The Ministry of Public Health and Agha Khan Foundations sign a Memorandum of Understanding for health service delivery in Bamyan and Baghlan
Source: Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan
Date: 26 Jul 2009
Dr. SMA Fatimie, Minister of Public Health of Afghanistan and Ms. Samira, health Coordinator of Agha Khan Foundation (AKF) signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the implementation of Basic Package of Health Services (BPHS) in Bamyan and Baghlan provinces in the presence of His Excellency Mr. Ali Mawji, Ambassador of His Higness Prince Karim Agh Khan. The project targets district of Shibar in Bamyan and districts of Doshi and Dahana-i-Ghori in Baghlan province. The total value for this project is $12.1 million for 12 years from 2009 to 2020. For Shibar district the budget is $4.9 million and for Doshi and Dahana-I-Ghori districts the budget is $7.9 million.
The structure of the Health System in Afghanistan is traditional. At the district level, community health workers are providing health care and consultation to the people. The Basic Health Center is staffed by health professionals and provides all of the services that comprise the BPHS. Comprehensive Health Centres and District Hospitals offer a broader array of more sophisticated medical care.
The delivery of BPHS in Afghanistan has improved remarkably over the last four years. In order to reach Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) 4 and 5, coverage and quality of care in the area of MCH services must be further improved. To this end MoPH with the support of its partners and donors tries to increase access to and utilization of BPH. With the support of donors and health stakeholders MoPH can increase access of poor people to the primary health care. AKF support in these 3 districts for 12 years will guarantee promotion of health for long term to the people. MoPH very much appreciates this generous support from the OIC said Dr. SMA Fatimie, Minister of Public Health of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. Under 5 child mortality in Afghanistan has declined 26%, according to a Johns Hopkins University (JHU) household survey. We believe that this trend will continue because many clinics are newly built and quality of care improves day by day. We request also our friends in the OIC to support MoPH National Health Facility Development Plan to further realize equity in the provision of health care services to the needy people of Afghanistan he also added.
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db9 ... enDocument
Afghanistan & AKDN
AFGHANISTAN: Tele-service attracts patients to Bamyan hospital
Photo: Masoud Popalzai/IRIN
The telemedicine project links up Bayman hospital with a hospital in Kabul for diagnosis and training purposes
BAMYAN, 27 July 2009 (IRIN) - A hospital in Bamyan Province, central Afghanistan, has set up a tele-medicine facility, linking it to the French Medical Institute for Children (FMIC) in Kabul, the capital, for tele-radiology, tele-conferencing and other medical services.
The machine was launched in the Bamyan hospital by the Aga Khan Health Services (AKHS) and Roshan Telecom, also an Aga Khan enterprise.
“The tele-radiology allows us to electronically send a digital scan of an X-ray to an expert in FMIC in Kabul and receive the interpretation and expertise quickly, instead of sending the patient with his/her film to Kabul,” Mattew Rodieck, Bamyan hospital manager, told IRIN.
In addition, through live tele-conference and tele-consultation sessions, health workers from Bamyan hospital are involved in training and exchange of information with experts in Kabul for diagnostic purposes.
The machine, costing US$100,000, has helped the hospital and patients save money and time because they are not required to travel to Kabul – about 230km away – for diagnosis and training.
“Instead of sending staff for a two-hour training session in Kabul we electronically link the trainees in Bamyan with the trainers in Kabul,” said Rodieck.
Up to 20 scans were exchanged between the FMIC in Kabul and the Bamyan hospital in June, the first month of the project.
The first tele-medicine project was launched in 2007 linking FMIC in Kabul to the Aga Khan University Hospital in Karachi, Pakistan. So far, more than 340 patients have benefited from the tele-medicine and some 231 Afghan medical personnel have participated in diagnostic and training opportunities facilitated by the new technology, according to AKHS.
ad/at/mw
Theme(s): (IRIN) Health & Nutrition
http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=85448
Photo: Masoud Popalzai/IRIN
The telemedicine project links up Bayman hospital with a hospital in Kabul for diagnosis and training purposes
BAMYAN, 27 July 2009 (IRIN) - A hospital in Bamyan Province, central Afghanistan, has set up a tele-medicine facility, linking it to the French Medical Institute for Children (FMIC) in Kabul, the capital, for tele-radiology, tele-conferencing and other medical services.
The machine was launched in the Bamyan hospital by the Aga Khan Health Services (AKHS) and Roshan Telecom, also an Aga Khan enterprise.
“The tele-radiology allows us to electronically send a digital scan of an X-ray to an expert in FMIC in Kabul and receive the interpretation and expertise quickly, instead of sending the patient with his/her film to Kabul,” Mattew Rodieck, Bamyan hospital manager, told IRIN.
In addition, through live tele-conference and tele-consultation sessions, health workers from Bamyan hospital are involved in training and exchange of information with experts in Kabul for diagnostic purposes.
The machine, costing US$100,000, has helped the hospital and patients save money and time because they are not required to travel to Kabul – about 230km away – for diagnosis and training.
“Instead of sending staff for a two-hour training session in Kabul we electronically link the trainees in Bamyan with the trainers in Kabul,” said Rodieck.
Up to 20 scans were exchanged between the FMIC in Kabul and the Bamyan hospital in June, the first month of the project.
The first tele-medicine project was launched in 2007 linking FMIC in Kabul to the Aga Khan University Hospital in Karachi, Pakistan. So far, more than 340 patients have benefited from the tele-medicine and some 231 Afghan medical personnel have participated in diagnostic and training opportunities facilitated by the new technology, according to AKHS.
ad/at/mw
Theme(s): (IRIN) Health & Nutrition
http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=85448
Aga Khan Foundation to spend 12m dollars in Afghan health sector - radio
Jul 26, 2009 (BBC Monitoring via COMTEX) -- [Presenter] An agreement worth more than 12m dollars has been signed by the public health minister [Dr Sayed Mohammad Amin Fatemi] and representative of Aga Khan Foundation in Kabul to provide proper healthcare services.
Based on the agreement, the Aga Khan Foundation will provide healthcare services in three districts of northern Bamian and Baghlan provinces. Nilofar Kowsar has more.
[Correspondent] The agreement, which was signed by Dr Sayed Mohammad Amin Fatemi, the public health minister and Ali Moji, representative of Aga Khan Foundation in Kabul on Sunday [26 July] and based on the agreement, the Aga Khan Foundation will offer quality healthcare services in Shebar District of Bamian and Doshi and Dahan-e Ghori districts of northern Baghlan Province.
Ali Moji said, while signing the agreement, that they would try to increase their assistance to Afghanistan.
According to Mr Fatemi, the agreement will be valid for 12 years and during this period; the Aga Khan Foundation will carry out activities based on policies and strategies of the Public Health Ministry.
It will render quality healthcare services for inhabitants of the said areas.
[Fatemi] The agreement worth more than 12.1m dollars and roughly 4.9m dollars will be invested in Shebar District of Bamian Province. The residents of this district will be provided with basic healthcare services.
Also, more than 7m dollars will be invested in Doshi and Dahan-e Ghori districts of Baghlan Province.
[Correspondent] Officials of the Public health Ministry say that healthcare services have been increased from 10 to 80 per cent across the country but the people complain that they face a lot of problems in terms of healthcare services in far-flung areas.
Source: Radio Afghanistan, Kabul, in Dari 1530 gmt 26 Jul 09
BBC Mon SA1 SAsPol ceb/fs
BBC Monitoring. Copyright BBC.
KEYWORD: AFGHANISTAN INDUSTRY KEYWORD: HEALTH
http://www.apria.com/resources/1,2725,4 ... 14,00.html
Jul 26, 2009 (BBC Monitoring via COMTEX) -- [Presenter] An agreement worth more than 12m dollars has been signed by the public health minister [Dr Sayed Mohammad Amin Fatemi] and representative of Aga Khan Foundation in Kabul to provide proper healthcare services.
Based on the agreement, the Aga Khan Foundation will provide healthcare services in three districts of northern Bamian and Baghlan provinces. Nilofar Kowsar has more.
[Correspondent] The agreement, which was signed by Dr Sayed Mohammad Amin Fatemi, the public health minister and Ali Moji, representative of Aga Khan Foundation in Kabul on Sunday [26 July] and based on the agreement, the Aga Khan Foundation will offer quality healthcare services in Shebar District of Bamian and Doshi and Dahan-e Ghori districts of northern Baghlan Province.
Ali Moji said, while signing the agreement, that they would try to increase their assistance to Afghanistan.
According to Mr Fatemi, the agreement will be valid for 12 years and during this period; the Aga Khan Foundation will carry out activities based on policies and strategies of the Public Health Ministry.
It will render quality healthcare services for inhabitants of the said areas.
[Fatemi] The agreement worth more than 12.1m dollars and roughly 4.9m dollars will be invested in Shebar District of Bamian Province. The residents of this district will be provided with basic healthcare services.
Also, more than 7m dollars will be invested in Doshi and Dahan-e Ghori districts of Baghlan Province.
[Correspondent] Officials of the Public health Ministry say that healthcare services have been increased from 10 to 80 per cent across the country but the people complain that they face a lot of problems in terms of healthcare services in far-flung areas.
Source: Radio Afghanistan, Kabul, in Dari 1530 gmt 26 Jul 09
BBC Mon SA1 SAsPol ceb/fs
BBC Monitoring. Copyright BBC.
KEYWORD: AFGHANISTAN INDUSTRY KEYWORD: HEALTH
http://www.apria.com/resources/1,2725,4 ... 14,00.html
AFGHANISTAN: Midwives defy tradition and save lives
Photo: Akmal Dawi/IRIN
Health officials in Bamyan Province say newly trained midwives have increased child delivery rates at health centres and have reduced maternal deaths
BAMYAN, 12 August 2009 (IRIN) - When the first and only midwifery school was opened in 2004 in Bamyan city, central Afghanistan, not a single application was received for the 18-month course. Today, the school has to turn down dozens of applications from women all over the province because it cannot accommodate more than 25 students at a time.
“We have earned the peoples’ trust in our work,” Saleha Hamnavazada, coordinator of Bamyan Midwifery School, told IRIN. “We have created a reliable learning environment for women and have assured their men that women are totally safe and protected here.”
Conservative traditions in Afghanistan have restricted women’s and girls’ access to education, work, healthcare and other social activities across the country, albeit in varying degrees.
Women and girls are often stopped from going to health centres or schools because of a lack of female health workers and teachers.
The consequences are severe: annually, 24,000 women die before, during or just after childbirth because of a lack of healthcare; and the female illiteracy rate is one of the highest in the world at more than 85 percent, according to UN agencies.
Photo: Masoud Popalzai/IRIN
In addition to providing essential obstetric care, midwives raise awareness of family planning and HIV/AIDS
Breaking down barriers
“I want to break superstitious taboos in our society which impede women’s education and work,” Masooma, a midwifery student from Daikundi Province, told IRIN. “I saw the deaths of my two sisters-in-law during childbirth because there was no midwife or doctor to save them.”
