Eualuation of National Solidarity Program

Eualuation of kingdomal Solidarity ProgramEUALUATION OF NATIONAL SOLIDARITY PROGRAM PEOPLE PARTICIPATION, CHALLENGES AND SUSTAINBALITYThe case of Sayed Abad order of Wardak ProvinceTariq SalariTable of Contents (Jump to)ACKNOWLEDGEMENT1. INTRODUCTION1.1. Context of the study1.2. Rationale of the study1.3. possible action1.4. Limitation of the Study1.5. Organization of the thesisABBREVIATIONSAF Afghani (Currency of Afghanistan)ANDS Afghanistan National knowledge StrategyAREU Afghanistan Research and evaluation UnitAusAID Australian Agency for International DevelopmentCDCs Community Development CouncilsCDP Community Development planCRDP Comprehensive Rural Development ProgramCSO Central Statistics OrganizationDAC Development Assistance CommitteeDFID subdivision for International DevelopmentEPA Environmental Protection AgencyEU European UnionFAO Food and kitchen-gardening OrganizationFP Facilitating PartnerIFAD International Fund for AgricultureGDP Gross Domestic Producthuman i mmunodeficiency virus Human Immunodeficiency VirusILO International Labour OrganizationIWG-PA Informal Working Group on participatory Approaches MethodsKW KilowattN NumberNEPA National Environmental Policy Actnon governingal organization Non Governmental OrganizationNSP National Solidarity ProgramOECD Organization for Economic Cooperation and DevelopmentPDPs Provincial Development plansPIDRA democratic Integrated Development in Rain-fed AreaSAHEE Sustainability for Agriculture, Health, Education and EnvironmentSCA Swedish Committee for AfghanistanUN United NationUNDP United Nation Development ProgramUN ESCAP United Nation Economic and Social accusation for Asia and peace-lovingUNESC United Nation Economic and Social CouncilUNRISD United Nation Research Institute for Social DevelopmentUSAID United States Agency for International DevelopmentUSFAA United States Foreign Assistance ActWB valet de chambre BankWCARRD World Conference on agricultural Reform and Rural DevelopmentWECD W orld Commission on Environment and DevelopmentWMP Watershed Management Program1. INTRODUCTION1.1. Context of the studyIn the 1950s and 1960s many top-down maturation programs failed because of the wrong policies of the governments, donors and non-governmental organizations, which muckle were not involved in the design and implementation of the hurtles. World Bank (1994) proclaimed that top-down fashion entailed big bureaucratic transition they prefer participatory approaches because it is learning by doing which means people learn throughout the process. Top-down forms succeed limited opportunities for participatory learning and decision-making as well. It obstructs topical anesthetic culture and habits (FAO, 1997). Shah (2012) stated that it is assumed that if local people were involved in the project cycle, it would be more than successful. In most countries top-down policies caused the isolation of the people, cast up in poverty, social and economic inequalities and de privation.Many governments, non-governmental organizations and instruction agencies dedicate acknowledged that traditional top-down approaches in many developing and developed countries failed to reach the benefits of uncouth people (FAO, 1991). Moreover, Binns et al. (1997) asserts that top-down strategies have failed to raise life standards of unpolished people these approaches ignore rural peoples perception, needs and understanding. It is clear that without peoples interest it would be difficult for the planners to understand the socioeconomic and cultural situation, needs, problems and priorities of the rural communities.In the last many years the term of participation has become popular, especially in relation to sustainability of rural development projects (Bagherian et al, 2009). In the 1970s peoples participation recognized as a missing component of development projects which caused intensifying poverty (Karl, 2000). Participatory approach got momentum after the Wor ld Conference on Agrarian Reform and Rural Development (WCARRD) organized in 1997. WCARRD emphasized on the organization and active participation of rural people in the development programs (UN ESCAP, 2009). Local participation is considered as a vitally authentic factor for rural development projects, since rural people ar the only one who knows their own problems snap off than anyone else. Hence, participation improves ownership, helps with rural peoples knowledge and boosts sustainability of rural development projects. In 1990, after more than four decades of providing foreign aids to developing countries, the assisting and major donor agencies came up with the issue of benefits and activities in long term after stopping aids fund. They tried to establish local governance to manage resources and check long term sustainability (Bossert, 1990 Mohammad, 2010). A project can be sustained when the beneficiaries are involved in the project cycle they will train throughout the pro ject and would be enabled to work for their residential district in the future.Agriculture and livestock sector plays a vital role in the rural economy of Afghanistan. match to the World Bank (2012) rural population measured 76.14% where agriculture is the primary activity. Despite of the many challenges rural economy contributes to more than half of the countrys GDP. The three decades of war, turmoil, instability, revolution and social disruption hugely affected rural people in terms of social development and economic growth. Social institutions and economic infrastructures have been destroyed, sources of livelihoods, housing, schools and hospitals were demolished (Rahimi, 2013).After a long time, the government of Afghanistan and International Community in 2002 began some initiatives to reconstruct and stabilize the country through local communities. Zakhilwal and Thomas (2005) suggest that for longer peace and