Supporting new opportunities in Afghanistan

Suzanne Loughlin is an NZAID Multilateral Development Programme Manager. She is currently in Afghanistan, and writes about the development challenges and achievements there.

On Monday I attended openings for two training courses. The first is provided by the NZAID-funded Programme for Professional Development under leadership of Director, Marissa Espinneli. It is an eight-month course for graduates to help them enter the job market. Limited employment openings mean there are few opportunities to develop and so the course aims to fill this gap. It provides for basic skills in drafting reports, developing and managing budgets, communications training and so on. It also offers short-term placements to build practical experience. Marissa provided an overview of the programme and then invited the Provincial Governor, Dr Habibe Sarabi, to say a few words of inspiration. The NZ PRT Commander, Greg Elliott, and I also wished the students well not only for the course but for where it might take them.

The second event opened a training course for tourist guides and is part of the eco-tourism programme again funded by NZAID and implemented by Aga Khan Foundation. Baba Mouseni, head of the Provincial Council, spoke as did Governor Sarabi and others. The three-month training programme aims to ensure that guides are informed of the World Heritage Status of the Bamyan Valley, have an understanding of the history and archaeology of the region, and a more detailed understanding of nine sites for which brochures have been prepared and signboards under construction. Most of the course is being provided by Afghans.

I went back Tuesday to meet with the eco-tourism programme director, Amir Foladi, to catch up on what else the office had been doing. We looked at photos and he told me about a major event held back in March to celebrate Nowruz (New Year) – it’s the first time this festival has been held for some 30 years. Several thousand people attended the festival, which has both religious and secular components. There were skits that were not only fun but aimed to communicate messages about tourism and the need to care for the environment, musicians played traditional instruments and – another first – two young women sang accompanied by musicians on traditional instruments. I asked if this had caused any waves and if he had had any trouble arranging the programme. His answer provided a good example of what is commonly referred to as ‘ownership’. He involved as many community members and groups in the festival planning on the basis that if everyone is involved then all would ‘own’ the festival – both the accolades and the problems. He would not be left alone to deal with any friction should it arise. And it didn’t.

Another summer festival is currently being planned which will be held at the newly established national park at Bandi-Amir in July. I wish I could be there!

For more information on tourism opportunities in Bamyan - click here to read more.

Note: the photos have been taken from the Nowruz Festival in Bamyan.

On the ground in Afghanistan

Suzanne Loughlin is an NZAID Multilateral Development Programme Manager. She is currently in Afghanistan, and writes about the development challenges and achievements there.

The first days of this visit were spent getting into Kabul and meeting with partners in their Kabul headquarters. Some discussions focused on progress with implementing projects such as the UNIFEM work on establishing a Women’s Referral Centre in Bamyan, in collaboration with the Government of Afghanistan, to improve protection for women wanting to press charges or who have been accused of crimes and are in need of support. National partner Shuhada Organisation gave a presentation on outcomes of the Winter Teacher Training programme. Support to Shuhada is as much about providing opportunities for organisational development as it is for actual service delivery and the presentation showed significant progress.

One day only was scheduled for me in Kabul as the focus of NZAID’s work is in Bamyan and security is less of an issue there than it is in Kabul. I got to Bamyan mid-afternoon and went to the New Zealand Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) to meet with NZ Defence Force personnel and catch up on plans for New Zealand Foreign Minister Murray McCully’s visit and the dawn ANZAC day ceremony.

After a chilly but beautiful dawn ceremony and breakfast, the party set off to Shahr-e Golgola, or City of Screams, and climbed to the top. The views are fantastic with snow-capped mountains in the distance and women, men and children going about early morning tasks in the villages below. The city gets its name from the time when Genghis Khan came through to avenge the death of his son. A young woman within the city betrayed the local Hazara people by giving away the source of water to the citadel and the siege was soon broken. However, instead of being rewarded by Genghis Khan for her troubles she was killed along with everyone else in the citadel – she was no longer seen as being trustworthy.