However, the midwifery profession is starting to be considered both decent and lucrative for women, particularly in rural areas.
“A midwife works only for women so it is acceptable,” said one man in Bamyan city, who requested anonymity.
The number of midwifery schools in the country has increased from six in 2002 to 31 in 2009, according to Pashtoon Azfar, director of the National Association of Midwives (NAM). Since 2002, more than 2,000 midwives have been trained and employed by the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) and NGOs in health centres across the country, Azfar told IRIN.
Reducing deaths
Midwives are believed to have improved women’s access to essential health services and have reduced maternal mortality in some parts of the country.
“Maternal death during child delivery has decreased by about 50 percent,” Zainab Rezayee, an obstetrician in Bamyan Provincial Hospital, told IRIN, referring to her hospital. Both Bamyan Provincial Hospital and Bamyan Midwifery School are managed by the Aga Khan Development Network.
In 2004, two to four babies were born every month at health centres in rural Bamyan. Today, more than 35 are born in medical centres every month thanks to 41 graduated midwives in the province. Deliveries at Bamyan Provincial Hospital have increased from 30 a month in 2004 to more than 130 in 2009, Rezayee said.
Across the country, the percentage of women receiving antenatal care increased from 4.6 percent in 2002 to 32 percent in 2006, while the rate of child deliveries attended by a skilled health worker increased from 8 percent to over 19 percent in the same period, according to NAM.
In addition to facilitating childbirth, midwives increase women’s awareness about family planning, HIV/AIDS and transmittable sexual diseases.
Photo: Akmal Dawi/IRIN
Afghanistan needs up to 8,000 midwives to curb its high infant and maternal mortality ratios
Officials in the health ministry say it is time to re-assess Afghanistan’s poor maternal mortality record – rated the second-worst in the world after Sierra Leone, with 1,600 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births, in a 2006 nationwide assessment.
“We need a new assessment to gauge how much the ratio has dropped,” said Azfar, who also heads the main midwifery school in Kabul.
No quick fix
Afghanistan has one of the highest fertility rates in Asia and the average Afghan woman gives birth to six to seven children in her life, according to the UN Population Fund.
There are about 2,400 midwives in the country but about 8,000 are required to provide basic obstetric services for all Afghan women, NAM said.
“We train 300-400 midwives every year at 31 midwifery schools in the country,” said Azfar, adding that one school would be opened by the end of 2009 in the Paktika Province where women have very little access to basic healthcare.
At this rate, it will take at least 14 years to train the needed 5,600 extra midwives. Until then, thousands of women will continue to die from preventable deaths.
http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=85680
Photo: Akmal Dawi/IRIN
Health officials in Bamyan Province say newly trained midwives have increased child delivery rates at health centres and have reduced maternal deaths
BAMYAN, 12 August 2009 (IRIN) - When the first and only midwifery school was opened in 2004 in Bamyan city, central Afghanistan, not a single application was received for the 18-month course. Today, the school has to turn down dozens of applications from women all over the province because it cannot accommodate more than 25 students at a time.
“We have earned the peoples’ trust in our work,” Saleha Hamnavazada, coordinator of Bamyan Midwifery School, told IRIN. “We have created a reliable learning environment for women and have assured their men that women are totally safe and protected here.”
Conservative traditions in Afghanistan have restricted women’s and girls’ access to education, work, healthcare and other social activities across the country, albeit in varying degrees.
Women and girls are often stopped from going to health centres or schools because of a lack of female health workers and teachers.
The consequences are severe: annually, 24,000 women die before, during or just after childbirth because of a lack of healthcare; and the female illiteracy rate is one of the highest in the world at more than 85 percent, according to UN agencies.
Photo: Masoud Popalzai/IRIN
In addition to providing essential obstetric care, midwives raise awareness of family planning and HIV/AIDS
Breaking down barriers
“I want to break superstitious taboos in our society which impede women’s education and work,” Masooma, a midwifery student from Daikundi Province, told IRIN. “I saw the deaths of my two sisters-in-law during childbirth because there was no midwife or doctor to save them.”
However, the midwifery profession is starting to be considered both decent and lucrative for women, particularly in rural areas.
“A midwife works only for women so it is acceptable,” said one man in Bamyan city, who requested anonymity.
The number of midwifery schools in the country has increased from six in 2002 to 31 in 2009, according to Pashtoon Azfar, director of the National Association of Midwives (NAM). Since 2002, more than 2,000 midwives have been trained and employed by the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) and NGOs in health centres across the country, Azfar told IRIN.
Reducing deaths
Midwives are believed to have improved women’s access to essential health services and have reduced maternal mortality in some parts of the country.
“Maternal death during child delivery has decreased by about 50 percent,” Zainab Rezayee, an obstetrician in Bamyan Provincial Hospital, told IRIN, referring to her hospital. Both Bamyan Provincial Hospital and Bamyan Midwifery School are managed by the Aga Khan Development Network.
In 2004, two to four babies were born every month at health centres in rural Bamyan. Today, more than 35 are born in medical centres every month thanks to 41 graduated midwives in the province. Deliveries at Bamyan Provincial Hospital have increased from 30 a month in 2004 to more than 130 in 2009, Rezayee said.
Across the country, the percentage of women receiving antenatal care increased from 4.6 percent in 2002 to 32 percent in 2006, while the rate of child deliveries attended by a skilled health worker increased from 8 percent to over 19 percent in the same period, according to NAM.
In addition to facilitating childbirth, midwives increase women’s awareness about family planning, HIV/AIDS and transmittable sexual diseases.
Photo: Akmal Dawi/IRIN
Afghanistan needs up to 8,000 midwives to curb its high infant and maternal mortality ratios
Officials in the health ministry say it is time to re-assess Afghanistan’s poor maternal mortality record – rated the second-worst in the world after Sierra Leone, with 1,600 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births, in a 2006 nationwide assessment.
“We need a new assessment to gauge how much the ratio has dropped,” said Azfar, who also heads the main midwifery school in Kabul.
No quick fix
Afghanistan has one of the highest fertility rates in Asia and the average Afghan woman gives birth to six to seven children in her life, according to the UN Population Fund.
There are about 2,400 midwives in the country but about 8,000 are required to provide basic obstetric services for all Afghan women, NAM said.
“We train 300-400 midwives every year at 31 midwifery schools in the country,” said Azfar, adding that one school would be opened by the end of 2009 in the Paktika Province where women have very little access to basic healthcare.
At this rate, it will take at least 14 years to train the needed 5,600 extra midwives. Until then, thousands of women will continue to die from preventable deaths.
http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=85680
Dr Zemaryalai Tarzi is an Afghan with a big dream. To be exact, this archaeologist dreams of a giant - a 1,000ft (300 metre) sleeping Buddha.
Try to imagine a stone statue reclining across the length of three football fields.
A Buddhist civilisation once flourished in Afghanistan's central highlands
But it is more than a dream. Dr Tarzi is trying to make it a reality.
"At first, people told me I must be mad," he recounted, barely concealing a smile, as we stood at his excavation in the midst of potato fields in the ancient Afghan city of Bamiyan.
"An archaeologist needs proof. We need to keep searching."
Dr Tarzi, who has been mapping the landscape of Bamiyan for 40 years, is renowned world-wide for his knowledge of the Buddhist civilisation that flourished centuries ago in the central highlands of Afghanistan.
Bamiyan was a storied destination for travellers journeying on the Silk Road between East and West.
Ancient text
In the 7th Century, a Chinese pilgrim, Xuan Zang, marvelled at a colossal reclining statue: "To the east of the city there is a monastery in which there is a figure of Buddha lying in a sleeping position, as when he attained nirvana. The figure is in length about 1,000 feet."
The Taliban destroyed the giant statues leaving just a hole where they stood
His detailed journal piqued Dr Tarzi's curiosity.
It read like tantalising proof because Xuan Zang also wrote with passion, and precision, of two magnificent stone Buddhas which stood guard over the valley.
The Taliban smashed those statues, the world's largest standing Buddhas, in 2001, denouncing them as un-Islamic idols.
That gave further fuel to Dr Tarzi's drive to find the third Buddha. It was an archaeologist's revenge.
"A country's history cannot be destroyed," he fumed.
I first visited Dr Tarzi in 2005, during the summer months he spends at the dig.
It was hard not to find myself willing him to succeed. He confessed, his voice breaking, he still could not bear to look at the gaping niches in the stone cliffs towering over the place where he was working.
Stunning finds
He is still there, looking for all the world like an Afghan Indiana Jones of the epic films, with his chino apparel, floppy hat, and air of scholarly adventure.
Dr Tarzi demonstrates the repose of a sleeping Buddha statue
The earthen cavities are hives of activity. Afghan archaeologists trained by Dr Tarzi and French colleagues from Strasbourg University gently tap picks and trowels in the dust and dirt, backed up by a small legion of labourers.
His team's diligent search for hidden treasures has yielded a stunning array of stone remnants from the remains of Buddhist monasteries - small feet from statues, chiselled folds of monastic robes, sacred stupas.
Then, last November, a cry of excitement rang out across this verdant valley. At last, a sleeping Buddha had surfaced.
But it was not the fabled giant. Their persistent digging had uncovered fragments of a reclining figure estimated to be 62 feet (19 metres) long. One hand protruded visibly, without a thumb. The head was destroyed.
Bigger prize
It was still hard for a novice to visualise.
Dr Tarzi gave it his best, stretching himself sideways along a flat hard surface, one hand tucked neatly under his head. Indiana Jones could have done no better.
I ask whether this smaller statue may be all there is. It is, after all, a wonderful find.
Afghans trained by Dr Tarzi work alongside students from Strasbourg
"I will persist," the sprightly 70-year-old declared with a firm shake of his head. He guided us to another area running along the foot of the sandstone cliffs where he believes a much bigger Buddha still lies sleeping.
Dr Tarzi does not want this remarkable history to be forgotten.
In the middle of the day, when a hot sun blazes in the sky, he teaches a master class for young Afghans training to be tour guides at an eco-tourism centre set up with the help of the Aga Khan Foundation.
Bamiyan is one of the few places in Afghanistan now safe enough to dream of tourists too.
Playing the role of a would be tourist, I asked enthusiastic students to convince me to visit.
"Welcome to Bamiyan, historical place, safe for tourists," was the practised but heartfelt reply of an earnest bespectacled woman.
An older male student shouted from the back row, "Bamiyan is exceptional in Afghanistan".
All the students nodded in agreement.
When darkness descended, Dr Tarzi was honoured at a musical evening attended by a gathering of Bamiyan residents who wish him every success. A trio of musicians sang of destroyed Buddhas that are still very much alive.
The legend of a giant still lives in Bamiyan. He has slept through centuries of conquest, a quarter century of war, and the end of Taliban rule.
