National Development Framework Research Project

2 February 2004

by ActionAid

The National Development Framework

With a post Loya Jirga transitional government newly installed in Kabul and peace revived across much of the country, reconstruction and rehabilitation initiatives in Afghanistan have started to pick up momentum. As a result, one of the most pressing tasks of the new authorities is the development, almost in its entirety, of a set of official policies and laws to adequately guide this process.

In this respect, perhaps the most important document to come out of the government thus far is the draft National Development Framework (NDF). With the objective of providing an overarching development strategy and informing the forthcoming National Development Budget, this document outlines three ‘pillars’ or areas of engagement. Pillar I talks of using humanitarian assistance and social policy to ‘create the conditions for people to live secure lives and to lay the foundations for the formation of sustainable human capital’. Sectors considered under this pillar therefore include health, education, rural development, and refugee return. Next, Pillar II refers to the development of physical infrastructure as a basis for a private sector led strategy of growth. Finally, Pillar III emphasizes the fostering of the private sector to become ‘both the engine of growth and the instrument of social inclusion’.

The Present Research Project

In the opening paragraph of the NDF it is acknowledged that ‘The people’s aspirations must be represented and reflected in an accountable government that delivers value on a daily basis.’ The document goes on to add that ‘people in general and the poor in particular are not passive recipients of development but active engines of change.’ Bearing these statements in mind, a research project was conceived with the aim of garnering the views of a cross section of civil society – from village level communities through to local and national NGOs – and highlighting development priorities as perceived by these actors. In particular, this initiative aimed to capture the perspective of the poorest and most marginalized sector of the Afghan population (that constituency at which development activities should primarily be focused) vis a vis the content and operationalisation of the NDF.

After discussions with AACA, UNAMA, MRD and other relevant actors, a small research team was established under a partnership initiative between CCA and ActionAid. At the project’s commencement, this team participated in a short training course aimed at enabling them to analyze and understand the context and contents of the National Development Framework, to appropriately use participatory appraisal techniques, and to facilitate discussions and interviews pertaining to the NDF. After training, this group was divided into four teams of three and dispatched to the field to conduct the research in selected villages and urban centers across four target areas – Kabul, Mazar, Kandahar, and Behsood. The same analysis, moreover was conducted in Asiab Gorg, Uruzgani, Palo, Shorabi and Nawarid villages in Chimtal district of Balkh province, Sadmarda and Dakhil Zaw villages in Khoram Sarbagh district of Smangan province, Mangajik and Shakarak Bazar villages in Khawaja Dako district of Jawozjan province where ActionAid is currently involved. Please see Annex 1 for the field visit schedule.

The research activities themselves involved: meeting with communities and using PRA techniques to more thoroughly understand their resource needs, social structures, causes of vulnerability, institutional access, development aspirations etc.; collecting case studies from a cross-section of civil society members; conducting structured interviews with relevant actors (doctors, teachers, local authorities, development workers, businessmen, etc.); and holding larger meetings/workshops to gather the views of the NGO community. Upon completion of all activities, including the present report, structured interactions with the appropriate policy-makers are envisaged to feed the resulting information back into the system.

In achieving its objectives, this project was hampered by two limiting factors, namely time and resources. Most significantly, these limitations affected the comprehensiveness of the research, with activities confined to a maximum of four target areas. However, these areas were chosen for their geographic and ethnic representation, and it is therefore believed that, despite the limited sample size, the results provide a legitimate indication of the perspective of the broader Afghan community. Nonetheless, if the government is serious about its commitment to represent and reflect the needs and aspirations of the broader community, it is recommended that activities similar to those conducted under this initiative continue to be carried out with much broader coverage.

Summary Findings

Below is an overview of the feedback received over the course of this research project. Considering that, even with the assistance of the international community, the resources available to the Afghan government will always be limited, an attempt has been made to highlight those development issues that are seen, from the community perspective, as being of priority. Moreover, in addition to these broad areas of focus, this document also aims to identify key priorities within each of the sectors discussed.

The structure of this feedback is based on the NDF itself. Initially, therefore, specific issues will be organised under the relevant Pillar headings. These will then be followed by a selection of more general comments.

