since this project started in Afghanistan in 2005, many schools in Parwan Province have already received the dream bags before, so we would like to take the dream bags to more remote places this time. And bring those children what their Japanese friends prepared for them with so much love.

In the Future (a memory of a field officer)

The projects I devoted myself to in Afghanistan involved daily dialogue with people exposing the realities of their lives.  I left Afghanistan, therefore, with a belief in the need for solidarity among Afghan communities.

JEN had played an important role in empowering individuals by increasing assets and restoring a sense of safety and stability through our assistance projects.  However, these conventional, individual-based relief activities began to be replaced by new strategies based upon building strength among communities in order for sustainable, long-term development.  

I realised that to do this a psychological approach was essential: after a disaster, during which society has completely broken down, people’s fears to survive prevent them from working together.  First, there is a need to work to regain solidarity amongst those people.  Only when the solidarity is restored can the community start to become more self-reliant.

Afghanistan is a country exhausted by twenty years of struggle.  JEN must continue our projects until the day when the Afghan people recognise a world where they live in confidence and with respect and in mutual support of each other.

They Studied a Two-Hour Day, Six Days per Week for Nine Months

JEN closed its one-year literacy project in Kabul in the end of January.  As a part of the project, 147 Afghan adults completed a nine-month course in Kabul last November.  They celebrated their certificate with municipal workers.  A survey shows that the course was successful in enlightening Afghan adults about the importance of basic literacy.  Participants regularly came to class a two-hour day, six days per week for nine months.  In addition, they willingly delivered their new knowledge after class to their families at home.

  Initially, three fourth of participants could not use a telephone because they did not know numbers.  Now all of them are pleased that they became able to make themselves understood in writing numbers and words.  In the classroom, for example, they communicate in writing about what they want, how they can get it, and which obstacles they expect to get it.

  The school year starts in Afghanistan in the end of March as soon as the long and severe winter goes by.  JEN, after completing its project, would continue to support public literacy courses to promote adult literacy skills further.

For the future of Charikar

~ The renovation and cleaning project of the groundwater canal~

JEN is currently conducting projects in Charikar, the capital of Parwan Province, where shortage of water is a serious problem for the population of 100,000.  They cannot expect rain during the long summer and all the water that runs in the area is changed to muddy water during the winter. Amid growing concerns that this situation, we could achieve recovery and cleaning underground waterway that had been destructed in the consequence of civil conflict since Parwan administration for 40 years.

On October 10^th, we had a ceremony to celebrate the start of the construction with the governor of Parwan and the mayor of Charikar as well as invited officials of MOFA (Japan Ministry of Foreign Affairs) .  Although we expect some dangerous work will be involved, we will aim at the success of this project, using the most of the wisdom and experience of the local people who had built a long underground canal in the past.

A Gift from God

JEN started drinking water projects in the Province of Parwan in collaboration with the municipal government.  The Province, despite its potential for economic development as situating in the outskirt of the city of Kabul, has affronted a serious lack of safe drinking water.  In the meantime, unclean water has seriously affected lives of local populations and repatriated refugees in the Province.  JEN’s irrigation projects aim to provide safe clean water by restoring destroyed water pipes and canalising available fountains. 

Villages are sensitive about their water rights.  Local people finally approved JEN’s neutral projects, believing that water is a divine gift from God and thus one should share equally through the JEN’s projects without any discrimination.  The divine water blesses hopefully the future of Afghan population.

A Dream Come True-The Woolang School, Complete!

     The Woolang School, that had been under construction since last August as part of the MOFA (Japan Ministry of Foreign Affairs) funded "Parwan Province Returnee Support Project," finally saw its completion on the 15th of June, 2006. Many distinguished guests, including the Governor of Parwan, Chief of the Education Bureau, and Secretary from the Japanese Embassy attended the opening ceremony that was held to celebrate the memorable day.

     The Principal of the school, Mr Abdulluh Sabul, is a man that recognizes the importance of education. He has petitioned the Afghani government and numerous support groups to build more schools in the country, as well as visited the JEN office in Kabul. Since there was no assurance of funding, we supplied 5 large tents to substitute as schools. However, being situated in harsh lands, at the bottom of valleys where the winds are strong, the tents became worn and tattered within the year. Therefore, the children did not have any other choice but to continue their studies inside dark, and occasionally torn tents.

    The opening of the Woolang School marked the day when Mr Sabul's hopes and dreams for the children were finally realized-324 boys and 305 girls, divided into morning and afternoon classes, were able to begin their studies in a brand new school building.

A Girl’s School Ready to Open in Remote Village

The Shiwa Girl’s School, located in a remote village in the mountains of Parwan province, was completed at the end of March in time for the new school semester. (…after 7 months of construction.)

Since the school was planned to be built upon a hill, the project began from flattening out the land. The next step was building a road leading to the construction site; however, there were times when trucks carrying building materials too heavy for its load stalled halfway, and the material had to be reloaded onto a smaller truck. The project also faced some trouble with securing water essential for the construction-the water pump, used to pump up the water from the reservoir built beneath the hill, as well as the generator operating the pump, often broke down which resulted in numerous interruptions of the project. (…water drawn from the village waterway)

In spite of such difficulties faced, when greeted with the girls’ big smiles on the day of the school opening, we could not help but feel joy in being able to see the completion of the school, as well as strongly hope for the bright future of these children.