If he ever wakes, it would be a dream come true for Dr Tarzi, and countless other Afghans with their own dreams of a lost past and a brighter better future.
Watch Lyse Doucet's film in full on Newsnight on Thursday 10 September 2009 at 10.30pm on BBC Two, then afterward on the BBC iPlayer and Newsnight website.
There is a related video at:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/n ... 233849.stm
Try to imagine a stone statue reclining across the length of three football fields.
A Buddhist civilisation once flourished in Afghanistan's central highlands
But it is more than a dream. Dr Tarzi is trying to make it a reality.
"At first, people told me I must be mad," he recounted, barely concealing a smile, as we stood at his excavation in the midst of potato fields in the ancient Afghan city of Bamiyan.
"An archaeologist needs proof. We need to keep searching."
Dr Tarzi, who has been mapping the landscape of Bamiyan for 40 years, is renowned world-wide for his knowledge of the Buddhist civilisation that flourished centuries ago in the central highlands of Afghanistan.
Bamiyan was a storied destination for travellers journeying on the Silk Road between East and West.
Ancient text
In the 7th Century, a Chinese pilgrim, Xuan Zang, marvelled at a colossal reclining statue: "To the east of the city there is a monastery in which there is a figure of Buddha lying in a sleeping position, as when he attained nirvana. The figure is in length about 1,000 feet."
The Taliban destroyed the giant statues leaving just a hole where they stood
His detailed journal piqued Dr Tarzi's curiosity.
It read like tantalising proof because Xuan Zang also wrote with passion, and precision, of two magnificent stone Buddhas which stood guard over the valley.
The Taliban smashed those statues, the world's largest standing Buddhas, in 2001, denouncing them as un-Islamic idols.
That gave further fuel to Dr Tarzi's drive to find the third Buddha. It was an archaeologist's revenge.
"A country's history cannot be destroyed," he fumed.
I first visited Dr Tarzi in 2005, during the summer months he spends at the dig.
It was hard not to find myself willing him to succeed. He confessed, his voice breaking, he still could not bear to look at the gaping niches in the stone cliffs towering over the place where he was working.
Stunning finds
He is still there, looking for all the world like an Afghan Indiana Jones of the epic films, with his chino apparel, floppy hat, and air of scholarly adventure.
Dr Tarzi demonstrates the repose of a sleeping Buddha statue
The earthen cavities are hives of activity. Afghan archaeologists trained by Dr Tarzi and French colleagues from Strasbourg University gently tap picks and trowels in the dust and dirt, backed up by a small legion of labourers.
His team's diligent search for hidden treasures has yielded a stunning array of stone remnants from the remains of Buddhist monasteries - small feet from statues, chiselled folds of monastic robes, sacred stupas.
Then, last November, a cry of excitement rang out across this verdant valley. At last, a sleeping Buddha had surfaced.
But it was not the fabled giant. Their persistent digging had uncovered fragments of a reclining figure estimated to be 62 feet (19 metres) long. One hand protruded visibly, without a thumb. The head was destroyed.
Bigger prize
It was still hard for a novice to visualise.
Dr Tarzi gave it his best, stretching himself sideways along a flat hard surface, one hand tucked neatly under his head. Indiana Jones could have done no better.
I ask whether this smaller statue may be all there is. It is, after all, a wonderful find.
Afghans trained by Dr Tarzi work alongside students from Strasbourg
"I will persist," the sprightly 70-year-old declared with a firm shake of his head. He guided us to another area running along the foot of the sandstone cliffs where he believes a much bigger Buddha still lies sleeping.
Dr Tarzi does not want this remarkable history to be forgotten.
In the middle of the day, when a hot sun blazes in the sky, he teaches a master class for young Afghans training to be tour guides at an eco-tourism centre set up with the help of the Aga Khan Foundation.
Bamiyan is one of the few places in Afghanistan now safe enough to dream of tourists too.
Playing the role of a would be tourist, I asked enthusiastic students to convince me to visit.
"Welcome to Bamiyan, historical place, safe for tourists," was the practised but heartfelt reply of an earnest bespectacled woman.
An older male student shouted from the back row, "Bamiyan is exceptional in Afghanistan".
All the students nodded in agreement.
When darkness descended, Dr Tarzi was honoured at a musical evening attended by a gathering of Bamiyan residents who wish him every success. A trio of musicians sang of destroyed Buddhas that are still very much alive.
The legend of a giant still lives in Bamiyan. He has slept through centuries of conquest, a quarter century of war, and the end of Taliban rule.
If he ever wakes, it would be a dream come true for Dr Tarzi, and countless other Afghans with their own dreams of a lost past and a brighter better future.
Watch Lyse Doucet's film in full on Newsnight on Thursday 10 September 2009 at 10.30pm on BBC Two, then afterward on the BBC iPlayer and Newsnight website.
There is a related video at:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/n ... 233849.stm
AKTC-Afghanistan Newsletters XX-XXII in Digital Library
Three newsletters reporting on Aga Khan Trust for Culture operations in Afghanistan for the second half of 2009 are now available on ArchNet. Each of these AKTC-issued publications covers a two-month period of activities. The July/August 2009 issue includes accounts of a surveying mission in Badakhshan and the Wakhan, the start of restoration work on the Ulya Madrasa in Kabul’s old city, a successful campaign to save Kabul’s Baghban Bashi mosque and the ongoing efforts to consider Herat for inclusion on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
The September/October 2009 newsletter covers emergency repairs to the Milma Pal mosque in Kabul, preliminary conservation work on the Noh Gumbad Mosque in Balkh, and the completion of an AKTC conservation program in Gazurgah.
In the November/December 2009 newsletter, there are reports about craftsmanship training programs for Kabul residents, repairs to the vast godam in Herat, and reconstruction work on the nearby Ibn Omar mosque. This issue also includes an announcement of the December publication by the AKTC of Tales From the Wakhan, a book covering Wakhi and Kyrgyz folktales and summaries of key archaeological sites in the region.
You can view previous issues of the AKTC-Afghanistan newsletters within the ArchNet Digital Library.
Contributed by Jared Eisenstat
http://archnet.org/news/view.jsp?news_id=18041
Three newsletters reporting on Aga Khan Trust for Culture operations in Afghanistan for the second half of 2009 are now available on ArchNet. Each of these AKTC-issued publications covers a two-month period of activities. The July/August 2009 issue includes accounts of a surveying mission in Badakhshan and the Wakhan, the start of restoration work on the Ulya Madrasa in Kabul’s old city, a successful campaign to save Kabul’s Baghban Bashi mosque and the ongoing efforts to consider Herat for inclusion on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
The September/October 2009 newsletter covers emergency repairs to the Milma Pal mosque in Kabul, preliminary conservation work on the Noh Gumbad Mosque in Balkh, and the completion of an AKTC conservation program in Gazurgah.
In the November/December 2009 newsletter, there are reports about craftsmanship training programs for Kabul residents, repairs to the vast godam in Herat, and reconstruction work on the nearby Ibn Omar mosque. This issue also includes an announcement of the December publication by the AKTC of Tales From the Wakhan, a book covering Wakhi and Kyrgyz folktales and summaries of key archaeological sites in the region.
You can view previous issues of the AKTC-Afghanistan newsletters within the ArchNet Digital Library.
Contributed by Jared Eisenstat
http://archnet.org/news/view.jsp?news_id=18041
Afghanistan: the Tajik Ismailis of Takhar--an end to isolation.
Author: Emadi, Hafizullah
Date: Sep 22, 2009
Words: 4567
Publication: Contemporary Review
ISSN: 0010-7565
http://www.thefreelibrary.com/_/print/P ... =211029178
Excerpt:
"The struggle for renewal and modernization of the Muslim world has accelerated considerably in recent times, especially in the most impoverished, neglected and peripheral regions, including war-torn countries such as Afghanistan. The two decades of civil war that wreaked havoc on Afghanistan's economy and polity caused many non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to launch large-scale aid programmes aimed at rebuilding the country's infrastructures and civic institutions. An NGO that is at the forefront of integrated community development in Afghanistan is the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) that has been engaged in the reconstruction of the country since 2002. The principal objective of this article is to study the plight of the minority Tajik Ismaili community in the northern province of Takhar prior to and during the civil war in Afghanistan, and explore the role of the AKDN in the process of rebuilding economic infrastructures in Takhar, as well as its efforts to modernize the community and facilitate its integration into the twenty-first century."
Author: Emadi, Hafizullah
Date: Sep 22, 2009
Words: 4567
Publication: Contemporary Review
ISSN: 0010-7565
http://www.thefreelibrary.com/_/print/P ... =211029178
Excerpt:
"The struggle for renewal and modernization of the Muslim world has accelerated considerably in recent times, especially in the most impoverished, neglected and peripheral regions, including war-torn countries such as Afghanistan. The two decades of civil war that wreaked havoc on Afghanistan's economy and polity caused many non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to launch large-scale aid programmes aimed at rebuilding the country's infrastructures and civic institutions. An NGO that is at the forefront of integrated community development in Afghanistan is the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) that has been engaged in the reconstruction of the country since 2002. The principal objective of this article is to study the plight of the minority Tajik Ismaili community in the northern province of Takhar prior to and during the civil war in Afghanistan, and explore the role of the AKDN in the process of rebuilding economic infrastructures in Takhar, as well as its efforts to modernize the community and facilitate its integration into the twenty-first century."
Lonely Planet Afghanistan
A trek through the Wakhan corridor.
BY NICK HORNE | MARCH 19, 2010
Few places in the world today seem like less inviting tourist destinations than Afghanistan. Yet some NGOs are trying to lure adventurers and backpackers to the war-torn country as one possible way to stimulate local economic development.
It isn't easy going. Much of the country is an active conflict zone, and even those regions with relatively less violence have poor roads and minimal connections to the outside world. But the hope is that even a little backpacker foot traffic -- a few beds filled at guesthouses, a little income for guides and families providing meals to travelers -- might help bring money and more options to Afghan locals.
That was the thinking that inspired David James, a veteran British soldier who completed two tours of duty in Afghanistan and returned to the country in 2009 to found the nonprofit Mountain Unity. James says he became convinced that there would be no peace in the country until Afghans had other methods of generating income other than narcotics, corruption, and insurgency.
"Afghan entrepreneurs invest in opium because it gives them the best and safest return on their investment," he explains. "[But] the international community really, really needs to focus on helping Afghans find other ways to earn money.... I left the Army determined to return to Afghanistan and do something that would really help the Afghan people. I have to say tourism wasn't something that instantly sprang to mind, but when you really study it, it makes sense on many levels."
James isn't alone in his ambitions. In 2006, the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), a coalition of development organizations that operates across Central and South Asia and the Middle East, began to develop its own tourism-promotion plans for Afghanistan. Among other projects, it, in partnership with the German government's development agency, mapped scenic backpacking routes and produced a glossy, photo-filled brochure of recommended treks. Today AKDN continues to train guides in the country's central highlands and northeastern regions
More....
http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2 ... fghanistan
A trek through the Wakhan corridor.