Pillar I

Refugee Return

In relation to refugee return, reintegration efforts were generally seen as a key priority. It was remarked, however, that this involves the support of both returnees and those members of the host community who are equally vulnerable members of the host community. The communities we spoke with noted that of those families that remained behind, many did so only because they could not afford to leave. It was not only the homes of refugees that were destroyed during the fighting. As such the general consensus was that it is inappropriate for reconstruction efforts to be targeted solely at those with returnee status.

As a whole, then, programmes designed within this sector should be careful not to view poverty as the prerogative of returnees. They must avoid creating further hierarchies within communities; failure to do so is likely to result in increased tension within these communities, thereby exacerbating existing problems. In terms of housing reconstruction, for example, it may be better to focus on the overall reconstruction of the most adversely affected villages, rather than simply targeting the homes of one particular group within a community.
The participatory tools used with the target community groups also highlighted the fact that the root causes of displacement do vary from time to time and place to place. Obviously, successful intervention strategies will have to take these differing causes into consideration. In the case of families forced to leave their homes as a result of ethnic clashes, for example, repatriation to their village or town of origin is often not an appropriate response. One commonly cited example was that of the Pashtoon families who have fled Afghanistan’s Tajik-dominated northern region in recent months – more than one interviewee noted that attempts to repatriate these families at this time could create a significant security risk. In such cases intervention strategies must clearly involve some form of social protection, in addition to basic humanitarian assistance. As such, it is recommended that protection issues be taken into consideration in the design stage of any programme or policy relating to displaced populations.

In addition, it was remarked that where displacement occurs as a result of loss of livelihood, intervention strategies must also take this fact into account. In particular, it was noted that the fact that the needs of the landless will be different from those who own land must not be overlooked. Speaking more broadly, one interviewee noted that sustainable reintegration should be the overall aim of this sector, not just humanitarian assistance (as is UNHCR’s mandate). Relevant policies and programmes must therefore be designed with a long-term perspective in mind. Regarding the pressing need of the returning population for sustainable livelihood opportunities, for example, one development worker noted that it is important for the authorities to think through both the forward and backward linkages that are involved in these - forward to modes of production and market opportunities and backwards to the raw materials and appropriate skills necessary for fostering these.

Education

Across the target areas, education was consistently highlighted as a priority sector of focus within the education field, moreover, what came across is that it is not enough for the authorities simply to stop discriminatory practices; there is an urgent need for policies that pro-actively foster positive discrimination, encouraging and supporting those who have been denied education in the past.

Specifically, there is a need to pro-actively target female students. On one level this means removing physical barriers to access. Our studies highlighted the fact that village girls are generally unable to travel any real distance unaccompanied, and therefore can only attend schools where these are located in the vicinity of their homes. Secondly, particularly in the more conservative southern areas of the country, cultural attitudes constitute a significant barrier to female education. Speaking directly to girl children, our researchers were faced with a number who openly confided that although they wanted to go to school, their parents would not allow them to. Moreover, the PRA tools used consistently illustrated that male children are highly favoured when it comes to the provision of education. A government committed to equitable education for female children will therefore need to consider the option of positive incentives to encourage families to send their daughters to school. Moreover, the question of accessibility will have to be considered in education programmes at all levels, from infrastructure to teaching methodology to content.

An examination of the daily activities of family members from the poorest communities talked with indicates that economic factors constitute another barrier to education. These clearly illustrate that children within these families – particularly those where the mother is widowed or father disabled – are important economic earners. Livelihood initiatives would therefore also have a direct impact on education levels amongst this sector of the population, as would adequate welfare provision. Meanwhile, creative schemes are required in order to accommodate working children within the education system. This issue also indicates a need for education programmes to be linked to policies regarding child labour, etc.

In terms of policies and programmes within the education sector, it was observed that there is a need to focus on at least three levels. The first of these is infrastructure. This includes the exact location of educational institutions, the physical structures they occupy, and the resources that they enjoy. One potential problem that was highlighted, for example, was the fact that currently many schools are still located within the structure of the local mosque. Those concerned felt that this was impacting, amongst other things, on the accessibility of the services on offer, the modes of teaching being employed, and the locus of control for decision making on educational matters.

