Joint Project helping Communities Cope with Impact of Drought in Faryab Province

The Kawlian valley, located in Pulicharagh district of Faryab province nearly 20 km away from the district center. More than 2,183 families live in the eleven villages scattered in the valley and mostly rely on agriculture production and livestock.

Amid a harsh economic situation and ongoing armed clashes, communities living in this area face a lack of alternative long-term employment, limited access to surrounding markets and lack of sufficient natural resources. Together with these common challenges, communities are witnessing the dire effects of the recent dry spell, which has had dire effects on their land and livestock.

With the arrival of Citizens’ Charter and through the application of the various participatory rural appraisal tools, a new community decision-making system was introduced. It enables open discussion between communities, in a space where they can share their concerns, identify available resources and prioritize the necessary actions to be taken immediately. At the same time, the engagement of local villagers provided them with a voice and showed them how they could support the development of their communities both as a group and as individuals, by minimizing particular expenditures, finding alternative income opportunities and focusing on assets creation for the youth.

Therefore, communities understood the opportunities of connecting with neighboring villages. Representatives of eleven villages organized a joint meeting, to discuss and decide on how to enhance the cultivation of approximately 30,000 acres of land in the valley. They also agreed to launch public works on the development of a local road network to gain better access to the agricultural land, facilitate movement of cattle and access heavier machinery (tractor, harvester).

During a two-day meeting with participation of over 1,000 community members, it was agreed that a six-kilometer long road between Halqanı vıllage and Maydan hazar mish area would be constructed and that each village would have to contribute between 50 and 100 workers. In order to carry out this activity, community members were mobilized and encouraged to participate in the work or contribute with materials or cash.

The work and result of CCNPP was appreciated by local communities, who highlighted that Citizens’ Charter helped them define step-by-step how to improve their livelihoods and to identify key common challenges. They also mentioned that the project served as a way to enhance collaboration between communities towards shared goals that will make their lives easier. 

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