In the Ghazni Province, southeast in Afghanistan, with 1. 3 million people, the Norwegian Afghanistan Commitee has its Provincial Office. Here, Abdul Ghafar Rahmati (29), despite his young age, is responsible for the seventy employees at the office.
– Working in an organization like the Norwegian Afghanistan Committee is a privilege. It is a good platform for growth, to use my talents and skills, and to serve the people of Afghanistan. As a non-political, non-profit organization that has been active in Afghanistan for over 40 years, NAC has always had the rural population of Afghanistan in mind. This is particularly what I like and admire about the organization, and why I enjoy working for it so much, says Ghafar.
Ghafar grew up in Ghazni Province. He holds an MBA from Delhi, India, and has worked for the Norwegian Afghanistan Committee since 2014.
A typical workday in Ghazni
The Norwegian Afghanistan Committee’s provincial office in Ghazni is actively working in thirteen districts throughout the province. Like the other NAC offices in Afghanistan, the Ghazni office will primarily focus on education and food security in the coming months. An overarching framework in all of the work NAC does in Afghanistan is the implementation the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
– Since I lead the Ghazni Provincial Office, I have different tasks and responsibilities every day. During a usual workday I am responsible for office management, project-coordination with different governmental departments, and I attend meetings with the staff, as well as with the other relevant NGOs here. Often, I visit project sites, where I meet with the communities and assist them with their needs.
Ongoing activities and programmes in Ghazni
Currently, the provincial office in Ghazni has several immediate humanitarian programmes due to the ongoing crisis in the country. With the support of the World Food Programme (WFP), the Ghazni office offers short-term job opportunities through food-for-work initiatives. The people are offered work, for example in repairing roads and irrigation canals. This project provides food for around 500 families in the province who struggle with extreme food insecurity.
– Here at the office, we have several educational projects going on these months, such as diploma-upgrading programmes, where teachers graduate with a diploma of grade fourteen after a study period of three years. These teachers will go to remote rural areas of Afghanistan, which are hard to reach, and where the quality of education is very poor compared to the bigger cities. Soon, a new batch of these students will graduate and will then be ready for advanced and inclusive teaching.
We also have learning centres (Think-Labs), where around 200 male and female students have different courses, for example English and computer programming, says Ghafar.
– We also distribute seeds, fertilizers and other agricultural products to thirteen districts here in Ghazni Province, to help farmers in dire need. During these times we are also providing life-saving winterization assistance to 1800 vulnerable households throughout the province, with the support of United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA).
Improved security situation, but still challenges
Ghafar elaborates on how the security situation has changed lately. Before, it was difficult for his office to reach out to all of the communities in certain areas due to armed fighting in the province. However, since August, Ghafar explains that they do not face similar security issues.
– Fortunately, we have many more ongoing projects, compared to recent years. In all of the districts here in Ghazni, there have been clashes and violence for the last 20 years. In many of these districts, there have been no opportunities for girls to get educated because of the war. But now, most of these areas are accessible to us, Ghafar explains.
– The demand for employment is high for the Afghan people, and we cannot fulfill all of it. Alongside rising poverty rates and widespread hunger, this is the main challenge we are facing in Afghanistan these days. In terms of security there are no specific challenges for the continuation of our work currently, which is a very good thing for us and the communities we assist.