BY NICK HORNE | MARCH 19, 2010
Few places in the world today seem like less inviting tourist destinations than Afghanistan. Yet some NGOs are trying to lure adventurers and backpackers to the war-torn country as one possible way to stimulate local economic development.
It isn't easy going. Much of the country is an active conflict zone, and even those regions with relatively less violence have poor roads and minimal connections to the outside world. But the hope is that even a little backpacker foot traffic -- a few beds filled at guesthouses, a little income for guides and families providing meals to travelers -- might help bring money and more options to Afghan locals.
That was the thinking that inspired David James, a veteran British soldier who completed two tours of duty in Afghanistan and returned to the country in 2009 to found the nonprofit Mountain Unity. James says he became convinced that there would be no peace in the country until Afghans had other methods of generating income other than narcotics, corruption, and insurgency.
"Afghan entrepreneurs invest in opium because it gives them the best and safest return on their investment," he explains. "[But] the international community really, really needs to focus on helping Afghans find other ways to earn money.... I left the Army determined to return to Afghanistan and do something that would really help the Afghan people. I have to say tourism wasn't something that instantly sprang to mind, but when you really study it, it makes sense on many levels."
James isn't alone in his ambitions. In 2006, the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), a coalition of development organizations that operates across Central and South Asia and the Middle East, began to develop its own tourism-promotion plans for Afghanistan. Among other projects, it, in partnership with the German government's development agency, mapped scenic backpacking routes and produced a glossy, photo-filled brochure of recommended treks. Today AKDN continues to train guides in the country's central highlands and northeastern regions
More....
http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2 ... fghanistan
Afghanistan – the new skiing destination
Taliban-plagued Afghanistan is not an obvious tourist draw. But it's hoped that a snowy valley may change that
(67)Tweet this (46)Jon Boone guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 27 April 2010 22.00 BST Article history
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/ap ... estination
Excerpt:
"These are the deeply humble beginnings out of which Bamiyan, an impoverished but heart-stoppingly beautiful province, hopes to develop a robust ski industry. There is serious weight behind the plan to encourage winter "ecotourism" here, including the province's governor, the Aga Khan Development Network and the New Zealand government (the country has troops in the province)."
Taliban-plagued Afghanistan is not an obvious tourist draw. But it's hoped that a snowy valley may change that
(67)Tweet this (46)Jon Boone guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 27 April 2010 22.00 BST Article history
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/ap ... estination
Excerpt:
"These are the deeply humble beginnings out of which Bamiyan, an impoverished but heart-stoppingly beautiful province, hopes to develop a robust ski industry. There is serious weight behind the plan to encourage winter "ecotourism" here, including the province's governor, the Aga Khan Development Network and the New Zealand government (the country has troops in the province)."
Change in the Making: a Journey in Afghanistan
In 2009, Canadian journalist Richard Phinney travelled back to Afghanistan after several years away. Instead of finding the poppies, guns, and violence he remembered, Phinney found new water pipes born out of community cooperation, ‘social audits’ demonstrating democracy at its best, and girls dreaming of becoming doctors and teachers.
Change in the Making: a Journey in Afghanistan is the story of Phinney’s travels through the remote mountainous province of Badakhshan where he encountered people whose lives have been transformed, thanks to the work of the Aga Khan Foundation and the generosity of ordinary Canadians.
These experiences stem from the Foundation’s ethos that development is a partnership, and community ownership is essential for success. In places where poverty seems insurmountable, Afghans are taking charge of their own future, creating strong and resilient communities inspired to build a better life for their children.
Aga Khan Foundation in Afghanistan
While Afghanistan continues to faces pressing challenges, Aga Khan Foundation with its sister agencies in the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), is working with the government, civil society and a wide range of local and international partners to create social and economic opportunities.
Building on nearly three decades of experience in neighbouring Pakistan and two decades in Tajikistan, AKF’s community-led initiatives in seven central and north-eastern provinces are strengthening governance and improving health and education, as part of long-term commitment to address poverty and instability in the country.
AKFC’s programs are part of the AKDN’s broader investments in Afghanistan. In addition to large-scale rural development; health, education and civil society programmes, AKDN initiatives include microfinance services; the rehabilitation of historic neighbourhoods in Kabul and Herat; a rapidly growing mobile phone network; and the renovation of a five-star hotel in Kabul.
http://www.akfc.ca/events-2010/change-i ... istan.html
In 2009, Canadian journalist Richard Phinney travelled back to Afghanistan after several years away. Instead of finding the poppies, guns, and violence he remembered, Phinney found new water pipes born out of community cooperation, ‘social audits’ demonstrating democracy at its best, and girls dreaming of becoming doctors and teachers.
Change in the Making: a Journey in Afghanistan is the story of Phinney’s travels through the remote mountainous province of Badakhshan where he encountered people whose lives have been transformed, thanks to the work of the Aga Khan Foundation and the generosity of ordinary Canadians.
These experiences stem from the Foundation’s ethos that development is a partnership, and community ownership is essential for success. In places where poverty seems insurmountable, Afghans are taking charge of their own future, creating strong and resilient communities inspired to build a better life for their children.
Aga Khan Foundation in Afghanistan
While Afghanistan continues to faces pressing challenges, Aga Khan Foundation with its sister agencies in the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), is working with the government, civil society and a wide range of local and international partners to create social and economic opportunities.
Building on nearly three decades of experience in neighbouring Pakistan and two decades in Tajikistan, AKF’s community-led initiatives in seven central and north-eastern provinces are strengthening governance and improving health and education, as part of long-term commitment to address poverty and instability in the country.
AKFC’s programs are part of the AKDN’s broader investments in Afghanistan. In addition to large-scale rural development; health, education and civil society programmes, AKDN initiatives include microfinance services; the rehabilitation of historic neighbourhoods in Kabul and Herat; a rapidly growing mobile phone network; and the renovation of a five-star hotel in Kabul.
http://www.akfc.ca/events-2010/change-i ... istan.html
Ecotourism in Afghanistan
By Ian MacWilliam, Communications Officer, Aga Khan Development Network, Afghanistan
Tourism in Afghanistan? It’s not what you expect from this remote and beautiful, but troubled Central Asian nation. Most media reports on Afghanistan talk of war and bloodshed, insurgents and explosive devices. What they rarely report is that most of the northern half of the country is in fact quite peaceful and that reconstruction and development are moving forward.
A trickle of adventurous tourists is already arriving in Afghanistan, reminding Afghans of the heady days of the 1960s and 1970s when their country was a popular destination for thousands of foreign visitors, and tourism was good business. Those who came then ranged from archaeologists and ethnographers to hippies and other Western youth looking for adventure in high Asia.
The Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), one of the world’s largest private development agencies, works extensively in South and Central Asia. In two regions of Afghanistan (and in neighbouring Tajikistan), the Network is now supporting cautious plans to help revive the tourist industry as a way of creating jobs, and also to ensure that the inevitable tourism developments remain under the control of local people.
AKDN has ecotourism programmes in two areas – the remote and mysterious Wakhan Corridor, in the panhandle of northeastern Afghanistan, sandwiched between Pakistan, China and Tajikistan; and in the serenely beautiful Bamyan region of central Afghanistan, site of the giant Buddha statues destroyed by the Taleban.
More....
http://www.yourtravelchoice.org/2009/08 ... ghanistan/
By Ian MacWilliam, Communications Officer, Aga Khan Development Network, Afghanistan
Tourism in Afghanistan? It’s not what you expect from this remote and beautiful, but troubled Central Asian nation. Most media reports on Afghanistan talk of war and bloodshed, insurgents and explosive devices. What they rarely report is that most of the northern half of the country is in fact quite peaceful and that reconstruction and development are moving forward.
A trickle of adventurous tourists is already arriving in Afghanistan, reminding Afghans of the heady days of the 1960s and 1970s when their country was a popular destination for thousands of foreign visitors, and tourism was good business. Those who came then ranged from archaeologists and ethnographers to hippies and other Western youth looking for adventure in high Asia.
The Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), one of the world’s largest private development agencies, works extensively in South and Central Asia. In two regions of Afghanistan (and in neighbouring Tajikistan), the Network is now supporting cautious plans to help revive the tourist industry as a way of creating jobs, and also to ensure that the inevitable tourism developments remain under the control of local people.
AKDN has ecotourism programmes in two areas – the remote and mysterious Wakhan Corridor, in the panhandle of northeastern Afghanistan, sandwiched between Pakistan, China and Tajikistan; and in the serenely beautiful Bamyan region of central Afghanistan, site of the giant Buddha statues destroyed by the Taleban.
More....
http://www.yourtravelchoice.org/2009/08 ... ghanistan/
New Midwives and Nurses Join Efforts to Improve Maternal and Child Health in Kabul
Source: United States Agency for International Development (USAID)
Date: 25 Jan 2011
Kabul, Afghanistan | January 25, 2011 — In a graduation ceremony at Ministry of Public Health in Kabul today, 75 Afghan women received certificates for successfully completing the USAID-funded hospital midwifery education program and nine Afghan women received nursing degrees through the Aga Khan University Program in Afghanistan.
Women who enter the two-year hospital midwife education program are selected through the national Concur examination system and must have a least a ninth grade education, good literacy skills, and be between 16 and 30 years of age. After graduation, the new midwives are deployed to hospitals or comprehensive health centers.
Second Vice-President Karim Khalili, Acting Minister of Public Health Dr. Suraya Dalil, USAID Senior Deputy Mission Director Robert Hellyer, Director of Ghazanfar Institute of Health and Sciences Dr. Kymia Azizi, Head of Aga Khan University Programs in Afghanistan, Dr. Parvez Nayani, other Ministry of Public Health officials, and members of the international donor community took part in the ceremony.
Afghanistan has the second highest Maternal Mortality Rate in the world. Approximately every 30 minutes, a mother dies giving birth in Afghanistan, and 77 percent of these deaths are due to factors that could be avoided with proper health care. The neonatal mortality rate is also high in Afghanistan, with 60 newborns out of every 1,000 dying in the first month of life. Vice-President Khalili in his speech asked the international community to continue helping the health sector of Afghanistan.
"Maternal mortality reduction is not solely a health agenda; it's rather an economical, developmental & social issue. We can't have a prosperous Afghanistan unless we tackle or address maternal death seriously," said Acting Minister Dalil.
With multi-donor support and a high-level commitment from the MoPH, the number of midwives in Afghanistan has increased from 467 in 2002 to more than 2,700 today. USAID has helped train 1,478 midwives and developed the midwifery education program utilized by 34 midwifery schools in 32 provinces.