Secondly, the need for capacity building of trainers was apparent. For example, one teacher in Behsood noted that in the 29 years he has been working in the area, not a single training initiative has been conducted for teachers. During the same period, however, he remembered the national curriculum being changed on three occasions (during Najib’s time, and by both the Mujahideen and the Taliban). It is also noteworthy that although an English teacher, he only managed to communicate in English via a translator. This is perhaps not surprising considering the fact that the school is run by the community alone, without any form of government support.

The third level of intervention that was recommended involved the content of the educational curriculum – ie. exactly what it is that schools are teaching. One suggestion in this regard was that a thorough analysis of the current curriculum be conducted. It was also noted that minimum levels of learning (MLL) need to be developed, to correspond with each education grade. In order to ensure culturally contextualised MLL further research would have to be conducted. Additionally, it is vital that any changes made to the curriculum or to the education sector more generally should be linked to training initiatives to update teachers.

Finally, one group of academics interviewed were of the opinion that a specific focus on ex-Mujahideens within this sector is not particularly useful – it was noted that education and work are needed equally by all those who are illiterate and unemployed.

Health

The NDF notes that maternal and infant mortality rates are ‘unacceptably high’. Discussions with various health actors reinforced this, supporting the notion that, particularly where resources are limited, mother and child health should be the primary area of focus within the sector. For example in Uruzgani a village of 400 families (2400 Population), 6 women died due to the pregnancy related complications during last one year. The situation in the other villages studied was not different.

Moreover, while the government rightly recognises that there is currently a surplus of doctors, the research sample indicates that this surplus consists primarily of males. Consequently these doctors are of little use to female patients, all the more so in conservative areas, where there were reports of men letting their wives die rather than have them seen by a male doctor. Again, therefore, in terms of training health practitioners, there is a clear need to positively discriminate women in order to make up for the previous gap. One recommendation was that medical colleges should be established expressly for women students. Furthermore, if mother and child health issues are to be seriously addressed, there is also a need for interim measures in the time it will take to train a new cadre of female doctors.

Communities consulted with constantly berated the lack of health facilities. In this regard, health professionals interviewed pragmatically recommended a focus on preventative health measures. One suggestion was that a cadre of health educators be created to work at the village level. In addition, the training of traditional birth attendants (TBAs) was recommended as an effective means of reducing mother and child mortality rates. One doctor also noted, however, that such efforts should be linked to curative health infrastructure. One example would be the provision of referral services to government or NGO supported hospitals and clinics.

Related to the composition of the medical workforce, it became apparent that while there may be a surplus of doctors across the country as a whole, these are mainly concentrated in urban centres. As such, there remains an urgent need for qualified medical personnel to work in rural communities. The government may therefore need to think about providing positive incentives to encourage newly qualified practitioners to work in rural areas.

In addition, during the course of this research many misapprehensions within the health sector were also highlighted, particularly when it came to curative practices. In rural areas in particular, interviewees noted that much of the existing medical knowledge is out-dated. It was also observed that there is an overemphasis on drugs, especially those that need to be taken intravenously, with many patients not satisfied with a consultation unless they are given a prescription of some sort. Such tendencies are indicative of a need for greater capacity building for health professionals and potentially also a need for a revision of the current medical curriculum. A health education campaign aimed at increasing public awareness in relation to appropriate drug use may also be beneficial.

This research also demonstrated the fact that physical access to healthcare remains a huge problem in Afghanistan. Across much of the country, small villages are cut off in winter, leaving whole communities unable to reach health facilities located in larger urban centres for example in Shorabi, people have to walk a distance of around 38 km unsteady track to reach the main road (where finding a vehicle is a fortune), walking even becomes impossible once raining starts and the weather gets freezing cold. No other chance of using facilities leaves in people’s hand but to wait for their, fate which is either recovery or death. On one hand this underscores the need for trained health care workers (including TBAs) to be located at the village level. On the other, this problem indicates that small, low-cost but appropriate interventions, particularly those aimed at prevention, are likely to have a much larger impact on rural health levels than large medical infrastructure would have.