We then proceeded to the Bamyan Hospital where NZAID and the NZ PRT have been working in support of the Aga Khan Health Services who manage the hospital. New Zealand funding has been used to build a maternity ward, laundry and a new kitchen, which the Minister opened. A new out-patients building is also under construction and should be finished by the end of the summer. Minister McCully commented on the fact the substantial amount of concrete in the building had all been done by a very small mixer and poured wheelbarrow by wheelbarrow.

The group also visited the children’s ward, where staff were dealing with an outbreak of pneumonia. Despite major progress with facilities the hospital still cannot cater to the needs of those who do manage to access health services and currently there are four to a bed – two mothers and two children – in the children’s ward. Staff also noted that they would not be able to cope without the mothers as they are the ones who do most of the care-giving.

After tea and cake we proceeded to Bamyan University. The most significant change here this year is that 118 young women are enrolled in their first year of tertiary study. This is a significant increase on the two that were here in 2006!

Suzanne Loughlin

25 April 2009

First, build your desk – Skills training in PNG

Adham Crichton, an NZAID communications advisor, describes a skills-training centre he visited earlier this year in Papua New Guinea.

In January I was part of the delegation that travelled to PNG for the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting and then onto the Solomon Islands.

During my time in Port Moresby, NZAID Programme Administrator John Koi took me out to visit the Morata Vocational Centre. The centre runs short term-training programmes on behalf of the Ginigioada Foundation, a not-for-profit community development organisation based in Port Moresby.

Skills training is important Pacific-wide but it has special significance in Port Moresby, where 80 percent of the population is unemployed or underemployed. The training targets unemployed young people and covers welding, plumbing, carpentry, small motor repair and electrical maintenance.

Mr Gabriel Iso from the Ginigioada Foundation and the centre’s manager Mr Hillary Damke took the time to show me around, and it was amazing what they were able to achieve given the basic nature of the facility.

The carpentry students at Morata helped build the electrical workshop at the Centre and also helped build desks for a local school, which highlights just how limited training facilities are in PNG, and also the very practical nature of the centre’s training.

The success of the Morata Vocational Centre and the Ginigioada Foundation is that the training they offer is aligned with identified skill shortages and participants must show they are committed and have the support of their local community.

NZAID provided PGK$77,000 in the 2007/08 financial year to support the Ginigoada Foundation’s Skills Development Training Programme. This funding covered the hire of venues and tools, and allowances for trainers who run the vocational courses.

The accompanying photo show Mr Gabriel Iso and Mr Hillary Damke in the facilities that the centre’s students helped to create.

You can read more about skills training in the Pacific and the Morata Vocational Centre in the latest edition of NZAID's magazine Currents.

Tidal floods in Papua New Guinea

Pati Gagau, NZAID’s manager in Port Moresby, gives a local perspective to the recent king tides and flooding in Papua New Guinea.

What has been the focus of your work since the tides and flooding?

Pati: Since the tides and flooding, we have been working very closely with the National Disaster Centre (NDC), which is the PNG Government entity responsible for coordinating the relief response. NDC has taken a proactive leadership role in working with donor partners, local and international NGOs, and provincial disaster coordination centres in the affected areas to provide much needed supplies such as water, food, and building materials. The New Zealand Government has contributed NZ$300,000 to help with relief efforts, and we are working with local NGOs to utilise this funding to meet some of the needs identified.

How are people in the flooded areas lives being affected now that the water has subsided?

Pati: Many people have been displaced with the loss of their homes, personal belongings, food gardens, livestock, and water sources because of the floods. The transformation from changes to their normal pattern of lifestyle, as well as having traditional/sacred places destroyed will have a long-lasting effect on people, particularly the older generation. People's diet and way of life will change dramatically, especially when coastal people who have lived most of their lives close to the water are relocated inland.

What is the attitude of people in PNG to the situation?