"The United States strongly supports midwifery and nursing education, and believes that increasing the number of skilled health providers in Afghanistan is essential to improving maternal and child health and reaching Afghanistan's Millennium Development Goal to reduce maternal mortality by 50 percent by 2015. Our support demonstrates our lasting commitment to the people of Afghanistan," said USAID Senior Deputy Mission Director Hellyer."
USAID collaborates with the Ministry to support midwifery education programs throughout Afghanistan, and is increasing the number of skilled midwives in an effort to reduce infant and maternal mortality. # # #
For more information about USAID's programs, please visit: http://afghanistan.usaid.gov
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db9 ... 0&RSS20=FS
Source: United States Agency for International Development (USAID)
Date: 25 Jan 2011
Kabul, Afghanistan | January 25, 2011 — In a graduation ceremony at Ministry of Public Health in Kabul today, 75 Afghan women received certificates for successfully completing the USAID-funded hospital midwifery education program and nine Afghan women received nursing degrees through the Aga Khan University Program in Afghanistan.
Women who enter the two-year hospital midwife education program are selected through the national Concur examination system and must have a least a ninth grade education, good literacy skills, and be between 16 and 30 years of age. After graduation, the new midwives are deployed to hospitals or comprehensive health centers.
Second Vice-President Karim Khalili, Acting Minister of Public Health Dr. Suraya Dalil, USAID Senior Deputy Mission Director Robert Hellyer, Director of Ghazanfar Institute of Health and Sciences Dr. Kymia Azizi, Head of Aga Khan University Programs in Afghanistan, Dr. Parvez Nayani, other Ministry of Public Health officials, and members of the international donor community took part in the ceremony.
Afghanistan has the second highest Maternal Mortality Rate in the world. Approximately every 30 minutes, a mother dies giving birth in Afghanistan, and 77 percent of these deaths are due to factors that could be avoided with proper health care. The neonatal mortality rate is also high in Afghanistan, with 60 newborns out of every 1,000 dying in the first month of life. Vice-President Khalili in his speech asked the international community to continue helping the health sector of Afghanistan.
"Maternal mortality reduction is not solely a health agenda; it's rather an economical, developmental & social issue. We can't have a prosperous Afghanistan unless we tackle or address maternal death seriously," said Acting Minister Dalil.
With multi-donor support and a high-level commitment from the MoPH, the number of midwives in Afghanistan has increased from 467 in 2002 to more than 2,700 today. USAID has helped train 1,478 midwives and developed the midwifery education program utilized by 34 midwifery schools in 32 provinces.
"The United States strongly supports midwifery and nursing education, and believes that increasing the number of skilled health providers in Afghanistan is essential to improving maternal and child health and reaching Afghanistan's Millennium Development Goal to reduce maternal mortality by 50 percent by 2015. Our support demonstrates our lasting commitment to the people of Afghanistan," said USAID Senior Deputy Mission Director Hellyer."
USAID collaborates with the Ministry to support midwifery education programs throughout Afghanistan, and is increasing the number of skilled midwives in an effort to reduce infant and maternal mortality. # # #
For more information about USAID's programs, please visit: http://afghanistan.usaid.gov
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db9 ... 0&RSS20=FS
Bamyan awakes
Lessons of tourism from Nepal
In 2001, Bamyan made the news when the Taliban destroyed huge 6th century statues of the Buddha. The province, home of the Hazara people, is now slowly rebuilding itself and is trying to re-open its doors to tourism. Bamyan is a UNESCO world heritage site (pic, above )and has potential to grow as an ecotourism and adventure trekking destination in Afghanistan, for locals as well as international visitors.
A group of 16 senior Afghan government officials, conservation leaders and private sector operators from Bamyan visited Nepal this week to learn from Nepal's tourism experience and understand tourism models that involve the private sector and the community. The group visited Bandipur, Pokhara and Kathmandu.
"Nepal serves as a positive example for us," says Amir Foladi of the Aga Khan Foundation (AKF), Afghanistan, who is leading the study tour. In 2009, he led a group of Afghan officials to Nepal to introduce them to tourism.
Foladi says that the tour has allowed the group to understand that development of tourism with the involvement of the private sector and the community can be highly beneficial. "We saw that the local people were very involved in tourism and that this helps the tourists to get acquainted with the area's culture firsthand," says Foladi. "We also saw that local traditions have been incorporated into the hotels and tourist centres, allowing tourists to experience something different and at the same time be comfortable."
In Pokhara, the group attended workshops by Nepali tourism entrepreneurs and the Three Sisters Trekking Company. "The sisters explained to us how women can also be a part of the tourism industry," says Foladi. "This is another lesson for our group."
Ebrahim Akhari, Head of Bamyan's Department of Information and Culture, says that the trip has been a learning experience. "It has helped us understand that tourism has to move forward by integrating the private sector and also by protecting the environment."
In Kathmandu, the group studied the workings of the Nepal Tourism Board so that a similar institution can be established in Bamyan to market its potential. Says Foladi: "Our group is taking a pool of ideas from Nepal, and we hope to implement those ideas back home to develop Bamyan's tourism."
http://nepalitimes.com/issue/2011/03/18 ... tate/18027
Lessons of tourism from Nepal
In 2001, Bamyan made the news when the Taliban destroyed huge 6th century statues of the Buddha. The province, home of the Hazara people, is now slowly rebuilding itself and is trying to re-open its doors to tourism. Bamyan is a UNESCO world heritage site (pic, above )and has potential to grow as an ecotourism and adventure trekking destination in Afghanistan, for locals as well as international visitors.
A group of 16 senior Afghan government officials, conservation leaders and private sector operators from Bamyan visited Nepal this week to learn from Nepal's tourism experience and understand tourism models that involve the private sector and the community. The group visited Bandipur, Pokhara and Kathmandu.
"Nepal serves as a positive example for us," says Amir Foladi of the Aga Khan Foundation (AKF), Afghanistan, who is leading the study tour. In 2009, he led a group of Afghan officials to Nepal to introduce them to tourism.
Foladi says that the tour has allowed the group to understand that development of tourism with the involvement of the private sector and the community can be highly beneficial. "We saw that the local people were very involved in tourism and that this helps the tourists to get acquainted with the area's culture firsthand," says Foladi. "We also saw that local traditions have been incorporated into the hotels and tourist centres, allowing tourists to experience something different and at the same time be comfortable."
In Pokhara, the group attended workshops by Nepali tourism entrepreneurs and the Three Sisters Trekking Company. "The sisters explained to us how women can also be a part of the tourism industry," says Foladi. "This is another lesson for our group."
Ebrahim Akhari, Head of Bamyan's Department of Information and Culture, says that the trip has been a learning experience. "It has helped us understand that tourism has to move forward by integrating the private sector and also by protecting the environment."
In Kathmandu, the group studied the workings of the Nepal Tourism Board so that a similar institution can be established in Bamyan to market its potential. Says Foladi: "Our group is taking a pool of ideas from Nepal, and we hope to implement those ideas back home to develop Bamyan's tourism."
http://nepalitimes.com/issue/2011/03/18 ... tate/18027
Audio: The Aga Khan Development Network: An Integrated Approach to Development in Afghanistan
http://csis.org/multimedia/aga-khan-dev ... fghanistan
Apr 25, 2011
Duration: 01:22:23
Download Audio (Right-Click and Save)
Working in over 25 countries around the world, The Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) strives to improve health, education, rural development, institution-building and promote economic development in fragile states. AKDN serves people regardless of religion, gender, ethnicity and is a non-denominational organization. Most grants are made to grassroots organizations with a holistic view of development.
One such example of this type of organization is Roshan. Operating in Afghanistan since 2003 when there was virtually no telecommunications infrastructure, Roshan is now the leading Afghan telecommunications provider and the market leader with over 4 million active subscribers and a network that covers over 230 cities and towns in all of the country’s 34 provinces. Furthermore, Roshan is the country’s single largest investor and the largest taxpayer, contributing approximately 5% of the Afghan government’s overall domestic revenue.
Featuring:
Shainoor Khoja, Director of Corporate Affairs at Roshan
Mirza Jahani, CEO of the Aga Khan Foundation USA
Moderated by:
Daniel F. Runde, Director, CSIS Project on Prosperity and Development
Programs
Project on Prosperity and Development
Topics
Defense and Security, International Security, Terrorism, Trade and Economics
Regions
Afghanistan, South Asia
http://csis.org/multimedia/aga-khan-dev ... fghanistan
Apr 25, 2011
Duration: 01:22:23
Download Audio (Right-Click and Save)
Working in over 25 countries around the world, The Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) strives to improve health, education, rural development, institution-building and promote economic development in fragile states. AKDN serves people regardless of religion, gender, ethnicity and is a non-denominational organization. Most grants are made to grassroots organizations with a holistic view of development.
One such example of this type of organization is Roshan. Operating in Afghanistan since 2003 when there was virtually no telecommunications infrastructure, Roshan is now the leading Afghan telecommunications provider and the market leader with over 4 million active subscribers and a network that covers over 230 cities and towns in all of the country’s 34 provinces. Furthermore, Roshan is the country’s single largest investor and the largest taxpayer, contributing approximately 5% of the Afghan government’s overall domestic revenue.
Featuring:
Shainoor Khoja, Director of Corporate Affairs at Roshan
Mirza Jahani, CEO of the Aga Khan Foundation USA
Moderated by:
Daniel F. Runde, Director, CSIS Project on Prosperity and Development
Programs
Project on Prosperity and Development
Topics
Defense and Security, International Security, Terrorism, Trade and Economics
Regions
Afghanistan, South Asia
Agakhan Foundation sponsors project on the largest Qur'an
Tuesday, June 07, 2011 Kabul (BIA) Chief Justice, Ministers of Information and Culture, Hajj and Edowment along advisor minister in cultural affairs of Presidential Office visited work on the biggest volume of Holy Quran in Nasir Khusraw Balkhi Foundation.