Finally, it is worth noting that all the health professionals interviewed, without exception, raised the issue of low salaries. This is perhaps an issue that needs further consideration.

Rural Development

As a whole, feedback from this research emphasised the need for development activities - education, health, transport routes, etc. – to prioritise rural areas over urban areas. Related to this, what also came across was the need for governmental policies - including those aimed at land reform, water management, etc. - to address current patterns of inequity and skewed distribution of resources within rural communities. In all villages visited during the course of this project, for example, landlessness was a defining characteristic of the most marginalised sector of the population. As such, current agriculture-based development activities are actually missing out those who are most vulnerable and merely reinforcing inequitable land ownership patterns and power structures. Experience elsewhere shows the ‘trickle down’ theory of development to be flawed, and thus interventions need to be devised that will directly benefit the most marginalised rural community members.

Having said this, it was also observed that the core skills of most villagers revolved around land based livelihood options (share-cropping, agricultural labouring etc). Ironically, however, in each village visited there were large sections of wasteland. From a non-technical perspective, it would appear that with appropriate land and water management techniques, such land could be reclaimed and possibly distributed amongst those landless members of the community. This would be worth further technical investigation.

In addition, within the rural areas visited, the need for initiatives focused on building governance was also highlighted. In a number of villages it was apparent that the communities were not informed about local development programmes. They were unaware not only of budget allocations, but even of who was responsible for the implementation of these projects (ie. the government or NGOs). This lack of communication has resulted in instances where development programmes do not cater to the needs of the community. In addition, amongst other things, it means that there is no way of either substantiating or denying rumours about misappropriation of funds, etc. The establishment of institutional mechanisms for the involvement of the community in their own development initiatives would therefore seem to be a priority. Happily, the National Solidarity Programme proposed in the NDF would seem to cater to this.

Another issue of relevance here relates to labour wages. Across the different regions visited, and across the various livelihood sectors, it was noted that wage rates vary considerably, with no apparent basis for this differentiation. As such, it was recommended on more than one occasion that a minimum wage be established as a priority. Related to this was the question of child labour. In all areas visited children were found to be engaged in both formal and non-formal employment. It was also found, however, that the money brought in by these children was for many families the sole source of income. While policy moves against child labour are recommended, therefore, the need for alternative sources of livelihood also needs to be considered. It was suggested, for example, that a comprehensive livelihood protection package be developed for families without adult wage earners, etc.

‘My husband died two years ago. I have four children and no-one to support me. I live by the kindness of my neighbours.’
-Juma Khan’s widow, Sard Marda village

Social Policy

In addition to the above, under Pillar I the NDF also talks of social protection, outlining the need for social works programmes and activities to target the most vulnerable sector of the population. Here it is important to note that, whatever the benefits of a private sector lead development process, there is currently, and will continue to be, a sector of the population (made up primarily of orphans, widows, pensioners and the disabled), that has no means of supporting itself. At present, when people are both unable to work and have no relatives to support them, they become completely dependent on charity. Take, for example, the old men who become servants at the mosque in order to receive alms, or the many widowed women and young children who have to resort to begging.

A government that is committed to assisting its population to rise out of poverty and to live in dignity will therefore have to consider some form of social welfare scheme for those people who are otherwise unable to adequately support themselves. More specifically, it was recommended that a pension scheme be developed for those with no other means of support (ie. widows, the elderly, and disabled community members).

Pillar II

Infrastructure Development

Pillar II describes a system whereby the implementation of national infrastructure is entrusted to the private sector. While there may be benefits to such an approach, a concern that was raised repeatedly over the course of this project was that the private sector rarely takes as its perspective the needs of the very poorest section of society. Certainly, economic returns are rarely compatible with the needs of the poor. In terms of road-building, for example, private sector led initiatives are likely to favour large commercial routes over the much smaller roads necessary for linking isolated villages to areas of accessible health, education, etc. Examples from the villages visited, however, showed that it is not uncommon for people requiring urgent health care – pregnant women, for example – to die before reaching distant hospitals (As per mentioned in health section)

Thus, while large roads are certainly important for trade, in terms of saving lives the smaller rural access routes are most important. Building big highways and ‘linking farms to markets’ may help traders, but from the perspective of the most vulnerable (bearing in mind that this category generally does not include landed farmers) this is not the priority. While the NDF talks of making the private sector accountable to those who are the intended beneficiaries, moreover, it suggests no mechanisms for actually achieving this.

