Something working in Afghanistan

ARTICLE: Afghan Enclave Seen as Model for Development
Enclave, By SABRINA TAVERNISE, New York Times, November 12, 2009

Gotta like this:

Small grants given directly to villagers have brought about modest but important changes in this corner of Afghanistan, offering a model in a country where official corruption and a Taliban insurgency have frustrated many large-scale development efforts.

Since arriving in Afghanistan in 2001, the United States and its Western allies have spent billions of dollars on development projects, but to less effect and popular support than many had hoped for.

Much of that money was funneled through the central government, which has been increasingly criticized as incompetent and corrupt. Even more has gone to private contractors hired by the United States who siphon off almost half of every dollar to pay the salaries of expatriate workers and other overhead costs.

Not so here in Jurm, a valley in the windswept mountainous province of Badakhshan, in the northeast. People here have taken charge for themselves -- using village councils and direct grants as part of an initiative called the National Solidarity Program, introduced by an Afghan ministry in 2003.

Simple and sweet, dovetailing with the goal of super-empowering individuals and connecting them to opportunity, both at home and abroad.

A basic truth one learns when you run your own business or participate in a start-up:

"You don't steal from yourself," was how Ataullah, a farmer in Jurm who uses one name, described it.

Best part, after much cajoling, the region is seeing girls back in schools.

Comments

[David Sutton]

I can see the attraction of a large centralized and managed output of development funds into Afghanistan. It makes it easier to budget for and manage in a bureaucratic sense. but the smaller programs, the one left of field and independent that by pass the machine and go straight to the people seem to me to have a much better chance of connecting people to funds that hep them, as well as connecting people to people . That relationship is vital, that establishment of trust, the 'ah here are people who cam to help us not just kill us or rip us off'.

[Dan K]

oh haven't we heard about Afghan girls going back to school for 7 years now? The moment we leave and the black turbans come in, this is over.

If our intent in Afghanistan is to deny a safe haven to a terrorist organization of global reach, well and good; let's set our force mix/resources/strategic objectives accordingly.

But if our goal is to hold the hands of these rural dirt farmers / religous fanatics / drug kingpins / local warlords (or all of the above) and guide them through their own version of the Renaissance, the Enlightenment, the French Revolution, and the Industrial Revolution so they can create a modern Western-style Government with respect for women's rights, property rights, etc.... then we are delusional.