Chief Justice, Ministers of Information and Culture, Hajj and Edowment along advisor minister in cultural affairs of Presidential Office visited work on the biggest volume of Holy Quran in Nasir Khusraw Balkhi Foundation. This largely volume of Holy Quran is the result of tireless five-year work of outstanding artist of the country Sabir Yaqut Hussaini. Prof. Abdul Salam Azimi Chief Justice said that “Afghanistan has many achievements. Yesterday another unique honor was bestowed that is not only unique in Afghanistan but at the world level attained with the efforts of our outstanding artist. He added that God is assigning persons for safeguarding religion and we are witness to this great volume of Holy Quran that is being created with the able fingers of this artist. Dr. Sayed Makhdoom Raheen Minister of Information and Culture said at the visit that 1400 years Islamic culture civilization with all its dimensions, with all arts, compilations and designs, scientific and cultural thinking have been at the service of Holy Quran. All the great artists of Islam in the course of 1400 years have strived in regulating and decoration of Holy Quran. In our contemporary history it is the Holy Quran that is to be created at the initiative of Ustad Sabir in five year time with the encouragement of Sayed Mansour Naderi on decorative pages with golden colors. He added that Holy Quran itself was unsparing in creating of decorative designs by artists of our nation during the decades and yesterday we were able to see the latest innovation of large volume of Holy Quran. Sabir Yaqut Hussaini is one of the Afghan refugees who has learned the art of calligraphy during migration, and the design of each page of the Holy Quran is made on a piece of cloth at the length of two meters and 1.5 meters wide and with the art of his fingers the pages of Holy Quran have been written while the Agha Khan Foundation is financed this project. According to Yaqut first he shared his views with the elders and religious Ulema and then started work on it. He said he worked for five years with ten students till we have created such a great gift to the Islam world. Dr. Mohammad Yusuf Niazi Minister of Hajj and Endowment, Zalmai Heywadmal minister advisor in cultural affairs and Abdul Malik Kamawi head of the administration of judiciary also praised the work of this able artist of the country.
http://bakhtarnews.com.af/en/index.php?news=5465
Tuesday, June 07, 2011 Kabul (BIA) Chief Justice, Ministers of Information and Culture, Hajj and Edowment along advisor minister in cultural affairs of Presidential Office visited work on the biggest volume of Holy Quran in Nasir Khusraw Balkhi Foundation.
Chief Justice, Ministers of Information and Culture, Hajj and Edowment along advisor minister in cultural affairs of Presidential Office visited work on the biggest volume of Holy Quran in Nasir Khusraw Balkhi Foundation. This largely volume of Holy Quran is the result of tireless five-year work of outstanding artist of the country Sabir Yaqut Hussaini. Prof. Abdul Salam Azimi Chief Justice said that “Afghanistan has many achievements. Yesterday another unique honor was bestowed that is not only unique in Afghanistan but at the world level attained with the efforts of our outstanding artist. He added that God is assigning persons for safeguarding religion and we are witness to this great volume of Holy Quran that is being created with the able fingers of this artist. Dr. Sayed Makhdoom Raheen Minister of Information and Culture said at the visit that 1400 years Islamic culture civilization with all its dimensions, with all arts, compilations and designs, scientific and cultural thinking have been at the service of Holy Quran. All the great artists of Islam in the course of 1400 years have strived in regulating and decoration of Holy Quran. In our contemporary history it is the Holy Quran that is to be created at the initiative of Ustad Sabir in five year time with the encouragement of Sayed Mansour Naderi on decorative pages with golden colors. He added that Holy Quran itself was unsparing in creating of decorative designs by artists of our nation during the decades and yesterday we were able to see the latest innovation of large volume of Holy Quran. Sabir Yaqut Hussaini is one of the Afghan refugees who has learned the art of calligraphy during migration, and the design of each page of the Holy Quran is made on a piece of cloth at the length of two meters and 1.5 meters wide and with the art of his fingers the pages of Holy Quran have been written while the Agha Khan Foundation is financed this project. According to Yaqut first he shared his views with the elders and religious Ulema and then started work on it. He said he worked for five years with ten students till we have created such a great gift to the Islam world. Dr. Mohammad Yusuf Niazi Minister of Hajj and Endowment, Zalmai Heywadmal minister advisor in cultural affairs and Abdul Malik Kamawi head of the administration of judiciary also praised the work of this able artist of the country.
http://bakhtarnews.com.af/en/index.php?news=5465
E-Health and Telemedicine in Afghanistan
YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AoMO2f4Ofl4
Uploaded by GlobalHealthChannel on Jun 14, 2011
The Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) works to build a sustainable health system for Afghanistan at all levels from basic rural healthcare to tertiary level hospital services. Working with partners, e-health and telemedicine are innovative health interventions which can work in the country despite the ongoing security and access problems. Global Health TV visits the French Medical Institute for Children in Kabul to see how AKDN is providing remote training for staff and remote services for patients.
YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AoMO2f4Ofl4
Uploaded by GlobalHealthChannel on Jun 14, 2011
The Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) works to build a sustainable health system for Afghanistan at all levels from basic rural healthcare to tertiary level hospital services. Working with partners, e-health and telemedicine are innovative health interventions which can work in the country despite the ongoing security and access problems. Global Health TV visits the French Medical Institute for Children in Kabul to see how AKDN is providing remote training for staff and remote services for patients.
First Female Nurse Training Program Launched
Wednesday, July 06, 2011 Kabul (BIA) An agreement worth $104 million was signed on Tuesday here in Kabul between Afghan ministry of health, Agha Khan Foundation and HN-TPO for training Afghan female nurses the in provinces.
An agreement worth $104 million was signed on Tuesday here in Kabul between Afghan ministry of health, Agha Khan Foundation and HN-TPO for training Afghan female nurses the in provinces. After signing the agreement, Suraya Dalil, acting minister of public health in a news conference related to launching the first nursing program said, “According to the agreement, four countrywide nurse training centers are to be set up in Samangan, Bamyan, Nangarhar and Khost provinces. Dalil said Afghan ministry of public health has newly launched a new female nursing program which is similar to midwife training program in the country. She said by launching such program in remote areas of the country, access of women and children to health services will increase. Implementation of the program is so effective in the country, Dalil added and said after her ministry was provided the fund by Global Fund, the ministry then took effective step toward launching female nursing program and holding learning programs for 300 female nurses in two phases in eight provinces of the country. Dr. Dalil further said, “Today we witness of signing the first phase of the program worth 104 million Afs with Agha Khan Foundation and Health Net-TPO”. She said the organization are tasked to implement the program by setting up four training schools and training 150 female nurses in Samangan, Bamyan, Nangarhar and Khost provinces. The first phase will be ended in 28 months, she said. Dalil added the second phase then will be launched in Logar, Ghor, Jawzjan and Kandahar provinces where 150 female nurses will receive training. The program launched amid Afghan ministry of Public Health is facing with lack of 7000 doctors and 20,000 nurses, midwives and health workers. Currently 23.5% of all employees at Afghan Ministry of Public Health are females and 27% of the nurses are female. It is worth mentioning that from 11 women, one loses her life due to various diseases in the country. In 30 minutes, one mother loses her life. Therefore, training of female nurses and presence of midwives and nurses can help cut down maternity in Afghan provinces.
http://bakhtarnews.com.af/en/index.php?news=5802
Wednesday, July 06, 2011 Kabul (BIA) An agreement worth $104 million was signed on Tuesday here in Kabul between Afghan ministry of health, Agha Khan Foundation and HN-TPO for training Afghan female nurses the in provinces.
An agreement worth $104 million was signed on Tuesday here in Kabul between Afghan ministry of health, Agha Khan Foundation and HN-TPO for training Afghan female nurses the in provinces. After signing the agreement, Suraya Dalil, acting minister of public health in a news conference related to launching the first nursing program said, “According to the agreement, four countrywide nurse training centers are to be set up in Samangan, Bamyan, Nangarhar and Khost provinces. Dalil said Afghan ministry of public health has newly launched a new female nursing program which is similar to midwife training program in the country. She said by launching such program in remote areas of the country, access of women and children to health services will increase. Implementation of the program is so effective in the country, Dalil added and said after her ministry was provided the fund by Global Fund, the ministry then took effective step toward launching female nursing program and holding learning programs for 300 female nurses in two phases in eight provinces of the country. Dr. Dalil further said, “Today we witness of signing the first phase of the program worth 104 million Afs with Agha Khan Foundation and Health Net-TPO”. She said the organization are tasked to implement the program by setting up four training schools and training 150 female nurses in Samangan, Bamyan, Nangarhar and Khost provinces. The first phase will be ended in 28 months, she said. Dalil added the second phase then will be launched in Logar, Ghor, Jawzjan and Kandahar provinces where 150 female nurses will receive training. The program launched amid Afghan ministry of Public Health is facing with lack of 7000 doctors and 20,000 nurses, midwives and health workers. Currently 23.5% of all employees at Afghan Ministry of Public Health are females and 27% of the nurses are female. It is worth mentioning that from 11 women, one loses her life due to various diseases in the country. In 30 minutes, one mother loses her life. Therefore, training of female nurses and presence of midwives and nurses can help cut down maternity in Afghan provinces.
http://bakhtarnews.com.af/en/index.php?news=5802
Hundreds to get electricity in Bamiyan province
Governor Habiba Sarobi
A project to provide electricity to 750 homes and 500 business in Afghanistan’s central province of Bamiyan was recently announced, according to a report today from Pajhwok Afghan News (PAN). The project includes the installation of two generators that will produce 1200 kilowatts of electricity. Habiba Sarobi, the governor of the province told PAN that the funding for the million-dollar project will come from the Norwegian government and a private company known as the Kabul Group. According to the report, the Agha Khan Development Network will implement the project. It is scheduled to be completed by the end of this year.
http://www.goodafghannews.com/2011/07/1 ... -province/
Governor Habiba Sarobi
A project to provide electricity to 750 homes and 500 business in Afghanistan’s central province of Bamiyan was recently announced, according to a report today from Pajhwok Afghan News (PAN). The project includes the installation of two generators that will produce 1200 kilowatts of electricity. Habiba Sarobi, the governor of the province told PAN that the funding for the million-dollar project will come from the Norwegian government and a private company known as the Kabul Group. According to the report, the Agha Khan Development Network will implement the project. It is scheduled to be completed by the end of this year.
http://www.goodafghannews.com/2011/07/1 ... -province/
Saturday September 17, 2011
3rd Silk Road festival marked in Bamyan 2011-09-17 14:02
Wakht News Agency
Bamyan-(Spe.17)
Third festival for Silkway was held through a grand ceremony among the great pleasure and cheers from the youths in central Bamyan province, an official said on Sunday.
The ceremony attended by thousands of the province residents, senior local government officials and representatives of the internal and foreign institutions had been started in late Thursday and would continue for the next three days in the Bamyan centre, national park of Band-e-Amir and Yakawlang district, said manager for the chamber of commerce and industries, Akbar Amiri.
Different issues such as keeping the local culture of the province alive, attraction of the tourists and introducing the local products to the world had formed the main programs of ceremony, Amiri said.
According to him, the main programs of the festival included local music, local games, displaying theater, sports matches, visiting recreational sites and exhibition of local handicrafts and products.
The main organizer of the festival was a joint board consisted of provincial department of culture and information, department of chamber of commerce, municipality and Bamyan Ecotourism and sponsored by the Agha Khan Development Network (AKDN).
This is worth mentioning that the festival is held with the financial cooperation of AKDN since the last 3 years in Bamayan province.
Report: Kanishka Zahak
Edit: F. Akhgar
http://www.wakht.com/en/021802.php
3rd Silk Road festival marked in Bamyan 2011-09-17 14:02
Wakht News Agency
Bamyan-(Spe.17)
Third festival for Silkway was held through a grand ceremony among the great pleasure and cheers from the youths in central Bamyan province, an official said on Sunday.