Water is another area that is considered under Pillar II of the NDF. This was the top priority identified by the vast majority of the communities consulted with. What this research highlighted, however, was that water related problems go far beyond a simple lack of infrastructure. In all four of the target areas, water management and usage were raised as significant problems by local communities. In the area around Kandahar, for example, villagers noted that water has become a considerable source of tension, to the point where most fights in the area break out around hand pumps. In addition to increasing water related infrastructure, therefore, there is a clear need for the government to draft policies relating to water management. These must focus on two things: ensuring the sustainability of water sources; and also the equitable usage of existing water. In relation to the latter point, it was found that at present richer village members tend to monopolise water sources. This is also true of those villages fortunate enough to be located closer to the source of a river – creating serious consequences for those further downstream.

Here it is also interesting to note that while the priority of landowners was often water for irrigation, the poorest section of the population specified simply clean drinking water. Finally, in addressing this issue it will be important to consider the location of hand pumps and other sources, as this will directly impact on a variety of other factors. This research showed, for example, that it is generally children who collect water, and that the amount of time they have to spend doing so is directly related to whether or not they have time to attend school.

Also in relation to rural development, it is important to emphasise once again that, while agriculture may be the main source of livelihood for many Afghans, the most vulnerable sector of the population tend to be landless, and without control of any resources. As such, many current interventions in this area overlook this group, reinforcing patterns of inequitable resource distribution and, in the worst cases, actually exacerbating the exploitation of labourers. Rural policy initiatives may therefore need to think about land reform and other more direct means of redressing this balance. A similar problem exists in the area of natural resource management, with a need to facilitate equitable ownership and not just reinforce unequal power structures. Improving the standard of living of the very poorest should be the key aim of any development programme. Again, however, international experience indicates that it that a private sector led strategy of development is alone unlikely to lead to these very necessary changes.

‘I don’t need the priorities that the richer members in our community need. I am neither a land owner nor capable of cultivation.’
Abdul Rahim, Sard Marda village

Natural Resources

Very briefly, it is interesting to note that a problem analysis conducted with IDPs in Kabul identified the existence of valuable natural resources (precious stones, etc.) as being one of the causes of migration.

The logic here is that these can lead to increased tension, outside intervention, the requisitioning of land, etc. While Afghanistan is extremely fortunate to have such valuable resources, examples such as this indicate a need for the present government to give serious consideration to the management and usage of these.

Pillar III

Private Sector Development

Pillar III of the NDF is primarily about creating an enabling environment for private sector development. In this regard, the comment that was most commonly heard in the course of this study was that at present Afghanistan is still a poor and fragile country, and as such there is likely to be a role for a government lead development process for some time to come. On one hand, the need for social service provision was referred to. On the other, it was remarked that the government must first look inwards and strengthen domestic structures before opening these up to the whims of the international private sector. A number of interviewees expressed their concern that opening up the market will only lead to dependency, degradation of culture, and ultimately a worsened state of affairs for Afghan people. While a thriving private sector may indeed play a role in creating job opportunities, at this point the risk of exploitation is also high, especially in the absence of appropriate regulation. As an advisor to the Ministry of Commerce noted, therefore, the NDF ‘is not suitable with the situation in Afghanistan. It would be useful for developed countries but not for less developed Afghanistan, and so I am not sure about it.’

Should the government decide to go ahead with this strategy, it was emphasised time and again that all necessary regulatory mechanisms must first be put in place. If one aim of Pillar III is to attract investment, for example, there is a need to consider how to differentiate between foreign and domestic investors, how to protect local agents and support local initiatives, etc. As one interviewee noted, for example, ‘Similar rules and regulations for domestic and foreign private companies will in the long-term be harmful for Afghan domestic production’. At present there is no means for even tracking foreign currency flows into and out of the country. Realistically, the establishment of such mechanisms is likely to take some time, but what is most important is that investment