Pati: NDC have confirmed that almost 60,000 people have been affected by the disaster across six provinces and outer islands in the northern region of PNG. The print media has been running reports every day since the events started a week ago, and there has been a lot of sympathy and support expressed by the general public. GoPNG has been commended by many for the quick response in funding the disaster-stricken areas. The loss of personal effects such as tools for gardening/trades, cooking utensils, clothes, beddings, etc will have an impact on rural people affected, as these are things they will struggle to replace. Bush materials for building houses are not so much of a problem but to purchase nails and other building materials are often difficult. As a result people tend to rely on outside assistance in the first instance.

How often do king tides like this occur?

Pati: Sea surges of this nature do not occur often as far as we know. But PNG has seen its fair share of sea and flooding disasters over time, including tsunamis as well as flooding as the result of heavy storms (Oro Province was heavily affected by floods in 2007, for example). Rising sea levels resulting from climate change are also having an ongoing impact on PNG's low-lying coastal areas, including small offshore islands and atolls that are home to isolated communities, and could expose coastal areas to further risk in future.

Is there anything that could be done differently in the future to minimise the effect of king tides?

Pati: Not really, in our opinion. It is tempting to suggest that coastal communities relocate to higher ground to guard against future sea surges. But many areas lack higher ground nearby, and many communities are likely to strongly resist attempts to change their lives as the result of extraordinary sea conditions. But as sea levels in some areas continue to rise, inevitably some communities will be forced to start reconsidering their options.

Papua New Guinea – quick facts

• Papua New Guinea is the largest Pacific Island country but has the lowest living standards
• The population of 6.1 million is set to double in 25 years
• 40 percent of the population live in poverty
• 85 percent of the population live in rural areas
• There are over 800 language and ethnic groups
• Most of the population are subsistence farmers
• NZAID's total bilateral assistance to Papua New Guinea (PNG) in 2007/08 was NZ$21.5 million.
  
  For more information about NZAID's programme in Papua New Guinea, see the Papua New Guinea page on the NZAID website, www.nzaid.govt.nz
  
  Read the Minister of Foreign Affair’s media release on New Zealand's contribution to the flood relief efforts in Papua New Guinea.
  

Disability and Development Consortium Conference

Megan McCoy, Development Programme Officer, recently attended this Consortium listening to and representing the lessons learned from NZAID.

Disability is unfortunately, an often-forgotten issue in international development. It should receive more focus given that at least 10 percent of the worlds population have a disability, at least 80 percent of those people live in developing countries and people with disabilities are often poorer that citizens without disabilities. This reality was highlighted when over 200 people from around the Pacific and Asia met in Canberra for a two-day conference on Disablity, Disadvantage and Development in the Pacific and Asia (29 – 30 September). The conference was organised by the Australian Disability and Development Consortium.

While the majority of participants have been campaigning for the rights of people with disabilities for a long time, there was a real sense that disability is finally on the agenda. This reflects the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) (to which New Zealand ratified on 25 September 2008) coming into force early this year. It reflects also and the recent commitment to disability from the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID), who join NZAID in supporting the mainstreaming of disability throughout all development policies and programmes, and specific initiatives to support the empowerment of people with disabilities.

The conference was a great learning opportunity. Presentations focused on some of the most pertinent issues for people with disabilities, including women with disabilities; using the CRPD as an advocacy tool with governments; the importance of Disabled Persons Organisations (DPOs); economic empowerment; access to information; and capacity building. As NZAID has been a long supporter of disability in the Pacific, I was able to present on the role of official development assistance for disability and some of the lessons NZAID learned in this process.

The conference finished with several key messages: ‘nothing about us without us’ (emphasizing that people with disabilities should be included in the design, implementation and evaluation of all relevant policy, programmes and processes), and that it was time to ‘just get on with it’.

On 30 October a smaller session will be held for regional stakeholders to workshop the major issues coming from the conference and how best they can be taken forward.