The ceremony attended by thousands of the province residents, senior local government officials and representatives of the internal and foreign institutions had been started in late Thursday and would continue for the next three days in the Bamyan centre, national park of Band-e-Amir and Yakawlang district, said manager for the chamber of commerce and industries, Akbar Amiri.
Different issues such as keeping the local culture of the province alive, attraction of the tourists and introducing the local products to the world had formed the main programs of ceremony, Amiri said.
According to him, the main programs of the festival included local music, local games, displaying theater, sports matches, visiting recreational sites and exhibition of local handicrafts and products.
The main organizer of the festival was a joint board consisted of provincial department of culture and information, department of chamber of commerce, municipality and Bamyan Ecotourism and sponsored by the Agha Khan Development Network (AKDN).
This is worth mentioning that the festival is held with the financial cooperation of AKDN since the last 3 years in Bamayan province.
Report: Kanishka Zahak
Edit: F. Akhgar
http://www.wakht.com/en/021802.php
Herat, Badghis Local Music CDs Submitted To Ministry Of Culture And Information
Monday, October 03, 2011 Kabul (BIA) Local music CDs and DVDs of Herat and Badghis provided by cultural section of Agha Khan Foundation submitted on Sunday to Umar Sultan, acting deputy minister for information and culture.
Local music CDs and DVDs of Herat and Badghis provided by cultural section of Agha Khan Foundation submitted on Sunday to Umar Sultan, acting deputy minister for information and culture. The second phase of the folklore local music was held by Agha Khan Foundation in Herat and Badghis provinces and real and unrecorded Afghan music have been recorded and registered in the provinces and its packs were submitted to Afghan ministry of information and culture. Umar Sultan, acting deputy minister of the ministry appreciated Agha Khan Foundation for its cooperation in this regard and said introducing of the music will help Afghan new generation in vitalizing the Afghan local music in the country.
http://bakhtarnews.com.af/en/index.php?news=6713
Monday, October 03, 2011 Kabul (BIA) Local music CDs and DVDs of Herat and Badghis provided by cultural section of Agha Khan Foundation submitted on Sunday to Umar Sultan, acting deputy minister for information and culture.
Local music CDs and DVDs of Herat and Badghis provided by cultural section of Agha Khan Foundation submitted on Sunday to Umar Sultan, acting deputy minister for information and culture. The second phase of the folklore local music was held by Agha Khan Foundation in Herat and Badghis provinces and real and unrecorded Afghan music have been recorded and registered in the provinces and its packs were submitted to Afghan ministry of information and culture. Umar Sultan, acting deputy minister of the ministry appreciated Agha Khan Foundation for its cooperation in this regard and said introducing of the music will help Afghan new generation in vitalizing the Afghan local music in the country.
http://bakhtarnews.com.af/en/index.php?news=6713
AKDN planned to implement French aid program
Wednesday October 5, 2011
France donates 5.7 million euros in mother, child health program in Badakhshan 2011-10-05 12:16
Kabul – (Oct. 5)
Wakht News Agency
French government donated 5.7 million euros in maternal and child health development program in the northeast Badakhshan province, the ministry of public health said in a statement.
Deputy Health Minister, Nadera Hayat Borhani signed the agreement with the French ambassador to Kabul, calling it an important step toward the prevention of pregnant women and babies’ death in the remote Badakhshan
Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) is planned to implement the program.
French ambassador to Kabul Bernard Bajolet assured his country’s continual assistance with the Afghan government and people.
The program is due to facilitate training courses for the female health workers, establishment of nursing and midwife education institutes in the province.
Report: Wakht News Agency
Edit: Hafiz Ahmadi
http://www.wakht.com/en/022146.php
******
France Provides 5.7 Million Euros for Health Services in Badakhshan
Report
—
Government of Afghanistan
Dr. Nadira Hayat Borhani, Deputy Minister of Public Health signed a contract with French ambassador to Afghanistan And representative of Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) on Tuesday.
In accordance the contract, French government provided 5.7 million euros in implementing of improving Maternal and Child health program in Badakhshan province. This program would be implemented by Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) over three years.
Addressing the signing ceremony, Dr. Nadira Hayat Borhani appreciated the financial support of French government, calling the implementation of this program very important in improving maternal and child health in Badakhshan.
Likewise, French ambassador to Afghanistan Mr. Bernard BAJOLET assured the long-term support and cooperation of his country to the government and people of Afghanistan, emphasizing on strengthening the good relation between the two countries.
Meanwhile, in the occasion, Aga Khan Foundation representative Mr. Kevin Moorhead pledged that the AKDN would implement this program honestly in cooperation with the Ministry of Public Health to provide better health services to people of Badakhshan, especially for children and women.
The program includes activities such as; establishment of diploma nursing program at Faizabad’s Health Institute, implementation of Badakhshan’s first Community Health Nursing Education Program, implementation of the Community Midwife Education program for 60 more young women, and continuing medical education for existing heath staff at facilities in Badakhshan and Kabul.
Therefore in field of Health System Strengthening, the program will provide the Telemedicine program to link Faizabad Provincial Hospital and three remote Comprehensive Health Centers in Badakhshan, maternal, neonatal and child research initiative, expanded child health program.
http://reliefweb.int/node/450852
Wednesday October 5, 2011
France donates 5.7 million euros in mother, child health program in Badakhshan 2011-10-05 12:16
Kabul – (Oct. 5)
Wakht News Agency
French government donated 5.7 million euros in maternal and child health development program in the northeast Badakhshan province, the ministry of public health said in a statement.
Deputy Health Minister, Nadera Hayat Borhani signed the agreement with the French ambassador to Kabul, calling it an important step toward the prevention of pregnant women and babies’ death in the remote Badakhshan
Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) is planned to implement the program.
French ambassador to Kabul Bernard Bajolet assured his country’s continual assistance with the Afghan government and people.
The program is due to facilitate training courses for the female health workers, establishment of nursing and midwife education institutes in the province.
Report: Wakht News Agency
Edit: Hafiz Ahmadi
http://www.wakht.com/en/022146.php
******
France Provides 5.7 Million Euros for Health Services in Badakhshan
Report
—
Government of Afghanistan
Dr. Nadira Hayat Borhani, Deputy Minister of Public Health signed a contract with French ambassador to Afghanistan And representative of Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) on Tuesday.
In accordance the contract, French government provided 5.7 million euros in implementing of improving Maternal and Child health program in Badakhshan province. This program would be implemented by Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) over three years.
Addressing the signing ceremony, Dr. Nadira Hayat Borhani appreciated the financial support of French government, calling the implementation of this program very important in improving maternal and child health in Badakhshan.
Likewise, French ambassador to Afghanistan Mr. Bernard BAJOLET assured the long-term support and cooperation of his country to the government and people of Afghanistan, emphasizing on strengthening the good relation between the two countries.
Meanwhile, in the occasion, Aga Khan Foundation representative Mr. Kevin Moorhead pledged that the AKDN would implement this program honestly in cooperation with the Ministry of Public Health to provide better health services to people of Badakhshan, especially for children and women.
The program includes activities such as; establishment of diploma nursing program at Faizabad’s Health Institute, implementation of Badakhshan’s first Community Health Nursing Education Program, implementation of the Community Midwife Education program for 60 more young women, and continuing medical education for existing heath staff at facilities in Badakhshan and Kabul.
Therefore in field of Health System Strengthening, the program will provide the Telemedicine program to link Faizabad Provincial Hospital and three remote Comprehensive Health Centers in Badakhshan, maternal, neonatal and child research initiative, expanded child health program.
http://reliefweb.int/node/450852
Last edited by kmaherali on Fri Oct 07, 2011 1:14 pm, edited 1 time in total.
AKTC education initiative for the children of Kabul's schools
"Thousands of Kabul school children will have the opportunity to learn about the history of Babur's Garden, Babur's tomb, and the Queen's Palace through an education initiative funded by the U.S. Embassy in Kabul and conducted by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture. The students receive printed materials about these cultural heritage sites, school supplies, and snacks as part of the tour. More than 10,000 local school children have received tours as part of this initiative."
Related US Embassy Photo set, including children with educational materials produced by the initiative, and children with their teachers going through displays and touring the refurbished gardens:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kabulpubli ... 829606592/
"Thousands of Kabul school children will have the opportunity to learn about the history of Babur's Garden, Babur's tomb, and the Queen's Palace through an education initiative funded by the U.S. Embassy in Kabul and conducted by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture. The students receive printed materials about these cultural heritage sites, school supplies, and snacks as part of the tour. More than 10,000 local school children have received tours as part of this initiative."
Related US Embassy Photo set, including children with educational materials produced by the initiative, and children with their teachers going through displays and touring the refurbished gardens:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kabulpubli ... 829606592/
Aga Khan Foundation helps climbers on an important mission
How Afghan climbers reached their highest peak
By CHRISTOPHER TORCHIA Associated Press
Posted: 10/09/2011 12:34:18 AM PDT
Updated: 10/09/2011 01:41:26 AM PDT
http://www.mercurynews.com/news/ci_19075433
Excerpt
KABUL, Afghanistan—At 2:30 p.m. on July 19, 2009, the first Afghans to climb their country's highest mountain unfurled a national flag on the icy peak in the blue above the clouds.
The celebration was fleeting. Minutes later, they headed down with a French companion, buffeted by violent gusts of wind and worried that exhaustion and a lack of oxygen would imperil their descent.
They aimed to deliver a message one doesn't hear much, that Afghans can succeed. To say, according to a new film about the adventure, that there is more to Afghanistan than the Taliban, opium and burqas, the head-to-toe garments worn by some Muslim women.
.......
Trouble began long before the climb when Meunier and two French associates fell out with the French head of an adventure sports company who had promised financing. Later, Meunier got support from the French Embassy and the Aga Khan Foundation.
How Afghan climbers reached their highest peak
By CHRISTOPHER TORCHIA Associated Press
Posted: 10/09/2011 12:34:18 AM PDT
Updated: 10/09/2011 01:41:26 AM PDT
http://www.mercurynews.com/news/ci_19075433
Excerpt
KABUL, Afghanistan—At 2:30 p.m. on July 19, 2009, the first Afghans to climb their country's highest mountain unfurled a national flag on the icy peak in the blue above the clouds.
The celebration was fleeting. Minutes later, they headed down with a French companion, buffeted by violent gusts of wind and worried that exhaustion and a lack of oxygen would imperil their descent.
They aimed to deliver a message one doesn't hear much, that Afghans can succeed. To say, according to a new film about the adventure, that there is more to Afghanistan than the Taliban, opium and burqas, the head-to-toe garments worn by some Muslim women.
.......
Trouble began long before the climb when Meunier and two French associates fell out with the French head of an adventure sports company who had promised financing. Later, Meunier got support from the French Embassy and the Aga Khan Foundation.
Aga Khan Foundation participates in talks to create a development and extension foundation
Development, Expansion Foundation To Be Established In Badakhshan
Saturday, October 15, 2011 Kabul (BIA) The ambassadors of five western countries held a meeting on creation of a development and extension foundation.