stability, rural participatory policies are needed to include those people who were often excluded from the decision-making before, especially women who have historically been victims of demented development. The Transitional Government of Afghanistan in 2002 has started national programs. One of these programs was National Solidarity Program (NSP) to create, build up and accommodate Community Development Councils (CDCs) as effective foundations for local governance and socioeconomic development (NSP-Web, 2014).NSP as a bottom-up program was created in 2003 to develop the ability of Afghan communities to identify, plan, manage and monitor their own development projects (NSP-Web, 2013). Development projects have a crucial role in the local development, since they improve the living standards of local people, empower local people and educate rural communities. Hence, it is important to be sustained which depends on the project selection, project design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation. Without active participation of local people, it is im possible to achieve this goal (sustainability), which NSP projects couldnt pucker this criterion many projects have failed to produce expected outcomes.This study examines people participation in NSP projects and it explores major obstacles of people participation and likely sustainability of devil projects in Sayed Abad district of Wardak province.1.2. Rationale of the studySince 2001 government have put the issue of local participation in the centre of their policies and much more attention has been pay to rural regions and community participation, to bring people together in order to utilize the local resources, as well as to improve the livelihood of the rural people. In the first couple of years government tried to build capacity at local level in the public sector and civil society but these efforts had light impact. Subsequently, Afghan government jointly with the International Community initiated national programs to have a go at it with poverty, engage directly people in the reconstruction process of the country, empower local people and specify them responsible for their own development (Rahimi, 2013). Mostly the process of these programs has been bottom up, which has mainly focused on minorities and disadvantaged strata of the community. But it is supposed that in some regions these initiatives have not succeeded to perceive the objectives of community participation and dominance in the local projects and many times it criticized that minorities, especially women have not been involved in these efforts, and sedate people are suffering from the elite and power-holders interference in the rural development projects. This study attempts to attend to the empirical questions which often asked that whether in the NSP program people meaningfully participated and whether peoples participation co-ordinated with sustainability of the projects. With this background and empirical questions, the entire study was designed to meet the following objecti vesTo identify the level of booking of local people in the National Solidarity Program (NSP) projects in the study area.To explore the barriers and factors that affect community participation in National Solidarity Program (NSP) projects in Sayed Abad district.To examine the sustainability of the NSP projects in the study area.To make recommendations base on the findings of this study.1.3. HypothesisIn Sayed Abad district of Wardak province, elite power holders, socio-cultural situation and personal relationship caused isolation of minorities, especially in case of participation of women in the National Solidarity Program.Threatened security conditions, lack of substantial cultivation and conflicts among tribes are the biggest challenges for community participation in the National Solidarity Program in Sayed Abad district.Meaningfully betrothal of people in National Solidarity program likely lead to sustainability of projects in Sayed Abad district.1.4. Limitation of the StudyTh e limitations are mainly related to the availability of information and time, difficulties of collecting primary selective information in rural area of Afghanistan. It is not an easy task because of the threatened security conditions and a high illiteracy rate of the citizens. near of the limitations are listed belowLack of time and financial limitation.Security problems in Wardak province.Unwillingness of the respondents to give information due to security problems.Bureaucratic policy in the Ministry of Rehabilitation and Rural Development.Lack of secondary data due to absence of database in the provincial office of NSP.Absence of the officials and members of Community Development Councils (CDCs).1.5. Organization of the thesisThe entire thesis has been organized in five chapters. The first chapter highlights the context of the study, objectives, hypothesis and limitation of the study. Chapter two includes an extended literature review rough the history of participation, definitio n of participation and sustainability, typology of participation, factors influencing participation and sustainability, relationship mingled with participation and sustainability of the projects, social exclusion and inclusion and a short description of NSP. Principle concepts, information about study area, methods and tools used in the analysis are elaborated in the chapter three. Chapter four explores the results and findings in a logical scientific manner to accomplish the objectives and test the hypothesis of the study. Chapter five presents conclusions based on interrogation outcomes and also some recommendations for enhancing the peoples participation in rural development projects and sustainability. In the abutting chapter the study is summarized and finally the sources of research materials, books and research papers related to the present investigation are listed.