Pacific Strategy Launch

Foreign Minister Winston Peters today launched the New Zealand’s Pacific development strategy – a strategy to guide New Zealand’s aid and development assistance in the Pacific.

New Zealand is a Pacific nation and our links with our neighbours are long-standing and far reaching. It’s a vibrant relationship that traverses every aspect of our society – from sport and religion to family, culture and environment.

After sub-Saharan Africa, the Pacific region will need to work the hardest to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, the internationals agreed poverty reduction and development targets.

The challenges are great. In Papua New Guinea, there are few roads, housing is poor, many children die from preventable diseases, economic growth has struggled to keep pace with population increases. Compare this with Tuvalu, a small island state of dispersed atolls, vulnerable to rising sea levels and extreme weather.

The Pacific Strategy sets out the direction and of New Zealand’s aid effort until 2015 and will support Pacific people to make lasting and positive change in their own communities.

New Zealand will shape it’s assistance around four pillars; improving health and education, promoting economic growth, reducing vulnerabilities and strengthening governance and leadership.

Over the next 8 years the New Zealand government will spend more than $2 billion in the region, assuming aid levels remain the same.

The strategy will ensure a focussed and effective approach to aid work said Winston Peters at the launch, noting that aid is only part of the answer.

“The strategy sets out New Zealand’s expectation that the Pacific region, and individual Pacific countries will take up the challenge and do the work necessary to lift their own citizens out of poverty.”

For more details about the Pacific strategy, visit www.nzaid.govt.nz

http://www.beehive.govt.nz/speech/paddling+both+sides+canoe

http://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/launch+new+zealand039s+pacific+development+strategy

Field Visit to Zambia and Zimbabwe

With high rates of HIV/AIDS, child malnutrition, and maternal mortality, Africa faces great challenges in its task to free people from poverty. Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest level of poverty of all the regions in the world. As a small donor, New Zealand is committed to making a difference to those in need. NZAID has developed a partnership programme with NGOs in Zambia and Zimbabwe focussed on maternal and child health, nutrition and related livelihoods. NZAID’s Education Advisor, Myra Harrison has recently returned from a field visit to Zambia and Zimbabwe and writes about her experience.

Zambia has recently recorded good progress in its macro-economy, due in part to the rising copper price, and has significant development partners assisting it. But the government acknowledges the difficulties they still encounter in providing services to very rural communities. NZAID was welcomed by government officials at provincial and district level in Luapula Province who were very knowledgeable about the maternal health challenges they face there, and glad that a neglected rural district would now receive some support.

I have worked in Zambia, and visited it many times, but had never been to Luapula which is in north-east Zambia. One of the surprises of this visit was the sheer wetness of Luapula: it contains about 80 percent of Zambia’s surface water. Lake Bengweulu is immense, and there are substantial wetlands and swamps that make logistics very hard.

Part of the new programme in Zambia focuses on reducing maternal mortality and child mortality. One way to achieve this is to support the district health services to provide antenatal care and the safe delivery of babies. My colleagues and I realised that there was provision for bicycle ambulances in the programme – but not for boats! This has been rectified since our visit to Luapula, and we have also suggested solar-powered lanterns for night-time deliveries, in response to a suggestion from traditional birth attendants who have to navigate to villages in the swamps and assist mothers whose babies arrive at night in pitch darkness.

The soil is very sandy and poor in Luapula, where the staple food is cassava. There was little evidence of vegetables or fruit growing, and neither is available to buy, which may be a contributing factor in the under-nutrition of children in the area. However, the main protein source is fish, which is found in abundance in the lake and swamps.

The challenges in Zimbabwe are immense and very different. We weren’t able to take photos in Harare for security reasons. However, the sights we saw in the Harare Children’s Hospital will remain with us. Small children and babies suffering severe malnutrition to the point of starvation, in a country that used to feed itself and have food to export, is very saddening. The devotion and professionalism of the matron and the few remaining nurses gives reassurance that the system could be reinvigorated.