The ambassadors of five western countries held a meeting on creation of a development and extension foundation. Held at the PRT the ambassadors of the Us, Germany, Russia, Norway and the ambassador of Agha Khan Foundation, and Badakhshan governor talked on creation of the foundation as a design of Germany aimed at coordination of expenses of this foundation for Afghanistan and Pakistan, Afghanistan borders and Tajikistan for upgrading the economy of families of both borders, prevention of narcotics cultivation, trafficking and smuggling. The Badakhshan governor said at the meeting that the main challenge in Badakhshan is shortage of power and non-investment on Kukcha River that the donor countries should cooperate seriously and the construction of circular road of Eshakashem till Share Buzurg of the province. He added that this road has two messages, first that rural people will access to cities and continuation of province-wide security with Tajikistan in terms of smuggling of narcotics is ensured. The ambassadors also visited the provincial maternity hospital of Faizabad and promised that they will assist in development, expansion and reconstruction of the premises of the hospital.
http://bakhtarnews.com.af/en/index.php?news=6849
Development, Expansion Foundation To Be Established In Badakhshan
Saturday, October 15, 2011 Kabul (BIA) The ambassadors of five western countries held a meeting on creation of a development and extension foundation.
The ambassadors of five western countries held a meeting on creation of a development and extension foundation. Held at the PRT the ambassadors of the Us, Germany, Russia, Norway and the ambassador of Agha Khan Foundation, and Badakhshan governor talked on creation of the foundation as a design of Germany aimed at coordination of expenses of this foundation for Afghanistan and Pakistan, Afghanistan borders and Tajikistan for upgrading the economy of families of both borders, prevention of narcotics cultivation, trafficking and smuggling. The Badakhshan governor said at the meeting that the main challenge in Badakhshan is shortage of power and non-investment on Kukcha River that the donor countries should cooperate seriously and the construction of circular road of Eshakashem till Share Buzurg of the province. He added that this road has two messages, first that rural people will access to cities and continuation of province-wide security with Tajikistan in terms of smuggling of narcotics is ensured. The ambassadors also visited the provincial maternity hospital of Faizabad and promised that they will assist in development, expansion and reconstruction of the premises of the hospital.
http://bakhtarnews.com.af/en/index.php?news=6849
AKDN's role in Afghanistan development highlighted by World Bank's president
http://www.foreignpolicyjournal.com/201 ... ficulties/
Excerpt:
"It will also be important to rely heavily on Islamic based organizations and regional institutes, such as the Aga Khan Foundation (AKD), Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB). The Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) is in position to take a more prominent role post 2014 through channeling donor money into Afghanistan. The Aga Khan has already contributed around 700 million US dollars, including investing in large-scale rural development; health, education and microfinance services."
http://www.foreignpolicyjournal.com/201 ... ficulties/
Excerpt:
"It will also be important to rely heavily on Islamic based organizations and regional institutes, such as the Aga Khan Foundation (AKD), Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB). The Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) is in position to take a more prominent role post 2014 through channeling donor money into Afghanistan. The Aga Khan has already contributed around 700 million US dollars, including investing in large-scale rural development; health, education and microfinance services."
President Karzai And Prince Agha Khan Emphasize On Infrastructure Projects
Monday, October 31, 2011 Kabul (BIA) President Hamid Karzai and Prince Karim Agha Khan in their meeting emphasized on acceleration of the infrastructure projects implemented by Agha Khan Development Foundation.
President Hamid Karzai and Prince Karim Agha Khan in their meeting emphasized on acceleration of the infrastructure projects implemented by Agha Khan Development Foundation. Prince Karim Agha Khan arrived in Kabul yesterday and in his meeting with President Karzai assured continued assistance of the Agha Khan Foundation with Afghanistan in health, educational, cultural and potable water provision spheres. He stressed further that cooperation in reconstruction of development of Afghanistan has its important place in Agha Khan Foundation programs and its assistance is made in eradication of poverty and growth of life of the people. President Karzai thanked Agha Foundation’s assistance and called it as very important in addressing the needs of Afghans.
http://bakhtarnews.com.af/en/index.php?news=6992
Monday, October 31, 2011 Kabul (BIA) President Hamid Karzai and Prince Karim Agha Khan in their meeting emphasized on acceleration of the infrastructure projects implemented by Agha Khan Development Foundation.
President Hamid Karzai and Prince Karim Agha Khan in their meeting emphasized on acceleration of the infrastructure projects implemented by Agha Khan Development Foundation. Prince Karim Agha Khan arrived in Kabul yesterday and in his meeting with President Karzai assured continued assistance of the Agha Khan Foundation with Afghanistan in health, educational, cultural and potable water provision spheres. He stressed further that cooperation in reconstruction of development of Afghanistan has its important place in Agha Khan Foundation programs and its assistance is made in eradication of poverty and growth of life of the people. President Karzai thanked Agha Foundation’s assistance and called it as very important in addressing the needs of Afghans.
http://bakhtarnews.com.af/en/index.php?news=6992
AKF collaborates with other organizations to contain brucellosis outbreak in Afghanistan's Bamiyan Province
Excerpt:
"The brucellosis outbreak intervention programme was held in collaboration with the New Zealand Provincial Reconstruction Team, United States Agency for International Development, Aga Khan Foundation and local veterinary authorities."
http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v5/newsi ... ?id=625978
Excerpt:
"The brucellosis outbreak intervention programme was held in collaboration with the New Zealand Provincial Reconstruction Team, United States Agency for International Development, Aga Khan Foundation and local veterinary authorities."
http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v5/newsi ... ?id=625978
AKF featured in a magazine article in relation to Afghanistan
Excerpt:
"Completely destroyed during the civil war between the mujahideen, the Bagh-e-Babur was redone from scratch by the Aga Khan Foundation. When we visit, it is slightly overcast, but the clouds let enough sun through for the Bagh to glow — the place looks heavenly. There is a cool breeze and roses, fruit trees and a typically Mughal water channel flourish in lush green gardens. At the top of the gardens is Babur’s tomb; beside him rest a few of his family members. The white marble of some of the graves has been pierced by wild cherry blossom trees. Before his death, Babur had requested to be buried here. Initially buried in India, his body was later moved to the resting place of his choice — a place that he had originally built as a resting garden for himself."
http://tribune.com.pk/story/292759/afgh ... r-country/
Excerpt:
"Completely destroyed during the civil war between the mujahideen, the Bagh-e-Babur was redone from scratch by the Aga Khan Foundation. When we visit, it is slightly overcast, but the clouds let enough sun through for the Bagh to glow — the place looks heavenly. There is a cool breeze and roses, fruit trees and a typically Mughal water channel flourish in lush green gardens. At the top of the gardens is Babur’s tomb; beside him rest a few of his family members. The white marble of some of the graves has been pierced by wild cherry blossom trees. Before his death, Babur had requested to be buried here. Initially buried in India, his body was later moved to the resting place of his choice — a place that he had originally built as a resting garden for himself."
http://tribune.com.pk/story/292759/afgh ... r-country/
AKDN features in partnership for Development across borders...
Wednesday, 14. December 2011
Opportunity for development across borders - more stability for Afghanistan
Bridges, markets and health care stations for 1.5 million people
Launch of the KfW Pakistan-Afghanistan-Tadzhikistan Regional Integration Programme (PATRIP)
Excerpt:
"In cooperation with the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), five large and over 400 small-scale construction and rehabilitation measures such as bridges, markets and health care stations were financed already in the first pilot phase, which began in 2010 with a commitment of over EUR 6.1 million. Up to 500,000 inhabitants of the border regions are already benefitting from the provided infrastructure."
http://www.kfw.de/kfw/en/KfW_Group/Pres ... _54984.jsp
Wednesday, 14. December 2011
Opportunity for development across borders - more stability for Afghanistan
Bridges, markets and health care stations for 1.5 million people
Launch of the KfW Pakistan-Afghanistan-Tadzhikistan Regional Integration Programme (PATRIP)
Excerpt:
"In cooperation with the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), five large and over 400 small-scale construction and rehabilitation measures such as bridges, markets and health care stations were financed already in the first pilot phase, which began in 2010 with a commitment of over EUR 6.1 million. Up to 500,000 inhabitants of the border regions are already benefitting from the provided infrastructure."
http://www.kfw.de/kfw/en/KfW_Group/Pres ... _54984.jsp
Greenhouse products in cold Bamyan as an income source
Sunday, 22 January 2012 09:05
Bamyan – (Jan. 22)
Wakht News Agency
Farmers in the mountainous Bamyan province say they receive good incomes by selling vegetables grown in the greenhouses.
“I grow cauliflowers, cabbages, spinaches and cucumbers in my greenhouse and I receive good incomes by selling them,” said Saberah from center of Bamyan city, adding that she is engaged in her greenhouse for four years.
She said that the vegetables grown in the province is fresher, cheaper and better than the imported products.
Another farmer, Mohammad Ali said those families who cannot afford to buy vegetables in the winter, have vegetables for consumption as well as for selling.
The greenhouses are made by Aga Khan Foundation.
“We have so far made 28 greenhouses across Bamyan province as well as Sheik Ali and Sorkh O Parsa districts of Parwan province,” said a foundation in charge Fatemeh Hosseini.
“The farmers are satisfied with the greenhouses, because, they can earn more money by selling vegetables in the winter that is not the season for growing.
Bamyan is located at high point of altitude and is not reasonable for growing the vegetables. But, most of farmers are now growing cauliflowers, cabbages and cucumbers.
By: Kaneshka Zahak
http://www.wakht.af/index.php?option=co ... 18&lang=en
Sunday, 22 January 2012 09:05
Bamyan – (Jan. 22)
Wakht News Agency
Farmers in the mountainous Bamyan province say they receive good incomes by selling vegetables grown in the greenhouses.
“I grow cauliflowers, cabbages, spinaches and cucumbers in my greenhouse and I receive good incomes by selling them,” said Saberah from center of Bamyan city, adding that she is engaged in her greenhouse for four years.
She said that the vegetables grown in the province is fresher, cheaper and better than the imported products.
Another farmer, Mohammad Ali said those families who cannot afford to buy vegetables in the winter, have vegetables for consumption as well as for selling.
The greenhouses are made by Aga Khan Foundation.
“We have so far made 28 greenhouses across Bamyan province as well as Sheik Ali and Sorkh O Parsa districts of Parwan province,” said a foundation in charge Fatemeh Hosseini.
“The farmers are satisfied with the greenhouses, because, they can earn more money by selling vegetables in the winter that is not the season for growing.
Bamyan is located at high point of altitude and is not reasonable for growing the vegetables. But, most of farmers are now growing cauliflowers, cabbages and cucumbers.
By: Kaneshka Zahak
http://www.wakht.af/index.php?option=co ... 18&lang=en